Santa is Hangry in the Gates of Santa Slot
Ah, Christmas—the season of joy, giving, and Mariah Carey slowly clawing her way out of the frozen depths of retail hell to serenade us again with “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” And every year, it comes earlier, like an overeager relative who shows up three hours before dinner and drinks all the good wine. Halloween barely gets a moment to breathe before the stores are vomiting tinsel, and you’re being assaulted by plastic reindeer and the shrill reminder that you still haven’t bought gifts.
Casino slot games aren’t immune to the gravitational pull of modern Christmas. Every provider needs a Christmas slot, even if it means slapping a Santa hat on a wolf and calling it festive. TrueLab isn’t forcing hats onto wild animals but instead is here with the Gates of Santa slot. See what I did there?
So, where are the Gates of Santa?
The Gates of Santa slot features a unique win mechanic, with payouts occurring whenever eight or more of the same symbols appear on the reels. These symbols do not need to follow paylines or clusters. As long as eight matching symbols appear on the reels at the same time, you’ve landed a win.
When a winning combination is struck, all involved symbols are removed, allowing new symbols to fall into the empty spots. This gives you multiple chances to win on a single spin.
If four or more scatter symbols appear on the reels, you’ll trigger a round of ten free spins. During free spins, three or more scatter symbols landing at once will award an additional five spins. Multipliers can also appear during free spins, and their values grow through the cascading reels feature, applying to the total win at the end of the cascade.
If you’re not keen on waiting for a fat man to come down a chimney, you can purchase a round of free spins for 100x your current bet.
Is the Gates of Santa slot full of festive cheer or a bit of a downer?
Betting on the Gates of Santa slot starts at just $0.20 per spin, and with a 15,000x max multiplier, even at that betting level, you can count on the possibility of some impressive wins. If you’re betting at the $20-a-spin maximum, you’ll have a shot at up to $300,000 in winnings. The slot features high volatility, which means you’ll be giving up small, consistent wins for a shot at those rare big wins. The slot offers an RTP of 96.07%.
TrueLab’s team is undeniably talented, and the Santa in the company’s new Gates of Santa slot proves it. The blend of illustration and animation that has brought this version of Santa to life is top-notch—though Santa’s overly stern facial expression feels a bit off for jolly old Saint Nick. Unfortunately, the action on the reels doesn’t come with the same attention to detail. The symbols are too small to convey much, and with Santa just standing there, staring, the whole thing feels surprisingly lifeless for a Christmas slot. It’s bright and colorful, sure, but where’s the Christmas cheer? Also, what’s with the ‘gate’? I’m not sure how that ties into Christmas mythology, but hey, they needed a title. The Gates of Santa slot gets a six out of ten from me.
If you’re looking for a few TrueLab slots that I do give my stamp of approval to, try out Dr. Rock & the Riff Reactor and Guns, Love & Therapy.