The Crime File (NowNow Gaming) – Slot Review
The Crime File is built around a crime investigation and detective theme, combining noir-inspired visuals with a playful canine twist. The game places players in the middle of an ongoing investigation where detective dogs take centre stage, creating a unique blend of mystery, humour, and suspense.
The visual presentation adopts a dark investigative atmosphere, using shadowy backgrounds, evidence-board styling, and muted lighting to create the feeling of a late-night detective case. This darker setting is contrasted by the colourful dog characters and bright paw-print symbols, giving the game a lighter and more character-driven tone despite its crime-focused backdrop.
A key part of the theme revolves around tracking clues and building evidence, reflected in mechanics such as expanding Wilds, stacked premium symbols, and accumulating multipliers. Features like The Hunt, The Capture, and the Interrogation Bonus reinforce the investigative concept, making the gameplay feel connected to the idea of chasing suspects and solving cases.
Overall, The Crime File delivers a stylised detective theme, blending noir-inspired crime visuals with playful canine characters and multiplier-focused mechanics to create a distinctive and feature-driven slot experience.
The Crime File is played on a 5-reel, 4-row layout featuring 14 fixed pay lines. The game offers medium volatility, a return-to-player (RTP) of 96.33%, and a maximum win potential of up to 10,000x the stake. Bets range from £0.10 to £100 per spin.
The Crime File Symbols & Pay Table
The game contains 11 symbols in total. Low-value symbols are represented by coloured paw prints, while premium symbols feature dog characters displayed against blue, red, green, and yellow backgrounds. The Wild symbol is the highest-paying icon in the game, awarding up to 50x for five of a kind. Wild symbols substitute for all regular symbols.
The Crime File Features & Mechanics
Total Multiplier Bar
Throughout each spin, multipliers collected from various features are added together in the Total Multiplier Bar. Once all wins and feature actions have been completed, the accumulated multiplier is applied to the total spin pay out.
The Hunt Feature
When a Wild symbol lands, it may expand upward to cover additional positions on its reel if:
- At least one winning combination is already present, or
- The expansion itself creates a winning combination
Only one Wild symbol may appear on a reel at a time. Expanded Wilds function as Wild symbols across every position they occupy. Whenever a Wild expands, it reveals a multiplier that contributes to the Total Multiplier Bar.
The available multiplier values depend on the final size of the expanded Wild:
- 1–2 symbols high: 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x
- 3 symbols high: 2x up to 10x
- Full 4-symbol reel expansion: 2x up to 100x
If multiple Wild multipliers are revealed during the same spin, their values are added together before being applied to the total win.
The Capture Feature
Premium dog symbols may land individually or in stacked formations. If four identical premium symbols land consecutively on the same reel while at least one winning combination is active, they merge into a full 1×4 stacked symbol.
During a winning spin, every completed 1×4 premium stack awards an additional multiplier to the Total Multiplier Bar, even if that stacked symbol is not directly involved in a pay line win. These stacked symbol multipliers range from 2x to 10x.
If both stacked symbol multipliers and Wild multipliers occur during the same spin, all values combine together before being applied to the total payout.
Interrogation Bonus
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Scatter symbols awards:
- 10 Free Spins
- 15 Free Spins
- 20 Free Spins
Only one Scatter symbol may appear per reel. During the bonus feature, all base game mechanics remain active with one major enhancement: Every Wild symbol automatically expands to cover the entire reel
As a result, all Wild multipliers during Free Spins use the highest available multiplier range, allowing values from 2x up to 100x. The Capture feature multipliers remain unchanged from the base game. Scatter symbols do not appear during the bonus, meaning Free Spins cannot be retriggered.
Special Symbols
- Wild Symbol: Substitutes for all regular symbols and may expand during gameplay
- Scatter Symbol: Appears only during the base game and triggers the Interrogation Bonus
Conclusion
The Crime File combines expanding Wild mechanics with layered multiplier systems to create a feature-focused experience that steadily builds momentum throughout both the base game and bonus rounds. The interaction between The Hunt and The Capture mechanics keeps spins engaging, particularly when multiple expanding Wilds and stacked premium symbols appear together.
The game’s strongest feature is its ability to combine several multiplier sources into a single pay out. Expanded Wild multipliers and stacked symbol bonuses work well together, allowing winning spins to scale quickly when the reels align. The Interrogation Bonus further enhances this by guaranteeing full-reel Wild expansions, significantly increasing the potential for larger multiplier combinations during Free Spins. Be sure to try out this game on launch and check out our exclusive casino offers.