Ride the Lightning

Ride the Lightning Review

Ride the Lightning is an upcoming online slot by the top-tier provider Pragmatic Play, expected in the second week of April. The game is a nod to the past and retro slot gaming but with a few modern twists, jackpots, and multipliers. The name also matches Metallica's second album title, but there is no brand connection.

In the last weeks of 2024, Pragmatic Play launched one or two 3-reelers, with Gates of Olympus Pachi being the most recent one. However, Ride the Lightning is a vintage spinner that is more in the style of game providers like Games Global. The 3x3 reeler does not have actual rows, but there are 9 paylines displayed on both sides of the grid.

Thus, you can track down any symbol combination, although mechanics are flawless, as it is Pragmatic Play on the stage, after all. Ride the Lightning is a fast-paced machine with 2 extra accelerators - Quickspin and Turbo Mode. The other extras are Autoplay, Bonus Buy, Battery Saver, and audio settings. Sounds, however, are the last thing you will want to modify, even if they are repetitive.

Ride the Lightning Slot - Reels Screen

Ride the Lightning features 3 wild symbols, which I'll introduce later in this review, and they substitute for all figures but scatters. A 3-reel and 9-line machine with wilds is quite a treasure for fans of the genre! A paytable is displayed on top of the board, displaying all cash rewards for 3-of-a-kind combinations.

Triple Sevens pay the most - 7x the bet, and in my experience with the slot, they land pretty often. Double Sevens, Single Sevens, and Any Sevens award 4x, 2.50x, and 1x, respectively. The low-valued symbols land in the forms of Double BAR, Single BAR, and Any BAR, paying 1x, 0.50x, and 0.30x the bet.

The Ride the Lightning RTP range perfectly in Pragmatic Play's style, and the highest rate is 96.50%. Make sure to avoid the alternative variants - 95.50% and 94.50%, as they are too disadvantageous because of the high levels of volatility, too. The Hit Frequency rate is 30.39% or 1 in 3.29 spins, so you will enjoy frequent payouts.

Ride the Lightning seems suitable for both low rollers and big spenders because of a betting range starting at €0.10 and going up to €250 per spin. Although jackpots are not progressive, high rollers might be tempted due to the max win of a juicy 10,000x the bet. Then again, the probability would be a statistical anomaly - 1 in 22,573,363 spins!

Ride the Lightning Features

Ride the Lightning is a classic online slot, and the presence of not one, not two, but three different wilds is spectacular on its own. But the provider has decided to rank the title in the advanced section and has added a bonus minigame with extras and Bonus Buy at a fair price. You can find more in the following paragraphs!

Wilds & Jackpots

As I already mentioned, Blue Bolts, Red Bolts, and 3X are wild symbols, and each one can land anywhere on the grid. If the 3X Wild is part of any winning combination, it will increase the total spin payout by an x3 multiplier. Moreover, wilds can also activate the fixed jackpots displayed below.

Landing all 3 wild symbols on a payline or any combination of them will award the Mini Jackpot. Three Blue Bolts lined up award Minor Jackpot, three Red Bolts on a line - Major Jackpot, and the Grand Prize triggers when three 3X WIlds land on a payline.

• Grand Jackpot - 500x the bet
• Major Jackpot - 250x the bet
• Minor Jackpot - 100x the bet
• Mini Jackpot - 25x the bet

Free Spins Bonus

Ride the Lightning is packed with a Free Spins bonus, and the triggering frequency is very good - 1 in 95.06 spins. To get 10 free spins, you will need the Bonus symbol on reel 3, and if you see it after the minigame has started, it'll add 10 extra free spins.

Free Spins is played with a bonus multiplier, which is randomly selected at the beginning of each round. It can be x2, x3, x5, x7, x10, or x20, and the multiplier applies on all payouts, including jackpots. In fact, that is the way to the slot's max win of 10,000x - trigger Grand Jackpot with an x20 multiplier!

Buy Free Spins

A Bonus Buy panel is placed on the grid's left side, and if you choose to activate it, you'll get the Bonus feature right away. It comes with a price, though - 100x the bet, and no guarantee of winnings that will match or exceed it. Therefore, I recommend using this functionality with caution, and not just for the slightly decreased RTP rate - 96.48.

Theme & Graphics

In 1984, the famous heavy metal band Metallica released their second album named “Ride the Lightning”. There is no official information about any branded relation between Pragmatic Play's slot and the band. The fact is that the game comes with some trach metal vibes and audio, sometimes similar to Metallica's sound.

However, the soundtrack is repetitive and lacks vocals. So perhaps the provider has been inspired by the album, which is described by many fans as "dark", "soaring", and "melodious". The Ride the Lightning background can be described with the same adjectives, except for the melody part, especially during the bonus.

At the same time, the Classic theme powered by lightning bolts is not that far from the studio's style in creating Ancient Greek slots. Without being more verbose, I can conclude that the audio and visual effects are up to par but not lavish in any case. The game is also fully HTML5 and is playable on Android and iOS mobiles.

Pros And Cons Of Ride the Lightning Slot

Our Verdict

Ride the Lightning is far from any branded heavy-metal slot out there, but I believe that it was the idea. Moreover, the game isn't branded, so there should be no such expectation from the audience. The slot doesn't look like a filler, either, so I guess it is driven by someone's inspiration and passion for the great band.

The reeler offers a high-tier max win, although it would be a miracle to see it soaking into your bankroll. The bonus minigame is weak compared to others, but for a 3-reel classic slot machine, it's good enough. I also like the impact those wild symbols could have over the entire gameplay.

Then again, I must mention some of the finest heavy-metal slots out there, as that is the main theme, after all. Guns N' Roses by NetEnt is my personal favorite, released in 2016 and still quite hot today. It's available with an RTP rate of up to 96.98% and beyond and tributes to legends like Axl Rose, Slash, and the other members of the band. The game is packed with numerous bonus features, which I'll leave to you to explore!

Next, I couldn't help but mention Play’N GO, as the top provider has one of the most impressive collections with heavy-metal and hard-rock slots. KISS Reels of Rock is among their top releases with a max wi of 50,000x and up to 4,096 ways to win. You can use 2 random features and 5 Free Spins modes and enjoy the unique concert atmosphere!

ZZ Top Roadside Riches is another must-try from the provider's catalog, and it offers 40,000 reasons to give it a try. Last but not least, Saxon will keep you at the edge with stacked wilds, increasing multipliers, and free spins. As you can see, there is no shortage of metal sound in the iGaming industry, and Ride the Lightning can be an interesting addition!