Santa’s Vault Slot Review
Begin your countdown to Christmas as you embark on a festive journey in Push Gaming’s latest creation, Santa’s Vault!
Under their sub-brand, Reel Hot Games, Push Gaming adds some festive, feel-good vibes to one of their more popular releases. Built upon classic aesthetics & a simple 3-reel structure, Power Vault was quite the change of pace for a provider held in high esteem for their ambitious Razor Shark & Big Bamboo series, among others.
Like its predecessor, Santa’s Vault continues to intertwine modern mechanics & features with classic thematics and old-school, fruit machine symbols. Classic/Vegas-themed slots still appear on the iGaming market, but due to certain advancements and the demand for unusual themes, we’re seeing less & less.
Through their Reel Hot Games sub-brand, Push Gaming plans to keep this age-old theme from going stale, and we’re all for it. In Santa’s Vault, you will find Instant & Jackpot Prizes, a nifty Collect Feature, & a rewarding Bonus Game.
With a fixed RTP of 96.37% and a low volatility score, Santa’s Vault can produce wins worth up to 8,118x your bet, but will we be able to crack it open in time for Christmas? Let’s find out…
Base Game & Features
Santa’s Vault is a 3-reel, 3-row Christmas-infused video slot with 5 fixed pay lines. Wins occur when any paytable symbol achieves 3-of-a-kind on adjacent reels, starting from reel 1.
In tune with the traditional Classic theme, Santa’s Vault includes a variety of 7s, Bells, Double Bars, & Single Bars as the high-paying symbols. The remaining symbols, of Strawberries, Oranges, Pears, & Blueberries, act as the game’s low-paying symbols. Once a win appears in view, it will award a fixed payout between 1x and 50x your bet.
Also available on the reels are Wild symbols, substituting for all symbols except Instant Prize, Jackpot, & Collect symbols. Wild symbols can only appear on the reels during the base game.
Instant Prizes & Collect Feature
Throughout gameplay, Instant Prize symbols may appear on reels 1 & 3, revealing a random value between 1x and 25x your bet. Additionally, up to 4 Jackpot Prizes may also land on reels 1 & 3, awarding the following outcomes:
- Mini: 15x your bet
- Minor: 50x your bet
- Mega: 100x your bet
- Grand: 500x your bet
For reference, players can revert to each Jackpot Prize, which appears in a list next to the main reel set. Instant Prizes & Jackpots can only be won during the Collect Feature.
Collect symbols can appear only on reel 2 during the base game & bonus game. When at least 1 Instant/Jackpot Prize appears in view, alongside a Collect symbol in the same spin, it will trigger the Collect Feature, whereby all values are added together and applied to the total win of the spin.
Vault Burst
At random, a trail of stars can lead from all visible Instant Prizes, Jackpot, & Collect symbols and into the Vault above the main reel set, for a chance to trigger the Vault Burst feature. Once active, all Instant Prize, Jackpot, & Collect symbols burst from the vault and onto the reels to award the Bonus Game.
Santa’s Vault Bonus Game
Having at least 1 Instant Prize or Jackpot symbol on reels 1 and/or 3, along with a Collect symbol on reel 2, triggers the Bonus Game, awarding 3 Respins.
During this session, an additional 3×1 Enhancer Reel is added above the main reel set, revealing Multiplier & Addition symbols only, which apply to all Instant Prize or Collect symbols directly below their respective position.
- Multiplier: Awards a value of x2, x3, or x5. Multipliers on reels 1 & 3 of the Ehancer Reel will multiply all Instant Prizes before they are added to the Collect symbol. Alternatively, Multipliers from reel 2 of the Enhancer Reel will multiply the values of all active Collect symbols.
- Addition: Awards a base bet value between 1x and 100x your bet. Addition symbols on Enhancer Reels 1 & 3 will increase Instant Prizes before they are added to the Collect symbol. Alternatively, Addition symbols on Enhancer Reel 2 will add their value to all Collect symbols in view.
- Dud: Do not affect any other symbols on the reels.
Our Honest Verdict
The high-pitched jingle of bells gives you that feel-good, Christmas vibe, as does the snow-covered symbols & glistening backdrop, but has there been any effort made to enhance the existing features & mechanics from the original Power Vault?
While it’s great to see much-loved games step back into the limelight, showing off their latest reskin to fit the upcoming holiday, you’re hoping for additional upgrades during gameplay. The ‘Christmas itch’ has already spread to one of Thunderkick’s most popular series, in Esqueleto Explosivo: Feliz Navidead, so there’s hope for Santa’s Vault yet.
Players looking for subtle & low-potency games this festive period will find Santa’s Vault just the ticket, but it comes with a few alterations, both pros & cons, when comapred to its sibling slot.
Firstly, Santa’s Vault continues to utilise Jackpot prizes, but the Grand Jackpot has been slashed by half in comparison to Power Vault’s 1,000x Grand Jackpot. Another interesting observation is the removal of the x10 Multiplier from Enhancer Reel 2. However, to make up for these drastic changes, Santa’s Vault promotes an 8,118x max win potential, which is a lot more appealing than the 4,112x your bet from Power Vault.
It’s a keen observation, but it might not mean anything to you, in the grand scheme of things. Everything else, though, remains in tip-top form & very familiar for those who consider Power Vault one of their favourite pass-times.
All in all, Santa’s Vault arrives in time for Christmas, adding sparkle & joy to the upcoming festivities, but it may not be the first choice on everyone’s Christmas wish list.
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written prior to the initial release date and before real play is available.
