About the Carnival Queen Slot
Thunderkick has remained one of our favorite slot companies at The Slot Buzz, owing to fantastic game ideas that set their releases apart from the competition, as well as some serious high volatility action in recent years. They’ve reduced the volatility a little with Carnival Queen, but they’ve also provided a game with a far bigger payoff potential than usual.
Carnival Queen also has echoes of several of our favorite slots, particularly the 4,096 ways to win, avalanche reels, and progressive multipliers – all of which are aspects of some of our favorite games.
The first Thunderkick release of 2019 has been a long time coming, so let’s see if it lives up to the hype.
Symbols, Gameplay, and Pay Tables
Carnival Queen takes place in the crowded streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, with hundreds of revelers gathered in front of a colorful 4×6 reel set. Buildings in Creole hues and fairy lights stand to the left and right. It seems exciting, much like the finest Thunderkick games.
This slot has 4,096 ways to win, which means it pays out for any line of similar symbols from left to right and right to left. The cards 9 through Ace are the low-value symbols, while the Carnival figures in various colorful costumes are the premium symbols, as are the highest-paying symbol, a gold crown, which pays out 20x for six on a payline.
The Wild symbol is a ‘W,’ and it replaces all other symbols except the scatter. For 6 on a payline, it also pays out 20 times.
Avalanche reels, which can be found in a variety of slots from Gonzo’s Quest to BTG’s Bonanza and Extra Chili, are a crucial component of both the regular game and the bonus round. When winning lines appear, the symbols that make up those lines are deleted each time, and new ones drop in to replace them, giving you the possibility to win many times on each spin. The process is repeated whenever a new winline is formed.
Each subsequent victory increases the progressive multiplier value by 1x, which is added to the total win after the cycle is completed. This method works in the bonus round as well.
Carnival Queen Free Spins features and bonuses
You must land three or more Mask Scatters on the reels in a single round to begin the bonus round. As a result, you will receive the following free games:
12 Free Spins with 3 Scatters
16 Free Spins with 4 Scatters
20 Free Spins with 5 Scatters
24 Free Spins with 6 Scatters
You may re-trigger the free spins round an infinite number of times after you’ve entered it. You’ll gain 3 free spins if you get 2 scatters during the bonus round, and 3 more if you get an extra scatter.
Avalanche winnings and the progressive multiplier continue to operate in the bonus round, with the added benefit that the multiplier does not reset if the free spins are lost. This increases the bonus round’s victory possibility.
PLUS…
When a wild appears on a losing free spin in the bonus round, it removes all symbols in its vertical and horizontal rows and replaces them with fresh ones, giving you another chance to win.
The Final Word
It’s rare to find a medium volatility slot with such a large payoff potential, but Carnival Queen is one among them. That means that, while the bonus round has all of the huge wins, the avalanche/multiplier combo might still provide you a few respectable payouts in the main game. This is a high-quality slot and a welcome addition to Thunderkick’s portfolio.
