The Nutcracker - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Introduction

Christmas is a time for fun, celebration and eating far too much rich food. It is also a time for kicking back and taking stock of the year that has just gone by. Slots developers are always keen to join in the festive fun, so you will find plenty of Christmas-themed games in the Slots Temple catalogue. Last year, we couldn’t get enough of the <a href="https://www.slotstemple.com/free-slots/fat-santa/">Fat Santa slot</a>; this year, it may well be all about The Nutcracker.

Theme, graphics & soundtrack

The Nutcracker online slot plays out to the familiar strains of The Nutcracker Suite, made famous by the ballet of the same name. The game is set against a brick fireplace, with Christmas fairy lights entwining around the scene and an elf’s hat sitting on top of the game’s title. Gingerbread men, candy canes and golden bells are joined on the reels by red and blue wooden soldiers, a king, and groups of candles. Fun animations indicate winning symbol combinations in a game that showcases the fun elements of bygone Christmases.

The Nutcracker RTP & volatility

Unfortunately, <b>Gameplay Interactive has not yet released any RTP or volatility details</b>. Without this information, we can’t recommend playing the game at an online casino using your own money.

What we can offer you is the chance to play free <a href="https://www.slotstemple.com/free-slots/gameplay-interactive/">Gameplay Interactive slots online</a> here at Slots Temple to explore the game completely risk-free while you assess your winning chances.

How to play

1. Decide how much you are prepared to pay for each spin of the reels. Hit the settings menu button to the bottom left of the screen and select your coin size, keeping an eye on your total bet amount.

2. When you are ready to start your game, hit the spin button to play a single game. For multiple spins at a constant wager, select autoplay - you will find this in the settings menu.

3. The menu button also gives access to the game’s paylines and paytable.

4. Head for the settings option to mute the game soundtrack if you prefer to play in silence or to the accompaniment of your festive playlist.

Bet sizes & paytable wins

You can play The Nutcracker from 0.50 per payline. This gives <b>a total wagering range from 2.50 to 250 per spin</b>. Match two, three, four or five symbols in either direction across one of the five paylines to win a cash prize, paid as multiples of your line bet as follows:

- Gingerbread man = 2x, 5x, 10x, 50x
- Candy cane = 2x, 5x, 25x, 100x
- Candles = 2x, 15x, 50x, 150x
- Globe = 2x, 20x, 50x, 150x
- Bells = 3x, 25x, 100x, 500x
- Blue soldier = 5x, 25x, 100x, 500x
- Red soldier = 5x, 50x, 200x, 1,000x
- King wild = 25x, 100x, 500x, 2,000x

The Nutcracker bonus features

The Nutcracker is a little thin on bonus games, particularly as there is no free spins bonus round; however, Gameplay Interactive has managed to inject some additional fun and excitement with the help of a few special game symbols.

The <b>king is the game’s wild</b>, but he doesn’t operate in quite the same way as most wild symbols. Normally, a wild can substitute for all other game symbols apart from scatters; in The Nutcracker, <b>the wild can only substitute for the red and the blue soldier symbols</b>. It contributes the biggest cash prizes for landing two, three, four or five on a payline, so it can certainly generate some big payouts.

Whereas most online slots offer paylines that operate from left to right, there is a win both ways mechanic in The Nutcracker. Wins can also run from right to left. With symbols paying out for just two matches on a payline, <b>it is possible to score two wins from the same payline with a single spin</b>!

There may not be any free spins, but Gameplay Interactive has included a fun bonus game. There are <b>three scatter symbols</b> - the wreath, the snow globe and the book - none of which bring any cash rewards on their own but all three can initiate the Dress the Christmas Tree bonus game. You will need to <b>land at least three matching scatters on reels one, two and three</b> to activate the feature bonus round, which will take you to a Christmas tree that is waiting to be decorated. Pick your choice of decorations, each of which comes with <b>a cash prize</b>. Once the tree is fully dressed and lit, your prize is awarded and you are taken back to the base game.

Overall review

The Nutcracker may be lacking a free spins bonus round but there is so much fun to be had on the reels that there is a good chance you won’t even notice. There are three different scatter symbols, giving you multiple chances of landing the Dress the Christmas Tree bonus game. Drape ribbons, stars and baubles to make it look fabulous and win yourself a cash prize at the same time!

This game offers no statistical insights about returns or volatility, so we can’t recommend playing at an online casino; however, you can play it completely free here and enjoy all the fun of the game completely risk-free!

Disclaimer: The Nutcracker trademark / license is owned by Gameplay Interactive. This site is not endorsed by Gameplay Interactive.