Killer Night

Killer Night Review

Pragmatic Play takes us back to the 1980s with Killer Night, a horror slot set at Ridgeview High School. It's prom night, but there's a masked killer lurking around the school. The whole thing feels like one of those old slasher movies, with a group of teenagers who have no idea what's waiting for them.

The game uses a 5x5 grid with 15 fixed paylines. Wins pay from left to right, starting on the first reel. The symbols fit the high school setting, with football helmets, cassette players, sunglasses, pom-poms and corsages making up the lower-paying group. Five characters appear as the premium symbols, with the highest-paying character awarding 15x the bet for five matching symbols.

Here are the main numbers for Killer Night:

• RTP: 96.52% in the regular game
• Volatility: High
• Maximum win: 10,000x the bet
• Paylines: 15
• Minimum bet: $0.20
• Free Spins: 10, 15 or 20, depending on the number of Scatters

The killer also acts as the Wild. Sometimes he takes up more than one position, and you might get a multiplier of 2x, 3x, 5x or 10x. Two multiplier Wilds on the same winning line can make quite a difference, since their values are multiplied together.

Killer Night Features

Wilds do most of the work in Killer Night. They can grow, pick up multipliers and stay in place during the bonus rounds. You also have a few paid options if you don't want to rely entirely on regular spins.

Expanding Wilds

The masked killer is the Wild, and he can show up on any reel. He substitutes for the regular symbols, but not for Scatters or Super Scatters.

Sometimes a Wild expands upwards or downwards, taking over a few more positions. You might get a multiplier on it, too. The possible values are 2x, 3x, 5x and 10x. These values multiply each other when more than one Wild is part of the same winning line. So, if you get a 3x and a 5x on one line, the result is 15x.

Free Spins

You'll need three Scatters to start the bonus, although four or five will give you more spins. Here's how many:

• 3 Scatters: 10 Free Spins
• 4 Scatters: 15 Free Spins
• 5 Scatters: 20 Free Spins

Scatters can appear on any of the five reels. Once Free Spins begin, you'll see a different set of reels, and the Wilds won't disappear after each spin. They stay where they land until the bonus is over.

There's a little more to the sticky Wilds than simply collecting them. Say you already have one on a reel and another Wild lands immediately above or below it. The new position joins the existing Wild and may add another 2x, 3x, 5x or 10x to its multiplier. Sometimes it adds nothing.

You can end up with a fairly large multiplier on a single Wild this way. But you only get the spins you started with, as there's no retrigger.

Super Free Spins

The orange disco ball is the Super Scatter. You can only get one per spin, and it needs at least two regular Scatters alongside it to activate Super Free Spins.

You receive 10, 15 or 20 spins, just as you would in the regular bonus. The difference comes right at the beginning: the first spin is guaranteed to have at least three Wilds in random positions.

Super Free Spins cannot be retriggered either.

Special Bets

There are three Special Bets available, and they're quite different from one another. Ante Bet is the least expensive, while Super Spin 2 costs a hefty 200x the normal stake for a single spin.

One thing to watch with the two Super Spin modes: you won't trigger Free Spins while using either of them. Ante Bet, on the other hand, is specifically there to improve your chances of getting the bonus.

The regular RTP is 96.52%. It drops slightly to 96.44% with Ante Bet or Super Spin 1, but stays at 96.52% for Super Spin 2.

Buy Feature

Killer Night is also one of the buy bonus slots where you can skip waiting for three Scatters. There are two prices, depending on what you're after:

• 100x the bet buys a bonus round, but the game randomly decides whether you get Free Spins or Super Free Spins
• 500x the bet takes you straight into Super Free Spins

I wouldn't overlook that random selection on the 100x purchase. You're paying for a bonus, not necessarily the Super version.

The RTP is 96.45% for the cheaper purchase and 96.44% for the 500x option.

One last thing applies to both purchased and naturally triggered bonuses. The maximum win is 10,000x your bet, and reaching it ends the round on the spot. Any spins you still have left are lost.

Theme & Graphics

Killer Night takes place outside Ridgeview High School on prom night. The school looks pretty deserted, with a full moon overhead and a water tower in the distance. There's even a sign announcing the senior prom, although I doubt the students will be having much fun.

The characters look like they've come straight out of an 80s teen horror film. You also get cassette players, football helmets and other symbols that fit the period. The neon borders give the reels some colour, while the masked killer brings in the darker side of the theme. I wouldn't call it particularly frightening, though. It's more of a cheesy slasher movie than serious horror.

Killer Night Free Play

You can try the Killer Night demo below, using virtual credits to explore the game. Change the bet size, see how the Expanding Wilds work and try out the different bonus features.

I'd spend some time with the Special Bets. Ante Bet, Super Spin 1 and Super Spin 2 change the gameplay quite a bit, and the demo is a good place to see what you're getting for the extra cost. In Killer Night free play, you can also try the bonus purchases and compare regular Free Spins with Super Free Spins.

Pros And Cons Of Killer Night Slot

I like the idea of collecting Wilds throughout Free Spins, especially when new ones land next to those already on the reels. But Killer Night also has some expensive betting options, and not all of them offer the same RTP.

Our Verdict

I think Killer Night is at its best when the Wilds start piling up during Free Spins. A single Wild with a 2x multiplier isn't particularly exciting, but things can change when another one lands next to it. The fact that multipliers are added when sticky Wilds join, but multiplied when several Wilds contribute to a winning line, gives the bonus rounds a bit more depth.

Super Free Spins would be my pick here. Starting with at least three Wilds sounds much more appealing than spending the first few spins hoping one will land. Of course, their positions matter, and there's no guarantee they'll turn into a big win. The lack of retriggers is a shame, too, especially when you've finally collected a few useful Wilds.

I'm less convinced by Super Spin 2. Paying 200x the usual stake for a single spin is a lot, even with the improved Wild behaviour. Ante Bet seems like a more reasonable option if you're interested in reaching the bonus naturally. And while the 500x purchase guarantees Super Free Spins, that's a hefty price for a feature with unpredictable results.

With a 96.52% regular RTP, high volatility and a 10,000x win cap, Killer Night has enough going on to keep me interested. I wouldn't say it brings anything particularly new to Pragmatic Play's catalogue, but the sticky Wild mechanics are worth a look. I'd choose it for the Free Spins rather than the regular gameplay, where there's less happening between bonus rounds.