The Miami Vice detectives are back and they are better than ever! The sequel of the popular Hotline video slot brings more action and excitement, as well as bigger payouts, but the RTP is somwehat lower. Hotline 2 is a five-reel video slot that offers 243 ways to win in the beginning. The number of ways to win can go up to 1,944, but more about that later. Gamers can get from 1 reel to 3 reels in the Hotline, depending on how big they are willing to bet. The Wild landed on the hotline will expand to cover the entire reel. Trigger the Free Spins feature to get more ways to win.
If you had the pleasure of playing the original NetEnt title, you will have no problem at all understanding the rules of the Hotline 2 video slot. The 2020 release features five reels, three rows and offers 243 ways to win in the base game. Reel 3 is always reserved for the Hotline, but you can get it on more reels if you increase the bet. The slot pays left to right, starting from the leftmost reel. Three of a kind is the minimum for landing payouts. Gamers can bet as low as $0.10 and as high as $150 per single spin, if they decide to activate the Hotline on all three central reels.
Of course, Sonny and Rico are the two main good guys of the story, but they are not the symbols that pay the most in the NetEnt product. The highest-paying regular icon is the mysterious Lady. Also, there is the fourth member of the cast, a Guy carrying earphones. It seems that the Lady is a professional burglar, since there is plenty of jewelry among low-paying symbols. Pink Flamingo is the Scatter that is needed for the Free Spins feature to be triggered. The Wild is there to substitute for all regular icons.
The Hotline feature is available on the third reel, but it can expand on reels 2 and 4, if players are prepared to pay for it. If you want to get the Hotline on reels 3 and 4, you have to double the bet. If the wager is tripled, you will get Hotline on all three central reels. Now, the Wild will land only on the three central reels, and if the Hotline is active, the Wilds will expand to cover the entire reel.
Land three Pink Flamingo Scatters on reels 2, 3, and 4 to trigger the Free Spins feature. If the Hotline feature is active on all three central reels, gamers can win more. Players will get 7 freebies to begin with. Every time a Wild lands on the Hotline, it will expand and increase the reel in question for one cell. All reels that have the Hotline active during freebies can expand up to 6 cells in height, giving players up to 1,944 ways to win. Also, once you expand the reel in full, you will get 2 extra free spins, so a total of 13 freebies can be triggered. If you do not want to wait for the Flamingos to appear on the reels, you can always buy the feature.
We had the pleasure of testing both the original game and the sequel, so we can compare the two. The Hotline video slot has a bigger RTP, but the 2020 release offers more action and excitement, as well as bigger payouts. Punters can win up to 5,184 times the bet in a single spin. The most winning opportunities can be expected during the Free Spins feature, provided that the Hotline is active on all three central reels.