Sidewinder Slot

After finding success among slot game players in Rainbrew, the innovative Sidewinder feature now has its very own game! Microgaming and Just For The Win have teamed up again on this homage to classic fruit machines. The Sidewinder slot game is packed with wilds, horizontal reels and free spins - creating thousands of ways to win!

Explore the Sidewinder slot game

Sidewinder gets back to basics, stripping away all of the fancy intros and animations. It is presented as a standard fruit machine, packed full of the bars, bells and sevens you expect from traditional slots. The game is set on an uncluttered purple background, with the focus firmly on the reels themselves. In the base game, there are five reels in three rows, with wins reading from left to right across the play screen.

However, there is also the addition of the Sidewinder feature, which really can shake the reels up. If you have played Rainbrew, you will be familiar with how the feature works. There are two horizontal bars at the top and bottom of reels two, three and four. When triggered during a spin, these Sidewinder reels can add Wilds or bonus symbols to the play screen - and they can even launch free spins!

Sidewinder Wilds

If you find a Wild in any base game spin, it will either be a ‘Top Wild’ or a ‘Bottom Wild’. The arrows on the symbol indicate which kind it is. As well as substituting for any base game symbol, this Wild will activate one of the two Sidewinder reels. Wilds will scroll along the horizontal bar and could land on reels two, three and four. Occasionally, a second ‘Top’ or ‘Bottom’ Wild will appear here. This will set the opposite Sidewinder reel in motion.

Sidewinder Bonus: Free Spins

You need three Sidewinder symbols to open the bonus round. However, the Sidewinder Bonus symbols appear only on reels two and four. To get three (or more), you need the Sidewinder reels to produce extra symbols. Both horizontal reels trigger whenever two bonus icons appear on the base game reels. Find three four six free spins, or four for ten spins.

During free spins, the Sidewinder symbols act as scatter wins. For every symbol you land, you get an additional spin. The Sidewinder reels are also active throughout this feature. After each free spin, both reels scroll through Wilds and Bonuses. Up to six additional Wilds can appear in each reel as a result. Plus, in the event that two Sidewinder Wilds appear opposite each other on the horizontal reels, they will expand to cover that whole reel!

The technical stuff: inside Sidewinder

This is another collaborative game by Microgaming and Just For The Win. It features the patented Sidewinder technology which we have seen in some of the newer casino games. It is suitable for playing on any PC or laptop, and also on mobile and tablet devices. The game operates on iOS and Android platforms, and is best played in landscape mode on mobile phones.

The game reels are 3x5, but the Sidewinder reel extends them to a 3, 5, 5, 5, 3 grid. Wins read left to right. With the features active, there are thousands of potential ways to win. Win up to 2000x the bet amount when the bonus feature kicks in. This is a mid volatility slot. Free Spins don’t crop up all that often, but the Sidewinder Wilds turn up regularly.

Sidewinder summary

If you like the interactivity of video slots, Sidewinder might not push your buttons. The Free Spins and Sidewinder features are passive; you sit back and watch them play out. There are no containers to open or wheels to spin, for example. However, some players will find this aspect of the game very appealing. Despite its bright colours, jazzy soundtrack and exciting feature, Sidewinder is actually quite a relaxing game to play.

Overall, this is a good use of the Sidewinder feature - and we might expect to see it in other Microgaming/Just For The Win titles in future. If you want a classic online fruit machine with a quirky contemporary twist, you should certainly check out Sidewinder. Visit the top rated casinos listed here on our site to find this and other great games. Try them for yourself online right now, for free or for real.