Red Hot Sapphires Review
Don’t be fooled by the familiar 5x3 layout and chunky playing card and fruit symbols. They may hint at gameplay that’s going to be predictable, but that only serves to show how deceptive first appearances can be!
Take a closer look, and you’ll discover some highly volatile gameplay, with features that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find within this type of slot. Free spins are certainly nothing new, even for classic-themed slots, but the Epic Strikes, multipliers and Bank’em Wild frames make this a game that’s anything but average.
Design
There’s something of an old-school design ethos at play when you first load up the reels of Red Hot Sapphires. Cherries and lemons hint at retro-style fruit machines, backed up by the BAR and Lucky Red 7 icons. But that diamond-encrusted dollar sign hints at something more, as does the casino dice featured on the Wild symbol. And just in case you were in any doubt that this is a casino slot, a friendly croupier shouts out words of encouragement as you play.
The fact that this is a high-quality game is reflected in the graphics, which are simple, but perfectly executed. Sizzling frames replace the Epic Strike sapphires, and the light constantly shines across the awards ladder for Epic Strike wins. It all helps to add some extra atmosphere, as well as demonstrate the abilities of the design team at Infinity Dragon Studios.
Gameplay
With so many features to explore, learning how to get the most out of Red Hot Sapphires takes a little longer to get to grips with than other fruit-themed slots. Playing in demo mode or wagering at minimum stakes is a good way to start out, so you can familiarise yourself with the gaming mechanics.
It’s worth reading through the game rules, which you can access from the hamburger menu. Click or tap on the ‘i’ icon to find out how the game is played, and what returns you can expect based on your current stake. Then it’s a good idea to set Autoplay and watch as a series of spins are played out, so you can gain a good understanding of the 10-spin sequences and Bank’em Wild features. However, the autospin feature is not available in the UK.
Red Hot Sapphires is fully optimised to load and play perfectly across all devices. And if you’d rather play on your smartphone or tablet, you have the choice of landscape or portrait mode too, giving you even more control.
Win Potential
As this is a high-volatility slot, we’d expect Red Hot Sapphires to appeal primarily to high-risk slot fans with robust bankrolls. But the low minimum wagering provided by this game makes it accessible to players with more modest budgets too.
Big wins don’t come along very often in high volatility slots such as this one, but the relatively low maximum payout makes this game a better option than similar games.
A top payout of 6,000x is certainly significant, but it’s not so ridiculously high that wins of any type are few and far between. There’s obviously still a strong element of risk, but even the most risk-averse of players should be able to find their own personal sweet spot for playing out a few spins.
Our Verdict
We’d be the first to admit that fruit-themed, classic-style slots are much like Marmite – people either love them or loathe them, with very little middle ground. But even players who think a fruit machine game couldn’t possibly tempt them might find themselves pleasantly surprised by Red Hot Sapphires.
Look beyond the fruit and retro symbols, and you’ll find some exciting game features backed up by solid gaming mechanics. We’re not saying you’ll end up as a dedicated classic slots fan, but you might just find yourself reconsidering the genre, once you see what Infinity Dragon Studios have done with it!
Marianne's interest in slots was sparked by a win on a one-arm bandit at an old-fashioned seaside arcade. These days she's turned her back on classic games, and has made it her mission to track down the most exciting slots offering innovative bonus features - and a great soundtrack!
Learn more about Marianne here