Aloha! Cluster Pays slot review (Netent)

The Hawaiian themed Aloha! Cluster Pays is Netent’s third release in 2016

Given the high standards of the first two releases of 2016, Guns N’ Roses and Drive: Multiplier Mayhem, expectations were very high.

Aloha! certainly looks the part, with vibrant, colourful graphics and some very well done animations. The Hawaiian statue takes the role of Mascotte / your buddy during play, and it must be said, he is quite the cool dude, sunglasses and all.

What are cluster pays?

The gameplay is original as well – there are no win lines. To get a winning combination, you need to get at least 9 identical symbols in a cluster – fully touching each other. Now that might sound a bit dodgy, but you get our drift. The more identical symbols are grouped, the higher your winnings.

Aloha! Cluster Pays is an absolute feast for the eyes and senses. The palm trees, coconuts, beaches and seashells all add to the laid-back atmosphere. You can almost feel the slight ocean breeze and taste the pina colada.

Aloha! has a return to player of 96.4%, a percentage we can certainly live with, although there are plenty of online slots that pay out more than that. The variance is low to medium, making this a perfect slot to play when trying to get through those pesky bonus playthrough requirements.

Aloha! slot features

Aloha! Cluster Pays does not work as most other slots do. It has six reels with five symbols on each reel. There are no win lines, but symbols need to be clustered to get a payout, nine or more, to be exact.

Besides the regular symbols, there are “big” symbols in the game; these are also the highest paying symbols. These totem poles come in red, green and blue varieties, with the red totem poles acting as the highest paying symbol. A cluster of 9 red Totem Poles pays out 30x the total bet, while a whole screen full of red totem poles will pay out a whopping 10,000x the total bet.

The question mark symbols also come in very handy – they act as wild symbols and always change to the best possible combination.

The minimum bet per spin on Aloha! Cluster Pays is $0,10, and the maximum bet per spin is $200. By adjusting the coin value and the bet level to your personal preference, you can determine your optimal bet size.

Besides the cluster pays, there are two more ways to win money on this Netent slot: activating the Sticky Win Respins feature and winning the Free Spins Bonus.

Sticky Win Respins

Sometimes when you win a cluster pay, the Sticky Win Respins feature gets activated. This happens randomly and is always a pleasant surprise.

You get a free respin while your winning symbols remain in the same place (the sticky part of the feature). As long as extra symbols are added to the cluster, you will keep getting extra respins.

This is a fascinating feature, especially if it is activated on a cluster of totem poles. A relatively small win can turn into a monster win in just a few spins.

Free spins bonus

Three or more scattered free spins stamp symbols activate the free spins bonus, where you win up to 12 free spins. The lower-paying symbols will disappear as you progress during the free spins bonus, leaving only totem poles in the final few spins.

It is possible to get retriggers during the free spins bonus, and they can prove to be very lucrative indeed. The Free spins bonus in Aloha! takes a little getting used to as you will typically only win some real credits in the final stage of the bonus.

However, this bonus does have lots of potential, especially if you manage to get a retrigger.

Our verdict

Aloha! Cluster Pays is a somewhat different but enjoyable slot. It took some time to get used to, but has grown on us and is now one of our favourite Netent slots.

Graphically, it is a real treat, whether you are playing on your desktop or a mobile device. The bonus games do not often hit but seldom disappoint.

All in all, we like Aloha!. Even the sidekick statue guy. The way he puts on his sunglasses before every big win animation cracks us up every single time — another winner for Netent.

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