The word ‘classic’ is not something I’d give out lightly when it comes to slots. Wolf Run was an early video slot from IGT, which became something of a legend in brick and mortar casinos for many years. When you first see this Native American themed game it does look plain and more than a little dated. Once you start to play you will see why this became a classic. The solid IGT game-play, potential for wins over multiple lines and bonus game which can be re-triggered multiple times all give you reasons to return.
This page brings you a detailed personal review of the Wolf Run slot – with an opinion of how this stacks up against more modern games at the end of the page.
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Wolf Run Slot from IGT – Game Play
The setup for this slot is a 5 reel video slot with 4 rows of symbols on each reel. There are a maximum 40 win-lines in play, though you can adjust this number downwards should you wish. There is a great reason to keep the maximum number of lines in play – in the form of stacked wild symbols. You will find full reels of wild symbols (a wolf against the moon). When these do appear it pays to have the maximum number of win lines in play. You can adjust your coin size from a wide range of 1c through to $5 per line – making the minimum spin just 40c.
Symbols are a mix of wolves (a grey one, white one and one silhouetted against the moon), playing card symbols ace down to nine and some Native American statue symbols. The background to the game is a mountain covered in trees, with a feather head-dress above the logo (which includes a paw print of a wolf as the ‘o’).
Sounds are a little off theme for me. When you hit spin there is an electronic tune playing, with a strange mix of tunes (some brass, one xylophone) when you hit wins. You will hear some Native American type sounds, as well as the howl of wolves during play. If you hit a big win you will see a big graphic of a wolf against the moon – along with a fountain of coins.
The key symbol is the wolf against the moon – this is both the wild and has the single biggest pay out. 5 of these on a win-line will net you 1000 coins, in addition to any other winning combination created on other lines. Since this symbol is stacked, you will often make multiple wins at once. Part of the attraction for this game is that large wins can appear from nowhere with a couple of full reels of wolves at the right time.
Next on the pay scale come the wolves, which are worth 400 coins for 5 – then the totem statues, which will net you 250 coins for 5. All of the symbols require at least 3 of a kind on a win line from the left hand side to trigger a payout. The playing cards make up the smaller wins which are useful to keep your bankroll in play while you wait for the bonus game. There are no scatter symbols in Wolf Run.
Wolf Run Slot Free Spins Bonus Game
To trigger the free spins game you will need to get the bonus symbol on reels 2, 3 and 4. This is a Native American necklace with the word Bonus on it.
This triggers 5 free spins initially. While the symbols remain the same, the background changes to a night view, with a moon and purple / blue coloring above the reels. The symbols now have a black background to complete the effect.
You can add more free spins by hitting 3 more bonus symbols on those center reels. As with the main game you get double your total bet as a cash prize and 5 free spins on top.
While this can seem like a low number of spins compared to some games – you need to keep in mind that the stacked wilds in play can mean many winning lines for each spin.
Overall Conclusion – Is Wolf Run Still Worth Playing?
My view is that all slots fans should try Wolf Run at least once. With many modern slots having multiple break-out bonuses and on-reel features, it is easy to forget about the solid game-play on which slots relied for many years.
Wolf Run is a classic simply because it hits the right balance between solid game play and the potential for multiple prizes. You can now find a very similar game with 50 lines instead of 40 called Wild Wolf too.
Check out Wolf Run for yourself soon!