NetEnt recently introduced a sequel for its hot crime-themed slot game Hotline 2. Slated for release on August 24, 2020, the game doesn’t stray too much from the original version but has lots of new bonuses and features.
What’s New About the NetEnt’s Hotline 2 Slot Game
Overview
Hotline 2 begins with the two detectives, Quinn and Riviera, investigating another robbery at a jewelry store in Miami as the two primary characters. The beautiful star Kitty Weiss also features in the game, but this time she remains behind the curtain.
As for the graphics, the game doesn’t exploit modern graphic card features, but the overall background fits the theme nonetheless. The backdrop features pastels colors at sunset by the beach, making it appear as a dreamy postcard while the soundtrack will get you nostalgic, especially if you are an 80s movie fan. Amid the play, Hotline 2 introduces a unique saxophone note that will get you pausing the game to savor a childhood memory.
Gameplay
Hotline 2 is a five-reel game with 243 ways of winning. This means you don’t need to keep track of the pay lines. The game can also expand to a 3x6x6x6x3 grid with 1944 ways of playing, depending on the active features. Also, you can make bets for as low as 30ps to £150 per spin, and with an RTP of 96.05% it presents relatively fair gameplay.
The detective duo makes the two premium symbols, while Kitty is the most valuable symbol. Just as the original version, the game has six low paying symbols in the form of jewelry items.
Features
While Hotline 2 still has many features found on the original version, it presents some new exciting features. The most notable is the unique free spin feature, new reel set, and the random modifier. The game also comes with the Hotlines inverted into vertical lines, which eliminates the need to activate 1-3 hotlines as in the original Hotline version.
Also, the three middle reels constitute the Hotline zone and can be activated separately, increasing your chance of landing the Expanding Wild symbol. This means if a wild symbol lands on any of the three middle reels, it substitutes the other symbols, and if it lands on the hotline it transforms to the Expanding Wild symbol. Wild symbols that land on the Hotline expand the height of the reel by one symbol to a maximum of six.
As such, if the reels at the center reach a maximum height, the reel transforms into 3x6x6x6x6x3 grid with 1944 ways to win. The player also gets two free spins. The other reels can also turn into hotlines using bonus bets.
Luckily, the in-game slot bonus feature that made the original Hotline slot game stand out is still available on this sequel. If you haven’t played this video slot game, try out the original version available on a range of NetEnt casinos, including comeon.net to familiarize yourself with all such features. This means:
The bet is doubled when Reel 3 and 4 become Hotlines
The bet is tripled when reels 2, 3, and 4 become Hotlines
However, if you want to dive straight into the game, take advantage of the bonus buy option where, for the price of 20x, 40x, or 60x, the bet you trigger the bonus feature with one, two, or three hotlines active.
The game also has scatter symbols in the form of three neon flamingo symbols. If the player lands three scatter symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4, the Free Spin round is activated, awarding you seven free spins.
Verdict
Hotline 2 presents a simple and exciting way of gaming thanks to the new features. While it mostly mimics the original version, give it a few spins, and the changes will be even more apparent.
The additional ways to win triggered by the Free Spin round and expanding wilds are particularly mind-blowing and can lead to mega wins. This action-packed gameplay, coupled with the nostalgic soundtrack, may make this sequel even more popular than the original version.