Tiger Claws Slots
Some online slot games come with high volatility, some with exciting bonus features, and others with wild multipliers and split symbols. Kalamba Games' Tiger Claws slot manages to fit in all of those features in one handy slot.
Produced by the Polish gaming provider, Tiger Claws looks like a worthy addition to a range of animal-themed slots like IGT's Cats slot. The difference here, of course, is the 243 ways to win function.
Could Tiger Claws be too volatile for all but the most intrepid online slot gamblers, or does it deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the best slots from IGT? Let's take a closer look with our review.
High Volatility on Five Reels of Fun
Award-winning online casino developer, Kalamba Games, is one of a handful of operators making waves in Eastern Europe. In Kalamba's case it's Krakow in Poland that forms the base of operations. And in a short space of time, Kalamba have won awards for their many online slots and social casino games.
Kalamba's games are all about big action on multiple rows and reels. Fire Eagle is a typical example of Kalamba's unique approach to slots. The game has various "missions" where players can collect symbols during their session. The more special symbols the player collects, the bigger their jackpots. The game also features random stacked wilds and a free spins round.
With an RTP of 96.33% and some wild payouts, Tiger Claws is on the upper volatility scale compared to some of Kalamba's other slots. But it's no wonder given that there are wilds galore, free spins, and three progressive jackpots to be won.
Land the Wild Tigers to Complete Combinations
In 243 ways to win slots, a single stake is wagered across all available combinations. In the free Tiger Claws slot machine, the gambler simply has to match symbols on adjacent reels in order to bag a prize.
The six low limit symbols in the game are represented by the standard poker icons (9, 10, J, Q, K, and A). By themselves, these royal symbols are pretty poor payers. They each pay the same for three to five of a kind - 1/6x total stake to just over 1.5x for five of a kind.
The big cats form the big-paying symbols in the game. The black puma, leopard, and tiger all pay the same amount (1.6x to just over 3x for three to five of a kind) but you will get paid by landing just two matching symbols on adjacent reels. The white tiger is the jackpot symbol and pays a best prize worth over 6x total stake.
While the beautiful big cats will help you to some reasonable wins, look out for the twin 2x cat symbols. These double symbols act as split symbols and will add extra wins to your combination. Certainly, this is a volatile little slot, and you will have to rely on hitting several winning combinations at the same time to improve your win rate.
Trigger Free Spins with Ferocious X2 Wilds
If you're a fan of free spins slots, you're in luck. Tiger Claws has a decent free games round which is triggered by landing three or more tiger eye scatters in any reel position. Three scatters will get you eight free spins plus a real cash win worth double your stake per spin. Four scatters gets you a 5x stake prize and 12 free games, while five scatters earns the player 10x stake and 15 free games.
In addition, during the free games you can find special X2 Wild symbols. The wilds will not only replace all regular symbols but double any wins they help complete. If you land two more bonus scatters during the feature you will win three extra free spins.
Hit the Platinum Progressive with White Tigers
As well as being the top jackpot symbol, the white tiger is responsible for triggering one of three progressive jackpots. If you land eight white tigers, you will win the lowest Silver progressive jackpot. Hit 10 white tigers and the Gold progressive is yours. If, however, you land 12 white tigers on the reels you will bag the Platinum progressive jackpot.
The progressive jackpots in the Tiger Claws video slot are linked across participating online casinos, but the more you stake per spin, the better your chances of winning.
Enjoy the Split Symbols of IGT's Cats Slot
Although it misses the 243 ways to win structure of Tiger Claws, IGT's animal-themed Cats slot machine is a worthy alternative.
The game comes with 30 paylines to play over its five reels. There is also a free spins bonus feature to trigger when you land three of the correct scatters on reels 2, 3, and 4.
But it's the split symbols feature that will really appeal to slot players. The panthers, tigers and lions can appear as double symbols on the same reel position. This means it's possible to hit a payline consisting of 10 identical symbols on a single spin.
Best of all, the variance in Cats isn't as wild as it is in Tiger Claws. For our money, it's a solid option if you can't handle the swings of Kalamba's slot.
If you came to Tiger Claws for the multiple win lines, don't dismiss another IGT classic: the progressive Siberian Storm MegaJackpots slot.
Siberian Storm plays on a special set of honeycomb reels which allows for 720 ways to win. If you land five of the special MegaJackpots symbols, you will win the Multiway Xtra progressive jackpot. You can also trigger up to 240 free spins during the game.
Like Tiger Claws, Siberian Storm is a volatile beast but it has enough gameplay for you to sink your claws into. It certainly deserves a spot on our list of the best online slots available to play.
A Rollercoaster Ride for Action-Seeking Slots Players
Tiger Claws isn't the first split symbols slot to come around, and it's not the first volatile 243 ways to win one either. But if you are looking for a lot of variance in your games, with the promise of free spins and three progressive jackpots, it could be for you.
For our money it's just a little too wild to make any long-term profits on. Try the game and play for free today to see if you manage to ride the swings and bag some ferocious wins.
