The Serengeti is a protected region in Tanzania, Africa, spanning approximately 30,000km² (18,600 miles). With that information, you can pretty much establish what NetEnt wanted to go for with the Serengeti Kings slot.
Roaming around the African plains isn't for everyone, but in this Serengeti Kings review, we'll get you all packed up and ready to explore this vast expanse!
The Serengeti Kings slot is a high-volatility game with five reels, four rows and 26 paylines. The RTP (Return to Player) stands at 96.20% at the time of writing.
EXPLORE THE SERENGETI KINGS SLOT
In front of some sparse trees and lush green grass, we have our five-by-four grid on which you'll be hoping to land matching symbols. The desolate African savannah in the backdrop doesn't remain so desolate when the symbols go for a spin, but what really takes the cake is the day-and-night cycle.
Just like every real African adventure, the daylight progresses with every spin. This means that every spin moves the day along, starting with the morning, noon and evening. The backdrop starts off full of morning light and continues to darken towards the end of the 'day', repeating the cycle every time the reels are spun.
ABOUT THE GAME
Here's what you need to know to start playing Serengeti Kings.
STEP 1: HOW TO BET
In order to play Serengeti Kings, you must first set your bet size (or coin value). There are 15 bet levels, ranging for a min. bet of €0.10 to a max. bet of €5, or currency equivalent. Once you've set your stake, you can go ahead and spin the reels! Keep in mind that the amount you net will be proportional to your stake value.
If you'd like to speed things up, the Serengeti Kings slot includes the Autoplay function that can keep things moving without having to spin the reels yourself. For more information about how these features can be activated on your device, consult the game rules. Please play responsibly and impose a loss limit or maximum win limit if you think that it is required.
STEP 2: LEARN THE SYMBOLS
Serengeti Kings includes quite a number of symbols. The low-value symbols are 10 through ace, but there are also meerkats, zebra, giraffes, hyenas and high-value lion and panther symbols.
The sunset symbol represents the game's Wild symbol, which substitutes for all the other symbols (except Scatter symbols) and pays up to 50x your stake.
The Scatter symbol is represented by the half-sun/half-moon symbol and it is key to unlocking the Free Spins feature.
STEP 3: CHECK OUT THE SPECIAL FEATURES
The game stands out in more ways than one. One way it does this is through its special bonus features which you can find more about below.
LION AND PANTHER FEATURE
At the top left and top right of the grid, we have two counters, one for the Lion feature and another for the Panther feature. Remember what we said about the day and night cycle? That affects this special feature since the Lion spins mode will be active during the day while the Panther features throughout the night. Lion symbols collected during the day will be added to the Lion counter, whereas panther symbols appearing at night will be added to the Panther counter. You can only land a maximum of 12 lion and panther symbols.
When you land the twelfth lion symbol, the Lion feature will be unlocked, throwing the 12 lion symbols randomly on the reels. This alone can create more than one winning combination, but if a lion symbol lands on a panther symbol, they turn into a Wild symbol. If a lion lands on another lion, the Wild symbol adds +1 to the multiplier.
Lion and panther symbols work in the same way, in that panther symbols are collected at the top of the grid and spread around the reels randomly on the 12th symbol. If a panther symbol lands on a lion symbol, they turn into a Wild symbol, and if two panther symbols land on one another, the Wild adds +1 to the multiplier.
FREE SPINS FEATURE
Landing three Scatter symbols will unlock the Free Spins round, granting you 12 free spins. The more Scatters you manage to land, the easier it will be to land lion and panther symbols.
Once the twelfth free spin comes along, all the lion and panther symbols will be scattered around the reels as we've explained above, no matter how many lion or panther spins you've had. This can help you create winning combinations and multipliers quite significantly.
PLAY THE SERENGETI KINGS DEMO
How could we close off this Serengeti Kings slot review without a mention of the demo mode? As always, we recommend to start playing the demo before trying some spins with your own money. If you're not sure what demos are, stick around!
The demo mode is a gaming mode available in all the best online casinos that includes all the same features and mechanics you can expect when digging into the actual gameplay. The only difference is that you won’t be able to bag real cash prizes when testing out the free slots; for that, you'll have to play real-money games.
The slot provider — in this case, NetEnt — allocates demo players a virtual money bankroll to spin this game for free. Although demos offer the same payout as the base game, players won’t be able to collect any of the winnings when they play slots' demos. Nevertheless, this free-play version of the game is a great way to try some test spins before you try winning real money in the base game.
Remember that registration may be required to play Serengeti Kings slot demos. Also, depending on your jurisdiction, you may be asked to complete the verification process of your account to access the demos. In cases where verification is not necessary, you may be able to play as a visitor without having to sign in — terms apply.
OUR THOUGHTS
The Lion King movie (animated by Walt Disney) paved the path for entertainment media when it comes to the African savannah theme, and online casino games are no exception. The Serengeti Kings slot machine is one of the many slots released in this theme, but it does hold its own very well overall.
With the Lion and Panther counters, players have something to look out for in the base game, as well as the Free Spins feature. Players with a fat stack of cash can opt to buy free spins directly — a first-time offer from NetEnt — which adds to the overall convenience.
In summation, this online slot is definitely worth a try. It is entertaining and also unique in some ways, though the max. cash you can win verges on the 4,000x your wager — nothing significant, but it's still something.
RULE BREAKDOWN
The Serengeti Kings slot is a high-volatility game released by NetEnt. It contains five reels, four rows and 26 paylines.
- The min. bet in Serengeti Kings stands at €0.10, whereas the max. bet is €5, or currency equivalent, respectively.
- Serengeti King features many different symbols: 10 through ace, meerkats, zebra, giraffes, hyenas, lions and panthers. The sunset symbols represent the game's Wild symbols while the Scatter symbol is represented by the half-sun/half-moon symbol.
- Serengeti King includes several bonus features: the Lion and Panther feature, the Free Spins feature and the Buy Free Spins feature.
- The Lion and Panther feature is active throughout the base game, where collected lion symbols contribute to the lion counter and vice-versa for the panther counter. When either of the counters are full (requiring a total of 12 of the respective collected symbols), the 12 symbols will be distributed randomly on the reels. If the same symbol lands on one another, rewards will be granted.
- The Free Spins round can be activated by landing three Scatter symbols. Twelve spins will be granted and on the twelfth spin, the lion and panther counters will distribute their respective symbols on the reels.
- The Bonus Buy feature allows players to trigger the Free Spins bonus round instantly at a cost.
- The RTP of Serengeti Kings is 96.20%. The RTP is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change.