Rat King

Rat King: Slot Overview

Isn't it interesting how humans and various animal species have a natural tendency to organise themselves into hierarchies? The alpha male, the dominant matriarch, the president, whatever. The good thing about humans is we have complex systems to work out our place on the ladder, so to speak; without it, chaos and anarchy would reign supreme. Or is that just what they want us to believe? Anyway, in the animal kingdom, working out who the chief is can be a physical affair involving a lot of fighting and chest-thumping. In Rat King from Push Gaming, players get to mingle with a boss rat who has climbed to the top of the ladder to become head of its domain.

The domain in question is a sweet factory after the lights have gone out and the employees have gone home, presumably to think about anything but candy. Rat King is Push Gaming's first scatter paying slot, a mechanic which has gained huge traction with a number of software providers getting in on the scene. But wait, a scatter paying slot that's full of sweet edibles. Haven't we heard this before? True, the premise is very Sweet Bonanza, except for Rat King, Push Gaming has not only worked in a few new mechanics, but it has also picked a very different way of presenting its game. This is no sweet-toothed wonderland where cotton candy clouds rain sweets into open mouths. Rat King is a pixelated blast from the past, with graphics that take players back to the late 90s/early 00s or thereabouts. Even the sounds are full-on punchy bleep bleep. The result should be a real nostalgia hit for certain gamers, in the same vein as slots like Hellcatraz, Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop, NFT Megaways, and Flame Busters.

Along with three feature buy options, players must decide on a base bet of 10 p/c to $/€100 and whether or not to activate the Push Bet, which increases the stake by 20%. With the Push Bet on, there is a greater chance of triggering the bonus round, and the RTP comes in at 96.35% compared to 96.3% when switched off. The odds of hitting the max win improve as well with the Push Bet active. From there, we move to Rat King's set-up, which consists of a 6x6 gaming grid run by a medium volatile math model. As long as at least 7 matching pay symbols are in view, a reward is triggered.

As well as a couple of special symbols, Rat King has regular pay symbols and what are known as Dud symbols. Regular pay symbols have monetary values; Dud symbols do not. The regulars consist of 6 sweet items, worth 0.5 to 2 times the bet for 7-8 OAK in view, rising to 7.5 to 50 times the stake when 20 or more land. Dud symbols basically take up valuable grid space, but when at least 7 of the same Dud symbols are in view, they are removed from the grid, making way for new symbols to drop in. Regular symbols are also removed from the board when they form a win, allowing new ones to drop down as well.

Rat King: Slot Features

Two other types of symbols to look out for are Star symbols that are linked to the Collection Boxes, as are Rat King symbols which are needed for triggering free spins.

Collection Boxes & Star Symbols

Star symbols are multiplier symbols with a value of x2 to x500 attached, and each reel has a Collection Box located beneath it. When a Star symbol reaches the bottom of the grid, it falls into a Collection Box, and its multiplier value is added to the multiplier counter. The multiplier counter is applied to the win of the current game round.

Free Spins

When Rat King symbols reach the bottom of the grid, they drop into a Collection Box, too. When 3, 4, or 5 Rat Kings are collected this way, players are awarded 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. During free spins, if a Rat King falls into a Collection Box, +3 free spins are awarded. When a Star symbol is collected, its multiplier is added to the multiplier counter, which will multiply the total win on that spin. The multiplier counter will then become inactive until another multiplier is added to it and does not reset.

Bonus Buy

The three options players are presented with when buying a bonus are:

• 3 Rat King scatters for 100x the bet with 96.58% RTP.
• 4 Rat King scatters for 250x the bet with 96.36% RTP.
• 5 Rat King scatters for 500x the bet with 96.93% RTP.

Rat King: Slot Verdict

As mentioned, Rat King is Push Gaming's first scatter paying slot, and the studio has pulled the game off in its typical high style. The retro angle might not be to everyone's tastes, but it is a style growing in popularity amongst casino game makers. Push Gaming has used it well, and with some mental gymnastics, gamblers shouldn't find it hard to imagine being transported back to an earlier time when a dose of imagination helped players really immerse themselves in a game world. Not like now, with hyper realistic graphics and mass-adopted VR just around the corner. When looking at how far video games have progressed, it's frightening to think how realistic they will be in the future.

For now, Rat King provides not just an enjoyable belt of yesteryear but a solid helping of scatter paying gaming as well. While there are strong parallels between this and Sweet Bonanza, one of the granddaddies in the category, Rat King branches away through tweaks to its gameplay and eye-catching looks. Some of the tweaks might be frustrating, perhaps, such as the use of valueless Dud symbols, and the need to drop Star symbols or scatters into buckets at the bottom of the screen might seem like a mission. Yet given time, Rat King's unique mannerisms may well grow on you. Its specific rule set hasn't had a negative effect on the stats, and at 10,000x the bet, the top prize is a glazed doughnut temptation. Factoring in the medium volatility, as well, means Rat King might not reach Razor Returns level of mayhem, but being less highly strung means it may cater to a broader range of potential punters.

Players used to more straightforward scatter paying slots may take a little longer to get on board with Rat King, perhaps, but the thrills can be no less thrilling here when the game's on a roll. All in all, a commendable first pay-anywhere slot, as you might expect from a studio with Push Gaming's talents, and a must-try for fans of this style – or those who like to pretend they've rewound the clock a couple of decades while they gamble.