Animal Carnival

This cute and quirky circus-themed slot from Fantasma Games offers a fast-paced base game, with a fantastic free spins round and loads of added extras. We really like the travelling circus theme as a concept, but we can't help thinking that Fantasma could have done a lot more to create a real carnival atmosphere, and the end result is a little lacking.

That said, with lots of special features and a decent jackpot up for grabs, this game still has lots of potential for an evening's entertainment. The base game is pretty standard, but where this title really comes into its own is with the avalanche feature in the top 3 rows above, and in the energetic free spins round.

Obscured by a vibrant, velvety curtain, the top 3 rows are your key to getting hold of those special symbols and activating all the extra features of this game. And the free spins round gives you plenty of chances to bag special features and extra free spins.

Design

As mentioned, we really loved the idea of a circus-themed slot, but the execution here is a little lacklustre. While the graphics are colourful and crisp, the forest backdrop with generic green trees and a dusty old circus cart really lets this game down.

Although the animal symbols are well done, there's nothing to really suggest that they belong to the circus, apart from their jaunty little hats. In truth, there’s no real correlation between the animations and the theme in most of the game. 

However, where the slot does make you feel like you’ve got front row tickets to the Big Top is with its musical soundtrack. This is about as ‘circusy’ as you can possibly get, and it gets even more intense as you enter the free spins round. In all honesty, the music in this game could send a sane person to the brink of madness after just a short stint, so it's a good job there is the option to lower the volume or even turn it off. 

All in all, this is an unusual theme that hasn't really lived up to expectations. That said, with so many bonus features and potential to win, we can forgive the designers for falling short when it comes to the circus genre.

Gameplay

Overall, the gameplay here is fast-paced, fun and dynamic. With 5 reels and a total of 6 rows (including the top 3 avalanche rows) in play, this slot offers a little more than your average game. Plus, medium volatility means that grabbing yourself a win shouldn’t be too difficult. 

As per most slot titles, your job is to match symbols across the 5 reels to make paylines. With 5 reels and 6 rows, we would have liked to see a little more than the meagre 10 paylines on offer here. However, we can't be too upset, as the top 3 rows are reserved solely for the avalanche feature. 

The avalanche feature really pulls this game together, and we love that the special symbols are lit up behind that flowing red curtain that drapes over the top 3 rows. If you're lucky enough to get to the free spins round, you'll see that the circus moves into the nighttime, with wonderful fairy lights illuminating the forest background and the magical curtain turns from scarlet red to a plush and luxurious purple.

Setting your bet limit is easy by using the little stack of coins symbol on the right-hand side of the screen. You can also access the pay table and full instructions on how to play this game here as well. 

Win Potential

The Animal Carnival jackpot is fixed at 1,642x your stake. While this isn’t the most impressive jackpot we’ve seen, with a £200 max bet, you still have the potential to win a vast amount of money when playing this game.

And medium volatility means you're more likely to pick up some wins than if you were playing a highly volatile slot. Plus, with free spins, a respin feature, wilds and multipliers all included in this game, there's plenty of opportunity here to walk away with a stack of cash in your back pocket.

Our Verdict

In summary, Animal Carnival is an exciting slot that doesn't take itself too seriously, and Fantasma Games has come up with an individual and offbeat theme here, which is impressive in the world of slots. If we're honest, we really would have liked the creators to have cranked up the circus theme a lot more, and the dull background and insane music do let this slot down quite heavily.

But on the flip side, with tons of bonus features on offer, including a great free spins round, multipliers and the fantastic avalanche feature, we can forgive this slot for a lot of its sins! Both beginners and expert slot players will have fun with this game, and with a 1,642x jackpot to snap up, this could certainly be one of the most fun trips to the circus you've ever had.