Take A Walk In A Fairy Tale Forest With IGT
As we met up with IGT to learn more about their newest slot Wishwood we were blown away by the magical atmosphere both in- and out of game. Stepping out on the balcony high above the hustle and bustle in the heart of Malta it felt more as if we had stepped directly into a fantasy forest.
As one of the most popular names in the world of casino gaming, IGT did not disappoint with the reveal of their latest casino gem that proved to be full of magical features and free spins, as well as the cutest woodland creature around.
Wishwood – The creation of a fairy tale slot
As the light from the infinity pool cast a near other-worldly glow over the release event, magical forest nymphs busied themselves by creating a glowing mural depicting the fantasy world. And in the centre of it all stood an iridescent tree that looked as if it housed a million magical wisps, lighting up the night-time view and showing the way for the adventurous casino fans in attendance.
As little Poa, the lead character in Wishwood, danced around on the walls, we were given a small glimpse into the thought behind the game by its producer. He shared with us the true “making of” story behind the tree, the character and even the game symbols.
Once they started developing the idea, IGT worked away from the normal fairy tales and forests. From an early stage, they already knew they wanted to centre the game around the enchanted tree and what they wanted the game to embody. In the beginning they even considered making the tree an actual character, before settling on making it the background for the reels, with vines holding the reels securely in place.
So, as they started developing the game and the tree became the game itself, a new side character was developed together with the more organic, flowing symbols. Cute little Poa started off as a fairy sprite, before becoming the lovable little character he (or she, we can’t tell) is today. But the tree is still a very important part of this gorgeous game and featured heavily in the bonus feature. Actually, the original sketch of the tree was over 5 ft. (1.5 meters) high!
All You Need To Know About Wishwood
This magical, high volatility slot offers a typical five-reel set up with 20 paylines and maximum wins up to 10,000 your stake. With organic, flowing symbols and natural colours every part of this slot embodies the fantasy forest. The game offers several features, both randomly in the main game and three Free Spins features in the bonus game.
The first feature this game offers can randomly appear on any winning spin, the Tangled symbols. Any winning combination on a spin with Tangled symbols activated will cause the winning symbols to lock into place and trigger a re-spin, for the chance of even bigger winning combos. Any new wins will also stick to the reels and the re-spins will continue until no new wins appear.
When a flower bud appears above the reels and starts flowering to reveal an orb there’s a chance you may trigger one of the special features. Magical wisps will fly across the reels, allowing you to pick one for the chance to get Wispy Wilds, Magic Multipliers or even the Bonus Climb feature.
• Wispy Wilds: If this feature is activated, four wilds will appear randomly on any position across the reels.
• Magic Multipliers: This feature brings 3 or 4 Multipliers on the reels, with Multipliers as high as 10x your win. Any symbols that the Multipliers touch will be transformed into a winning combo!
• Bonus Climb Feature: Out of the randomly activated features, this is the one to keep an eye on. The Bonus Climb feature is Wishwood’s bonus game and offers up to three Free Spins games. Let’s take a closer look at it below.
The Bonus Climb
This bonus feature can be triggered by either wisps or by getting the bonus symbol on the first, third and fifth reel. Poa helps you out as well, since as soon as two bonus symbols appear, the whimsical little forest creature will kick the reels, adding the third symbol for you!
Once you enter the bonus feature a wheel will replace the reels, and each section of the wheel has numbers on it that function like a dice. As you spin the wheel your numbers will help Poa climb the enchanted tree. The higher Poa climbs, the better the free spins offers and prizes.
If Poa only reaches branch zero to two, you’ll get 10x your stake. However if you manage to help him climb to branch three to six then you will activate the first of three free spins features, the Amber Wilds feature. Reach branch seven to ten and you’ll get an added Enchanted Wilds Free Spins Feature. Reach the top of the tree for the best free spins feature, the Top Of The Tree feature! Each Free Spins feature offers special symbols or Wilds. Let’s take a look at them now:
1. The Amber Wilds Free Spins
When you activate this feature you will get 7 free spins, however you will also get special Sticky Wilds. If a Wild is part of a winning combination, it will stick to the reels for the rest of the free spins, increasing your winning chances.
2. The Enchanted Wilds Free Spins
The second free spins feature gives you 5 free spins and offers up a special accumulative wisp circle. Fill three circles and the next animal symbol will become a Wild until the end of your free spins. As if this wasn’t enough you’ll also get 5 extra free spins! Fill four circles and you’ll get another 5 free spins and so on, until you reach a max total of 25 free spins.
3. The Top of the Tree Free Spins
Finally, if you reach the top of the tree you’ll get 8 free spins. This might not seem as grand as the potential 25 spins on level two, but these spins are special. At the start of your free spins feature you get to pick either the owl, squirrel or butterfly as your special symbol. If your special symbol appears on the reels it will become an Expanding symbol, covering the reel after every spin and potentially offering much higher payouts!
Our Verdict
Wishwood stands out as a brilliantly designed fantasy slot and it’s easy to see the love and care the game creators have put into the many beautiful details. Though we do agree that there is a high potential for big wins on the top of the tree, the free spins lovers among us prefer the Enchanted Wilds (25 free spins? Yes please!).
Overall, we love the bonus features, multiple free spins offers and the chance of winning 10,000 times our stake. However, we’d like to end with a tip for newer players: this slot is more suited for high rollers, as the high volatility payouts offer larger wins for larger spins.
