Cubana Tropicana Slots
Of all the Caribbean islands, Cuba is by far the most controversial and perhaps the best known. Colonised by Spain in the late 15th century, the island gained its independence from the European superpower in 1898.
As a de-facto US protectorate, the country is best known for its former ties to the Soviet Union that eventually led to the missile crisis in 1962. This melting pot of Latin, African and Native cultures is now one of the most vibrant and unique places on the planet, and also where Cubana Tropicana, a video slot game from Roundstone International, is taking place.
The game blends colourful graphics with a smooth gameplay on a 5x3 reel set with low variability but still some nice bonuses to unlock instead. Between the cocktails, cigars and references to Che Guevara, there is a lot to take in while playing Cubana Tropicana. But we are here to try and make sense of it all, so without further ado let’s dive right into our full review of the game.
Fiesta En La Playa
The island of Cuba is home to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, and Cubana Tropicana is taking you to one of them. The white sand, palm trees, blue skies and gentle waves, everything is calling for a swim or a nice cocktail - or better still, both. The reels look more like small wooden huts piling up in the foreground, and the command bar underneath them is just as discreet.
Cubana Tropicana strives to make a good first impression and definitely succeeds in transporting players away from their routine as soon as the game has launched. If you were looking for a different experience from the classic slot machines, then look no more. We will take a more critical look at the gameplay in the next section of our review.
Cocktails Under the Sun
Just like its overall atmosphere, the gameplay of Cubana Tropicana is easy and smooth, with only a few steps to take in order to get the game started. The 5x3 reel set contains 9 paylines and you can bet as little as 0.01 credit on each. The settings can be managed thanks to the arrows under the reels, which will let you adjust the number of activated paylines and your current wager at will. Use the autoplay mode to speed up the process, and do not forget the Cubana Tropicana mini game after each win for a chance at doubling up your latest payout.
The paytable is colourful and unique, containing various iconic symbols such as Cuban old-school card, Cuba Libres, fruit baskets, cigars, a map of the island with its flag and a portrait of the Che himself, worth 500 times your starting bet.
As always, low-volatility implies the need to keep the reels spinning for a while in order to land the most valuable rewards in Cubana Tropicana. Fortunately, the Roundstone International developers have also a few helpful features on the reels.
Big Bonuses Await
In Cubana Tropicana, the old car symbol is easily the most common and less valuable of all. On the other hand, car combinations can grant you a respin, which amounts to a new chance to score bigger, rarer combinations on the reels right away.
The bonus symbol is represented by two beautiful beach goers. Try to spot them on the reels to win up to 2,500 times your line bet and initiate the Cubana Tropicana bonus game. Follow the instructions on the screen and dig a little deeper into the rich history of the island to unlock some extra big cash prizes.
Your New Addiction
Cubana Tropicana is one of the few slot games that take place in Cuba. Nextgen’s Fiesta Cubana is another example of this small slot family, and the two games bear many common points – also the latter benefits from a higher variance.
The best way to score big prizes in Cubana Tropicana clearly is to play big on the reels, as the paytable is a little less generous than in many other Roundstone International slot games. Try to keep that in mind when the time to adjust your bet settings come.