Red Tiger does surprise with its Video Slot, Happy Apples, given that it, more often than not, bets on glorious action rather than calm retreats. But everyone needs to stop for a breath of fresh air every once in a while, and Happy Apples seem to be just the place. With wholesome symbols, enticing features and a lovely winning potential, the Slot is bound to nestle itself into players’ hearts. If you’ve been longing for a tranquil retreat, waste not a moment longer and venture into the marvellous lands of Happy Apples!
Happy Apples 101
Even though the action has definitely been put in the background in favour of serene experiences, you still need to know the basics before venturing into the world of Happy Apples. Luckily, you have us, your trusty game guides, to lead you through everything there is to know about Red Tiger’s Happy Apples.
First off, we’ll fill you in on the game’s mechanics. Happy Apples operates with a 6×6 scheme, which means that at any one time, there are 6 reels spinning vertically and 6 rows moving horizontally. Happy Apples, however, has a major difference from most Video Slots when it comes to paylines. In fact, the game does not operate with paylines at all, but with a Scatter Pays mechanic, meaning that you need to land 10 matching symbols anywhere on the reels to create a win, instead of hitting specific symbol combinations.
Happy Apples has an RTP of 95.7%, which although not the worst could definitely use some improvement. The game’s volatility is extremely high so do make sure to take it into consideration. To anyone unfamiliar with volatility’s importance, it depicts the risk-reward ratio. In the case of high volatility games, it means that the rewards will be undeniably larger but the risk will follow the same trend.
The max payout you can expect from Happy Apples is 6,186x the size of your initial bet. The minimum bet players can place is €0.10 while the maximum allowed is €10.
Symbols & Wins
While a standard would be to simply brief you on what symbols are available and which ones bring the highest value, we’ll first need to explain how wins at Happy Apples actually work.
As we already mentioned, Happy Apples uses Scatter Pay as opposed to predefined paylines to award winnings. Consequently, your goal while playing should be to land 10 or more matching symbols anywhere on the reels in order for a win to be awarded. Hitting a ten-of-a-kind win will give you 0.1x to 7.5x the placed wager. Wins made up of more than 15 symbols have the potential to pay from 1.5x to 35x the initial bet.
Despite the different payment mechanics, there’s still a division between Low and High-value symbols. And even though the slot bears themes from all over Asia, the symbols have drawn inspiration directly from Japan.
The Low-value symbols are the Sugar Cube, Blue Mochi, Pink Mochi and Orange Mochi. Now, if you’ve ever visited the Land of the Rising Sun, you’ll know they’re some of the most popular desserts in Japanese culture, matching perfectly with the peaceful outlook of the game. Sugar and tranquillity are the cornerstones of joy. Unfortunately, as their name suggests, the Low-values do not pay much, only granting 1.5x to 8x the amount of your bet for a ten-of-a-kind win. Still, sweet tooths are unlikely to complain.
Happy Apples’ High-value symbols are the Fox, Pig, Panda and Tiger. If you know anything about the Japanese way of life, you probably get why these animals are at the centre of the game, given their importance to the Japanese. Landing a High-value ten-of-a-kind will award you with anywhere from 10x to 35x the size of your wager.
Something vital to remember is that like most other Scatter-paying slots, Happy Apples too does not have Wild Symbols.
Chain Reactions
Another crucial aspect of the game is the Chain Reactions. The Chain Reactions’ function is to remove any symbol participating in a win from the game grid. The feature allows the remaining symbols to drop to the bottom of the reels and makes space for new ones to fill in the empty spaces. Only when there are no longer wins on the game board will the Chain Reactions come to a halt.
Fortune Tree
If you thought the apple tree in the background is purely for decoration, you, dear Readers, have thought wrong. The tree is no ordinary one but a special Fortune Tree that contains two special symbols: the Golden and Diamond Apples. The special symbols can land at any time when the Fortune Tree activates during the beginning of every spin. The tree may drop an apple or two before the other symbols have landed.
On special occasions, the Fortune Tree may even be triggered when a spin holds no wins or at the end of a Chain Reaction. In these particular cases, it is more likely for a Golden Apple to be dropped but there’s still a possibility for a Diamond one to land as well.
Golden Apple
Now that you know what produces the special apple, you are ready to learn about its primary functions. Whenever a Golden Apple Symbol appears on one of the reels, they will unanimously reveal the same pay symbol type. Should the Fortune Tree be triggered, it can drop up to 10 Golden Apples at any one time.
Diamond Apple
We can’t leave out the Golden Apple’s Diamond cousin, can we? When the Fortune Tree activates, there’s a chance that up to 3 Diamond Apple Symbols will land on the reels. What makes these symbols almost as valuable as an actual diamond is that each contains a multiplier, stored above the reels and applied to the accumulated win at the end of the spin. The Multipliers can be x2, x3, x5, x7, x10, x20, x25, x50, or x100. Keep in mind, however, the fact that Multipliers reset before a new spin commences.
Free Spins Feature
With the absence of Wilds, you can bet (pun intended) that Scatters will be present in Happy Apples. In fact, not only are they available in the game but also have the ability to trigger the Free Spins Feature. Landing 3, 4 or 5 Scatters will award you with 10, 12 or 15 Free Spins, respectively.
Another perk of the Free Spins Feature, besides, you know, the obvious Free Spins, is the increased chance for activation of the Fortune Tree. Moreover, if you land another 3 Scatters during a bonus round, you’ll earn 5 more Free Spins.
Buy Bonus Feature
For the impatient among us, fear not, should you find the process of winning features unbearably slow, you can always purchase them. But how? Well, simply find the ‘Feature Buy’ button on the screen. Available for purchase are:
- Free Spins for the humble price of 70 times the wager;
- A spin with a guarantee for 5 or more Golden Apple Symbols for 3x the size of your bet;
- A spin with guaranteed 1 or more Diamond Apples for 15x the stake.
Bottom Line
All in all, Red Tiger’s Happy Apples is just the thing one may seek if in need of a tranquil retreat. With a perfect balance between risk, reward and features, this Video Slot certainly managed to wedge itself into our hearts. Variety seekers out there will also be satisfied with its many features, such as the Fortune Tree, Free Spins and Buy Bonus. If you’re in the mood for something sweet and serene, make sure to add Red Tiger’s Happy Apples to your to-play list. You’ll hardly regret it!
