There is possibly no more controversial an issue than the Orange Man and his wall. For some, it’s a matter of national security. For others, it’s the only example of “small dick compensation” that you can see from space.

So, of course, it’s no surprise that the bear-poking folks at Nolimit City have capitalized on the controversy to release another of their boundary-pushing slots. The game in question is called The Boarder slot and its creation really tests the fine line between balls of steel and sh*t for brains.

What you need to know

The theme on this one is polarizing, and you’re either going to love it or hate it. I have my own opinion, and I’ll share that in the conclusion but let’s first take a look at the nuts and bolts of this one.

Much of this will read like many other Nolimit City slots. It suffers from the rare extreme volatility which is the result of a massive max multiplier, which in this case is 44,288x your base bet. The multiplier lets you chase the healthy €354,304 max win at a very reasonable €8 a bet—remember that you have to be betting the max to take a shot at the max win. And whether you’re betting at the max or €0.20 a spin min bet, you can expect an RTP of 96.17%.

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In both the base game and during free spins, there are a number of bonus features that’ll keep the reels moving. To save time, I’m going to bullet point these.

• Cluster wins – when five or more matching symbols touch horizontally or vertically in a winning combination, the symbols will be removed with new symbols taking their place for a shot at another winning combination.
• xWays – these symbols will transform into two or four regular paying symbols expanding the slot’s number of ways to win. In the base, these will be reset with each spin. During spins, they will remain for the entire round.
• xSplits – these symbols will transform split symbols to the left of it in two increasing the slot’s ways to win.
• xBomb – these symbols will substitute for most other symbols to complete winning combinations and then explode destroying all adjacent symbols with new symbols dropping down to replace them.
• Boosted xRIP – once activated, you’ll pay 50% extra per spin to receive one guaranteed scatter symbol on the first reel.

That’s the basic. Then you get free spins. The slot offers two types of free spins: Mule Spins and Coyote Spins. 10 Mule Spins are triggered with six scatter symbols while Coyote Spins are triggered with seven or more scatter symbols. A base of 12 Coyote Spins is awarded, with two additional spins added for each additional scatter over seven used to trigger the feature.

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If you’re not keen on hanging around to get pitched by border security, you can select to buy a round of free spins. The slot offers three purchase options with the most expensive including a round of the slot’s Coyote Spins.

Is The Border slot slapstick, satire, or just a bad idea?

Nolimit City has become known for pushing boundaries in both the themes they explore and the mechanics they implement. Sometimes it works. Punk Toilet and Tombstone R.I.P prove that. These games are gruesome and disgusting and disturbing and like a car crash, I just can’t look away. When they get it right like this, the slots in question provide an experience that you just can’t get anywhere else in the slot world.

There’s a problem, though. When you push boundaries going after something great, you tend to risk going off the deep end in a big way. It might just be my personal sensitivities, but I think they went too far with The Border slot. It’s one thing to mock the Orange Man and his idiotic ideas, but it’s another entirely to make light of a truly dehumanizing issue. And sure, the unique mechanics and bonus features are great, but it’s not enough to sweeten that sour taste. This one is a pass for me.

If you need a little pick me up after that Debbie Downer, you should check out Tractor Beam from Nolimit. The slot was released before the company started living up to its name, and it’s everything their new games aren’t. It’s simple, fun, and silly.