Our rating:
Developer: Light & Wonder
Release date: 13th Dec 2022
Christmas Krampus Slot - Screenshot
RTP: 96.00%
Max Payout: 2,000x stake
Volatility: Medium-High
Min Bet: 0.01
Max Bet: 20.00
Reels: 5
Paylines: 10
Theme: Christmas
Jackpot: No

Christmas Krampus

Marianne Horwell
Reviewed by Marianne Horwell Last updated:

Christmas isn’t always sweetness and light – just ask Tim Burton, the mastermind behind The Nightmare Before Christmas! And if that was a movie that appealed to you, or you can’t get enough of The Grinch, you are definitely going to want to take a look at the Christmas Krampus slot.

Created by Light & Wonder, who know exactly what players are looking for in their slots, Christmas Krampus comes with a slightly twisted cartoon-style theme. If presents are what you’re after, the shuffling Krampus is happy to collect them up for you during the bonus rounds, adding to your prize pot – not such a Grinch after all, then!

Full review continued below ↓

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Our Rating

“Darker than your average Christmas slot, but with some great features”

3.8 out of 5

Features
7.5/10
Design
8/10
Gameplay
8/10
Win potential
7/10

Christmas Krampus Screenshots

  • Christmas Krampus Slot - Screenshot 1
  • Christmas Krampus Slot - Screenshot 2
  • Christmas Krampus Slot - Screenshot 3
  • Christmas Krampus Slot - Screenshot 4

Christmas Krampus Features

This fun slot comes with three rows of symbols and ten fixed paylines. Gameplay is much as you’d expect during the base game, but it’s when the free spins round is activated that things really get going! This is where Krampus springs into action as a Walking Wild, triggering a series of free respins.

But he’s also there to steal any presents within reach, scooping up gifts and rewarding you with a stash of cash when the bonus free spins round ends. Free spins pause while Krampus stalks the reels, but they get going again once he’s gone – potentially spinning up even more cash prizes.

Christmas Krampus - Free Spins

Free Spins

Creepy green hand Scatters trigger the free spins bonus round, with up to 10 free spins available. Krampus can appear and halt the free spins while he activates a series of respins until he disappears off the leftmost reel.

Christmas Krampus - Krampus Walking Wilds

Krampus Walking Wilds

Krampus only appears during the free spins bonus round. Krampus steals any presents within reach, adding their prize total to the Stash box to the left of the reels. The accumulated prize is awarded at the end of the free spins bonus round.

Christmas Krampus Review

These days the worst that Santa can summon up if you misbehave is to put you on his naughty list. But spare a thought for kids in medieval times. They were kept in line with tales of Krampus, Santa’s evil twin, who would beat them with sticks and branches, or take them to hell if they’d been particularly bad!

Light & Wonder has kept some of the creepier elements of Krampus while making him more user-friendly for slot players. His strange, zombie-like creatures progress as a Walking Wild can generate some big cash payouts, making this a fun game with a bit of an edge.

Design

Light & Wonder has come up with a completely original take on the Christmas theme with Christmas Krampus. A snowy background scene puts the reels centre stage, with elves, snowmen and candy canes to bring a little Christmas spirit.

But this game has a slightly dark theme, which the developer has managed to hint at without going for full-blown horror. A quirky soundtrack adds to the fun, making for a festive slot with a real edge to it.

Gameplay

Base gameplay is much as you’d expect, with no special features other than basic Wilds and Scatters. But it’s when you land 3, 4 or 5 Scatters, triggering 6, 8 or 10 free spins that the game really comes into its own.

There are no Scatters on the reels during the free spins bonus, so the feature can’t be retriggered. But that won’t be too much of a problem thanks to Krampus, who now appears as a Walking Wild.

Whenever he lands on the reels, your free spins are paused as Krampus triggers a series of respins. He moves one reel to the left with every respin, until he disappears off the reels and your free spins recommence.

But there’s more to Krampus than simply acting as a second Wild in the game. Whenever a present is within reach, either horizontally, vertically or even diagonally, he grabs it, claiming its prize value. As he disappears off the reels he deposits his haul in the Stash Box, which is awarded to you at the end of your bonus round.

Win Potential

Playing card icons pay up to 10x your bet for five of a kind across a payline. Matching up gifts pays up to 20x, but it’s the premium symbols that offer the best returns. Candy canes pay up to 30x, snowmen and Christmas trees return up to 50x and the worried elf has a top payout worth 100x your bet.

For the best returns during base gameplay, you’ll need to match up five Wilds or game logos across a payline, which will result in a win worth 200x your stake. The top payout is capped at 2,000x your stake, which isn’t the biggest prize payout we’ve seen, but we can’t think of any players who’d want to turn it down!

Some jurisdictions, although not the UK unfortunately, allow you to Buy the Bonus feature for 54.1x your stake. Be warned that this won’t guarantee you’ll win back the cost of buying the feature, so explore this option in demo mode before using your own cash.

Our Verdict

If you’re not usually a fan of Christmas slots, Christmas Krampus might just be the game that turns it around for you. The slightly creepy atmosphere makes a nice change from the usual cute festive characters we’re more accustomed to, and the game features are interesting enough to keep you playing for longer.

The payouts aren’t the biggest we’ve seen, but the entertainment value is most definitely high – which is what we’ve come to expect from Light & Wonder slots!

Play Christmas Krampus at these slot sites

Jump straight into the action and play Christmas Krampus now at the following fully licenced UK slot sites. These slot sites have been thoroughly audited and reviewed by the team here at Slot Gods to ensure they offer an exceptional user experience, are trustworthy, safe, secure, and boast the best selection of online slots in their portfolio including Christmas Krampus...