Aloha! Christmas is a winter festive remake of NetEnt’s older slot,Aloha! Cluster Pays. It’s been 4 years now since the release of the original title, and this one adds Christmas vibes to the Tiki-themed slot, taking players to sunny Hawaii for the seasonal celebrations. A couple of questions arise when it comes to the picked theme, though, one thing is certain, this one won’t lack originality and stick out from the crowd of other Christmas slots for sure.
Released back in 2016, Aloha! Cluster Pays rapidly captured the hearts and minds of slot enthusiasts all around the globe and became a hit that even now continues to attract new players. Hence, it was only a matter of time when the remake should have been done. Oddly enough, NetEnt has come up to the conclusion that winter season is a perfect time for a Tiki lad return, thus he dons a Santa hat and brings a whole lot of presents to Hawaii.
Not really sure whether it will manage to create that homely feel players usually get to experience in Christmas-themed slots, though, it definitely delivers a warm and jolly holiday atmosphere. Graphically, the slot remained untouched, while the surroundings have undergone some changes. The backdrop now showcases bars at the beach instead of a lava-topped volcano in the rear, and the decorations have switched from classical Hawaiian to Christmassy.
Playable on any device, Aloha! Christmas is played out on a 6×6 grid with a Cluster Pays system. Scoring a win will require matching at least 9 horizontally or vertically adjacent symbols, while top prizes are awarded for clusters consisting of 22 symbols. When it comes to the stats, NetEnt adjusts the math model to make it appeal to the mainstream audience by bumping the volatility up to a medium level. Meanwhile, an RTP did a nosedive to 96%, which is almost half percent lower than the payback found in its older sibling.
Players drop in by setting bets from 0.2$ to 200$ per spin, providing that both high-rollers and casual gamblers will find their preferred bet options. Speaking of high-rollers wins of 350,000$ on a single spin are possible, of course, when playing with the highest stake. 1,750x of the bet is undoubtedly not the most generous slot from NetEnt, though, it can be justified by a non-brutal math model.
As we head over to the paytable we see a bunch of recognizable symbols. In ascending order we get flowers, shells, coconuts, and pineapples alongside three Tiki masks, namely blue, green, and red. Matching 22+ symbols in a cluster will award up to 250x of the bet.
Taking a peek behind the curtain of Aloha! Christmas reveals that there are a lot more changes in terms of gameplay than you might have thought. NetEnt didn’t just restyle their old slot, but also implemented a couple of additions to the feature set.
Mystery Symbols, taken from the original Aloha! Cluster Pays slot, now appear with a slight upgrade. Available both during the base and the bonus games, they can appear on any position of the grid to then transform into the same instance of a randomly chosen symbol. Players can get a lucrative boost for Mystery Symbols can turn into multiplier wilds that can deliver 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 7x multiplier.
Should 3 or more Scatter symbols land anywhere on the grid, the Free Spins feature will be triggered. Players will then proceed to a selection screen, where they are free to choose one of the two free spins modes:
Starfish symbols are added to the reels for the duration of the Free Spins round. Whenever 3 are collected, players are granted +2 additional free spins and the least valuable type of symbols is removed. Once all the low-paying symbols are removed, it won’t be possible to extend the Free Spins feature any further since starfish symbols will stop landing.
It’s really hard to imagine a Hawaiian-themed game to be dedicated to the winter festive season. If not the word ‘Christmas’ and a couple of cosmetic changes, you won’t surely guess it’s a Christmas slot. Anyway, at least it looks close to reality for it’s probably the way people celebrate winter holidays on the tropical island.
While the graphics changes are not that of a big deal, the features have been skilfully upgraded. Hardcore players will definitely appreciate that NetEnt added a high-volatility option of Free Spins, while all other players will be pleased with mystery multiplier wilds. However, the bumped up potential remains the most pleasant gift, now maxing at 1,750x instead of 1,000x.
All said and done, Aloha! Christmas is a nice alternative to seasonal winter slots. It has quite a lot of reasons why punters will be hooked onto their screens, and all the new features provide that fans of the first part are likely to switch to this one.
Aloha Christmas
