Aloha! Christmas Review
The cluster engine of the original Aloha! gave birth to a line of copycats. Let’s dive into The Christmas version of NetEnt’s game-changing slot.
How I tested Aloha! Christmas
The Aloha! Cluster Pays from NetEnt was an easy hit with me, so at this festive time of year I am looking forward to diving into the Christmas-themed version of this game.
- I start by looking at RTP and the volatility, which can give a real insight into the gameplay you can expect.
- The design is integral to keeping a player engaged for longer.
- The minimum and maximum bet should please both players with small budgets and high rollers.
- Symbols should be easy to understand and we will give you a guide throughout this review.
- I am recounting my personal experience of actually playing the game.
Play Aloha! Christmas with the best bonus
You’ll find Aloha! Christmas at any of the following top US casinos:
PartyCasino has a great sign-up offer for players who want to enjoy slot games.
You are likely to find NetEnt slot machines in the games library of most casino operators, but you should look to take advantage of casino welcome offers, particularly when trying a new slot. PartyCasino has great bonus offers for new slot players. They are offering to match your first deposit up to $1,000 and they are giving away 25 free spins which are not subject to wagering requirements.
The symbols
Paytable
Minimum and maximum bet
The minimum bet is tiny at $0.10, perfect for players with a smaller budget (ten spins from a dollar). The maximum is $100, which should also satisfy high rollers.
Autoplay option
The autoplay options on this game are extensive. NetEnt offers up to 1000 auto-spins and allows you to toggle settings to cause auto-spins to stop if certain events occur, such as if you achieve any win, if the win is over a certain amount, or if your balance increases or decreases by a certain amount. You can also set them to stop if you receive free spins.
RTP
The RTP of Aloha! Christmas comes in at 96%
Volatility
This online slot has a medium volatility, so the wins will not be too elusive (but neither should you expect them to be very big).
Maximum win
The maximum win from a single spin is 1750x your stake.
Aloha! Christmas has a low minimum bet, but you need to watch out for volatility
The cluster pay mechanic was an absolute hit in the original Aloha! Slot game in 2016. There have been many imitations since, but I was happy to see NetEnt return the feature in the festive spin. The RTP reaches the 96% threshold which I find important, while the medium volatility keeps the gameplay, in the base game, interesting.
Game Features
Special Symbols, Free Spins, and other features
Mystery Symbols Feature
One of the symbols which might land on your game grid after a spin is a big red question mark. They can appear anywhere and will not be revealed until the end of the spin when they will also change into the same symbol. This will likely have a big effect on your winnings from that particular spin. If that’s not enough, one of the symbols will turn into a multiplier of either 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 7x which will boost them even more.
Sticky Win Re-Spins Feature
This amazing feature could be triggered by any winning spin and it involves all the winning symbols becoming sticky along with any other matching ones. It then respins and if another symbol matching the winning ones appears again it will join the cluster and become sticky.
This continues until a matching symbol is not generated on the turn. At this point, a multiplier is applied to your win, which is determined by how big of a cluster you are able to achieve. A cluster of nine to 18 symbols does not affect the win, but 19 to 24 symbols double your winnings, a 25 to 30 symbol cluster triples your win, 31 to 34 gives you a five times multiplier, and 35 or 36 symbols will multiply your winnings by seven.
Two Free Spins Feature
Unlock a choice of two free spin features by landing three of the Free Spins scatter symbol, which is represented by a stamp showing Santa sunbathing on a beach. Landing four, five, or six scatters will also give you a bonus of 10, 20, or 50 times your stake respectively. After this, you’ll be asked to pick from Tiki Bar Free Spins or Tiki Bar Max Free Spins.
The first of which gives players 10 free spins and potential multiples of two times, three times or four times, and Max returns six free spins and potential four times, five times or six times multipliers. These multipliers will appear if you uncover mystery symbols in free spins mode.
During this feature you should also keep an eye out for starfish symbols, as matching three of these gives you two more free spins. Every time this happens, a lower value symbol is removed from contention. You can potentially collect up to 12 starfish, which would give eight more spins and four lower value symbols removed.
Aloha! Christmas offers 2 types of free spins, along with a re-spins feature.
Unlike other cluster pay-based games this one does not come with an avalanche, descending or cascading symbols feature. But the game is not lacking as it makes up for it with its mystery symbol feature. This game is packed full of features which are themselves packed full of bonuses. Fill the screen with sticky versions of the red tiki statue, which returns 250 times your stake, and then have a seven times multiplier added to that and you’ve unlocked the 1,750 times maximum win.
Aloha! Christmas Graphics & Sound
| Graphics | 2D |
| Optimized for Mobile | 👍 |
| Music | Recognizably Hawaiian theme on ukulele with Xmas-like chimes. |
| Special features | Whistling tiki statue, exotic birds chirping |
Aloha! Christmas offers a relaxing Christmas sun experience.
There’s really not a whole lot about this game which is Christmassy. There’s a collection of presents along with a little Tiki statue wearing a gift bow and a Santa hat – he also occasionally whistles. Otherwise, it appears as a comfortable relaxation session on a tropical beach – with exotic birds chirping in the background.
The music is not intrusive on this relaxing experience either as you are treated to a Hawaiian style theme but with the occasional piano chimes which ring out Christmas. You’re also treated to the chirping of exotic birds. The appearance is bright and engaging, the symbols are simple but they are cartoony which makes them pop out. I love the different personalities of the tiki statues and sunbathing Santa.
Solutions if you have some issues with a game
NetEnt is a big name in the games-producing industry. However, they do not seem to have their own dedicated customer service center. Therefore, if you come across any issues your best option may be to deal with the casino directly.
Although IT issues are normally addressed in a standard manner across all slots — winnings are declared void and your stake is returned. This is the case if your gameplay is interrupted. Any incomplete wins will be marked as void, your stake will be returned and you will be able to replay the same round once you have reloaded the webpage or the game.
Verdict
NetEnt is playing it a little fast and loose with the word Christmas in the title, but that absolutely does not sour my experience of this game. It may look nothing like a traditional Christmas, but the design is still popping and I could sit playing this game for hours.
The features are fun and are not scarce in their appearance. The maximum win is not the highest you’ll find out there, but the enjoyment you’ll have in getting it is not easy to find in all slot machines. It is packed with enjoyable features, designed well, and with a good RTP, I think this game is worth your time.
Other slots to play if you like Aloha! Christmas slot
If you enjoy Aloha! Christmas, be sure to check out these other popular Christmas-themed games: