Guns'n Heat slot review

Guns ‘n Heat is a slot that takes place in the blistering sun of the Wild West, where riches and danger are both around the corner. Players are invited to come join and watch how Wilds, a Bonus Game and Free Spins can change someone’s life.

If you are familiar with Mancala Gaming then you’ll likely have a good idea what the gameplay for 2020’s Guns ‘n Heat will be like. The slot offers many of the same features as well as a similar look as their other slots, such as Kings & Dragons and Huge Catch. Just like in those games the graphics are fine, giving us a collection of items and symbols that remind us of the Wild West.

The game features a 5-reel, 4-row playing field with 25 paylines that count both ways. This makes the slot pretty liberal with its wins, owing to the Low Volatility it is listed at. I found this to be close to my experience as well. The game is clearly set in the West of America as we can see a cactus, rattlesnake and even a sheriff on the side of the screen.

I thought the sound design was pretty good, using the classic western music as a backdrop. It doesn’t go out of its way to be very noticeable or exciting but it does its job of setting the tone quite well. Other sound-effects include shots ringing out whenever there’s a win or galloping horses when the reels spin.

Symbols

Guns ‘n Heat doesn’t use completely original symbols, instead using the standard split between low- and high-paying symbols. While the high-paying ones are made to fit the theme with guns, tomahawks and dynamite the low-paying symbols are simple card letters on a wooden board. It’s nothing shocking but it does detract from the theme somewhat. The letters are at least made to somewhat look like what you’d expect on a saloon sign.

While playing, these symbols can show up on your screen:

• Chest: Get a Chest symbol on the screen to activate the bonus game.
• Free Spins: Get 3 or more Free Spins symbols on the screen to activate the free spins mode.
• Wild: Wilds substitute all other symbols in the game.
• Revolver: Max. 250x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Dynamite: Max. 200x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Tomahawks: Max. 175x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Cowboy Hat: Max. 150x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Ace: Max. 70x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• King: Max. 60x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Queen: Max. 50x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Jack: Max. 40x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.

Whenever one of the symbols is on a winning bet line they will be highlighted, the payline is shown and there will be a brief animation. The animation is usually nothing more than the symbols slightly jiggling or zooming in.

Players can pick a bet between £0.25 and £22.25 per spin to make the game as exciting as they are comfortable with. I found the slot to keep pretty close to my starting funds, mostly due to the low volatility. Still, I would suggest you start with a lower bet to get a feel for the gameplay.

Features

Just like the other Mancala Gaming slots, Guns ‘n Heat uses a series of features that most players will already be familiar with. They are popular for a good reason, plus they are easy to explain. However, if you’re looking for something truly unique or innovative you won’t find that here either.

The features that are included in this game are:

• Paylines Both Ways: The paylines in this slot are counted both ways, from left to right and vice versa. This essentially doubles them.
• Wilds: Wilds substitute all other symbols in the game except the Bonus symbol.
• Bonus Game: Whenever there is a Chest symbol on the screen the Bonus game starts. Players get to pick 1 of 5 chests to unveil either a coin win or Free Spins.
• Free Spins: Picking the right chest or getting 3 or more Free Spins symbols on the screen activates the Free Spins mode.

Most of the time, players will see the Paylines Both Ways feature activate. This does exactly what it says. Where the majority of slots only count paylines running from left to right, Guns ‘n Heat also does the reverse.

Wilds were also a big part of the game as they showed up regularly. The Wilds were prone to helping in getting a win, although this was obviously not a guarantee. Even so, it was rare for any win to be more than 3 symbols long. This contributes to the low volatility where a win is likely but they won’t be very big.

The Bonus Game was probably the most exciting part of the game. Only requiring a single symbol to trigger, this appeared quite often. When it did, I got to pick 1 of 5 Chests, usually hiding 3 coin wins and 2 free spins but this could change too. The coins are awarded immediately and picking the free spins will trigger the free spins mode.

It’s also possible to activate the free spins mode with free spins symbols but these were exceedingly rare and as far as I saw they never activated the free spins mode this way. I would only activate it by picking the right chest during the bonus game.

In Conclusion

Whether this is your first slot by Mancala Gaming or you have played others by this studio before, the experience will feel very familiar. The slot has a selection of popular features wrapped together in a nice-looking package and a suitable soundtrack.

The game, therefore, feels very much like it was made for the casual centre of slot players. People who enjoy a simple but sturdy slot that offers everything people have to expect without trying to do anything overly original or difficult.

The max. win of 2,555x your bet is a nice incentive to give it a try and I’m sure most players will enjoy their time with this slot. If you’re looking for something more unique you might want to give this game a pass, however, since they didn’t seek to offer anything of the sort.