The Haunted Carnival - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Introduction 

Get ready for a spine-chilling roller-coaster ride with The Haunted Carnival from slot designer Nucleus Gaming. You are visiting on Halloween and there are lots of spooky features to keep you entertained.

The game is played on 5x4 reels with 50 fixed betways that pay from left to right.

There are some special acts on view, which change every ten spins and trigger a host of special features. The witch and broom act as wilds, the skeleton and bones provide free spins, Pumpkinhead combines both wild and free games, the mummy triggers multipliers, and the clown reveals mystery boxes. The performers are chosen at random and will not appear consecutively.

There are ten paying symbols: the pictorial Pumpkinhead, skeleton, mummy, witch and clown and their accompanying pumpkin, bones, bandages, broom and balloons. 

If you are a fan of this designer’s work, you will find many more Nucleus Gaming slots to enjoy in demo mode here at Slots Temple.

Theme, graphics and soundtrack 

Pumpkins carved into heads, witches and skeletons give the game away - it is obviously Halloween. The Haunted Carnival is a scary but rewarding slot from Nucleus Gaming. The graphics are colourful and reflect the theme perfectly, with the reels sitting at the entrance to a series of tents in which the characters await with their tricks and treats.

The soundtrack will be familiar, as it is a take on a tune used in lots of old movies and cartoons set around All Souls Eve.

If you like to play a Halloween themed slot, there are many more here at Slots Temple to play for free. These include The Creepy Carnival slot.

The Haunted Carnival RTP and variance 

Although no official RTP is available, it is widely reported to be around 96 per cent with high variance. Although features trigger every ten spins, they can produce low rewards in extended play. This means players have to be patient.
 

How to play The Haunted Carnival

The game triggers features automatically, but here is a brief guide to the showground and its secrets:

1. The game opens with a page showing the main features while the game loads.
2. Once the main screen opens, click the menu symbol to the left and a mini-menu opens on the information page.
3. This is where the powers of the main symbols are explained. Below this, you will find a comprehensive paytable. At the bottom of the screen are thumbnails of the paylines.
4. Click the question mark icon to open a new screen with the full rules of the game.
5. Scroll down for a detailed explanation of how the main symbols operate.
6. Finally on this screen, you will find full details of the controls.
7. On the left of the information button is where you can engage autospin. This option must be halted manually.
8. You can adjust some aspects of the game and employ turbo spin if you wish to speed up the game in the settings menu. The volume can be muted here or via the speaker icon on the menu.
9. Back on the main game screen, you can adjust your wager via the $ chip in the centre of the dashboard.
10. You are now all set to play, so hit the spin button.

Remember that you can play this slot for free here at Slots Temple to familiarise yourself with the gameplay and prizes before playing for cash at an online casino.
If playing for real money, set yourself a budget and play responsibly.

Bet sizes and paytable wins 

Bet sizes in The Haunted Carnival range from 0.10 to 40.00. The paytable for five matching symbols is as follows:

• Pumpkinhead = 300x
• Skeleton/mummy = 100x
• Witch/clown = 100x
• Pumpkin = 60x
• Bone/bandages = 40x
• Broom/balloon = 40x

The Haunted Carnival bonus features and free spins 

During the witch feature, each witch and broom symbol is marked. At the end of the spins, they turn wild and pay out for any winning lines created. All symbols are substituted apart from Pumpkinhead.

The clown and balloon symbols are also marked in a similar way in their phase and turn into mystery boxes. They open to reveal a random identical symbol and can form winning lines.

In the skeleton show, a counter appears and each of his symbols or bones will add one to the counter. At the end of the spins, the player receives this number of free spins.

The mummy and bandages increase a multiplier counter. At the end of the ten spins, the multiplier will apply to wins on the final spin.

Pumpkinhead is a major player. If he appears as a wild and in full four-row height, he awards ten free spins if the other performers appear on the reels. He also mimics the other performers’ powers when he appears during their phases of the game. 

The Haunted Carnival review: our verdict 

Nucleus Gaming has packed the carnival tents with scary characters and lots of features. When the symbols land, the players need to keep their eyes glued to the reels to spot which features land, especially what Pumpkinhead is getting up to as he mimics the other performers.

Although there is no official RTP on the information pages, it is widely reported to be an acceptable 96 per cent; however, the high variance means there can be disappointing results.

The bet spread should attract all players, and the design does not disappoint, so we recommend you try it.