Happy Holidays
The Happy Holidays video slot was released by the game’s developer Microgaming back in December 2015 ready for the holiday season but that doesn’t mean you can only play this game at Christmas. This seasonal themed game has quite a lot to offer any time of the year especially with a top jackpot prize of £88,000.
The Happy Holidays slot by Microgaming is a 5-reel game that offers 243 winning combinations in the base game and 1024 winning combinations in the bonus round. The game has some standard features normally seen on other Microgaming slots including a wild substitution symbol that can replace all other symbols apart from the scatter symbol. There is also a free spins bonus round by landing the correct number of scatter symbols. There is though, a new feature that includes Frosty the Snowman during the bonus round being able to transform into a different one of the high-value symbols. You also get an extra row of symbols during the free spins. Not only all this but there is a randomly activated Frosty Feature in the base game.
How to play the Happy Holidays Video Slot
When you load up the game you will initially be shown a splash screen that gives a brief overview of the features of this online slot. By clicking the OK button you will move on to the main game screen. Here you will find that the backdrop is your typical snowy Christmas scene and the reels are all made up of images that would not look out of place on a Christmas card. You may think that this is a game you couldn’t play in any other month but December but who doesn’t love Christmas?
There are none of the usual card type symbols used in the Happy Holidays video slot, instead, you have various low and high-value symbols made up of all things you would expect to see during the festive season. This includes a Christmas Stocking, the Turkey, a Gingerbread House and Christmas Candy. You then have high-value symbols which all depict a Christmas scene. These include a Christians Tree, meeting Santa, opening presents, sledging and of course building a snowman.
The Happy Holidays game logo acts as the wild symbol and the scatter symbol is a bauble. Landing two of these scatters will give you a cash reward but you need at least three to activate the free spins bonus round.
Before you start enjoying the seasonal fun you should set your cost per spin and that this is at a level you are comfortable with. Using the ‘Bet’ button at the bottom of the game screen you can set the coin size at 1p, 2p, 5p and 10p along with a multiplier of how many coins to bet. This can be set from 1 up to 10. The game then has an automatic multiplier of x30 for your bets. Therefore, adjusting these options allows you to set the cost per spin to as little as 30p (1x1x30) up to a maximum of £30.
To start playing Happy Holidays you just need to select the oblong looking button on the bottom far right of the game screen marked ‘Spin’. There is also an ‘Auto Play’ button along the bottom section of the game screen. Clicking the AutoPlay feature allows you to have the game spin the reels automatically. You can set the number of spins from 5 up to 100 or use the pre-set buttons for 10, 25, 50 or 100 spins.
When you play Happy Holidays the base game is a typical case of matching symbols from left to right across the reels. As long as there is a similar symbol in a neighboring reel you will have a win. What helps along the base game is both the Wild symbol which can help to boost your winning possibilities plus the Frosty Feature. This is randomly awarded on any non-winning spin.
When the Frosty Feature is activated a snow blizzard will cover the game board and freeze all reels. Then any high-value symbol will display a cash value award and you collect all awards. This can be a big boost to your balance when this occurs. Beyond this, you will be looking to land at least 3 scatter symbols. This will activate the free spins bonus round.
On entering the bonus round you will get 10 free spins plus an extra row will appear across the top of the game board. You now have 4 rows of symbols and the winning combinations has now increased to 1,024. Added to this, during the free spins the Frosty the Snowman symbol can randomly transform into any other high-value symbol in order to offer the highest possible win.
Happy Holidays Video Slot Tips
On the right-hand side of the game screen, you will see a button labeled ‘Pays’. Clicking this will reveal 4 screens that give information about the game including the main features as discussed above. You can also view the coin payout levels for the number of matching symbols on a winning line along with a grid view of how the wins are generated. These screens are useful and help familiarise you with the game and what you need to do to get the best wins possible.
If you are new to playing the Happy Holidays video slot, then it would be worth your while to try out the game for free at one of our recommended online casinos. This facility allows you to learn how the game plays and see the bonus free spin feature before spending your hard earned cash. You can switch to real cash play at any time. If you would like to play the Happy Holidays slot for free then you can at Mr Green Casino.
Is Happy Holidays the right video slot for you?
The Happy Holidays Slot by Microgaming has a theoretical RTP (return to player) of 96.6% giving a house edge of 3.4%.We tested the game over 100 spins at £1.20 cost per spin and found it an enjoyable game to play. One criticism may be that because the majority of the symbols are Christmas scenes that fill the whole area of where a symbol would be, the game board looks very ‘full’ at times. Maybe even a bit cluttered. However, the gameplay and features certainly outweighed this small detail.
The Happy Holidays slot is quite a nicely balanced medium variance game and would suit you if you are looking for some decent sized regular wins, the chance of bigger cash rewards including a good size jackpot and a decent length of gameplay for your money. If you happen to have a free casino bonus to use then this online slot is one to consider any time of the year.
