Narcos Slot Review – NetEnt

NetEnt has finally given the casino community footage and information for their highly anticipated slot release ‘Narcos‘, this was announced over a year ago and we finally have a set release date of ‘23rd May‘.This slot is based on the very successful Netflix show narcos, which is based on Pablo Escobar’s life. Pablo Escobar was a Colombian drug lord in the 80s-90s. His cartel team supplied Cocaine and smuggled it into other countries like the US and he controlled Colombia with his wealth. This Netflix show is based on his rise to fortune and how he operated to control Colombia and make billions from his drug trades. This release reminds me of ‘Hotline’ with the slot setup and art style. Regardless, let’s find out more in our Narcos slot review.

This slot has very unique visuals, this slot has different artwork styles compared to other NetEnt releases.  In the background is a still image on a Colombian street which is basic but it does the job. The main attraction is the slot itself with a setup of 5 reels by 3 rows, which includes 243 Paylines. This slot has a set RTP of 96.23% but a poor max win of only 1,506x(£602,400). The max win really lets this game down and gives is a low to medium variance title. You can do bets of 0.20- £400 and this game has some great features which we will go into detail about.

Narcos Slot Review Symbols & Paytable

This slot has 13 symbols in total which include, 6 low paying symbols represented by J, Q, K, and A. These symbols have a simple font design with weapons, grenades and armory seen on each. There is also a flamingo and plane symbol included for low paying symbols. There are 5 character symbols to represent the premium symbols including, José Rodríguez Gacha (El Mexicano), Blonde Female (Not sure which character), DA agents Steve Murphy and Javier Peña (Agents After Pablo). Then, of course, Pablo himself holding a sign saying ‘Catch Me’. There is also a DA badge wild and free spins car symbol scatter.

Narcos Slot Review Features And Free Spins

There is a base game feature which you will benefit from titled ‘ Drive-by‘. This is a randomly activated feature during spins, a cut scene will play where cartel in a getaway car drive by and shoot the reels, this will transform some premium symbols into wilds.

The second feature is titled ‘Locked Up‘, this is triggered when 3 or more Pablo symbols appear on the same row. Once triggered the reel set is changed and these Pablo symbols move together and are given a random low coin value. Then reels will respin with a reel set of only golden briefcases, Pablo symbols and blanks.

You are awarded 3 respins if you land a symbol during these respins the spins go back to 3. This will play out until you run out of repins and no extra symbols land during these. The golden briefcases contain ‘multipliers’ of 2x-3x, ‘upgrade symbols’ which increases the coin values on the locked Pablo symbols. ‘Big starting value’ which increases the briefcase starting value. When a Pablo symbol lands during these spins which connect to a cluster of symbols, a random coin low coin value is awarded. Golden briefcases must be connected to these symbol clusters for rewards to apply.

There is also a free spin feature, this is activated when a 3 scatters land on reels 1,3 and 5. This will award you 10 free spins with the drive-by feature activated on every spin. But all wilds transformed by this feature will turn into ‘Walking Wilds’. These wilds will move on space to the left every spin and stay wild until they fall off the reel set.

Conclusion

Overall, This slot is impressive for visuals but lacks in volatility. This slot could have been so successful if it was as volatile as ‘Vikings’ for example. The theme is unique with its popularity, but the provider has ruined this highly anticipated released. Due to the max win of not even 2,000x. After waiting over a year I am so disappointed since the slot is unique and fun to play. Regardless, check out the websites you will be able to play the slot on here.

Gameplay- 4/5

Volatility – 2/5

Bonus Feature – 3.5/5