Pinata Wins Slot Review

The Pinata Wins Slot Game

As a long-term fan of PG Soft games, I’m now expecting a well-designed slot packed with cool features. What I didn’t expect was a compelling story behind something as simple as smacking a pinata. Namely, as players, we’re stepping into the shoes of Aelia, and punching pinatas is a long-standing tradition for residents of Novella, her hometown. 

Specs-wise, Pinata Wins is a 5-reel video slot with 20 paylines. Many devs are following the trend of bringing the “cascading” mechanic in modern slots, and this game wasn’t an exception.

In this game, you’ll encounter progressive multipliers on gold-bordered positions, and receive free spins if you hit three or more scatters. 

Symbols and Payouts

Pinata Wins has nine paying symbols; Wilds and Scatters only trigger special features and don’t have any value on their own. I tested its entire wagering range, which spans from $0.20 to $100, but I’m yet to persuade Lady Luck to give me the main prize of 5,000x top win. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of the main payouts in PG Soft’s Pinata Wins:

• J, Q, K, and A: $2 for three-of-a-kind, $10 for four, $50 for five
• Chili Pepper: $5 for three-of-a-kind, $20 for four, $100 for five
• Taco: $10 for three-of-a-kind, $40 for four, $150 for five
• Maraca Drums: $15 for three-of-a-kind, $50 for four, $200 for five
• Sombrero: $20 for three-of-a-kind, $100 for four, $400 for five
• Festival Skulls: $50 for three-of-a-kind, $250 for four, $1,000 for five

Pinata Wins Slot Bonus Features

I’ve played thousands of feature-rich games, and just as many slots revolving around a single bonus mechanism. Pinata Wins is somewhere in between, having only a handful of special features, but I must say that I love how well they tie into the game’s atmosphere. 

Just like a real pinata would hold prizes until you smack it, the colorful horse in Pinata Wins will hold your multipliers until the end of the round. The “Horsey” will turn into a six-pointed star pinata during free spins; even though it may not seem larger, it appears to have enough room to keep holding onto the coveted multipliers and will only burst once you run out of free spins. 

Cascading Mechanism

Pinata Wins is a “tumbler” slot. A win doesn’t result in “game over”, as you’ll keep receiving free respins every time you connect at least one paying combination of symbols. 

What’s unique about the cascading mechanism in Pinata Wins is that you want the tumbling sequence to be as long as possible since every respin gives you a chance of scoring additional multipliers. 

2-in-1 Gold Frame Symbols

One of the most unique features of this slot is the chance-based gold frames that will occasionally appear on the borders of random symbols. 

The first aspect of this bonus feature is that any symbol with a golden frame will turn into a wild symbol on the following turn if it is involved in a win. The “following turn” means the next cycle of the tumbling sequence. Wilds are consumed immediately upon use. 

As if this wasn’t generous enough, gold frames may occasionally appear with multipliers. Once again, you need to win with a symbol with the golden frame to activate the bonus feature, and once you do, its multiplier will be stuffed into the pinata above the playing screen. The multipliers can be any number between 2x and 100x. 

The only “catch” is that only symbols landing on the second, third, and fourth reel can be graced with gilded frames. 

Free Spins

PG Soft kept the Bonus Round simple. All you have to do is land three scatter symbols in any position to get fifteen free spins. For every additional scatter beyond the third, you’ll get two extra free spins. 

Knowing that PG Soft loves expanding on its unique selling points, I almost expected the Bonus Game to revolve around the aforementioned golden frames, and my tests proved me right. For as long as you have at least one free spin remaining, any multipliers you’ve earned by stringing wins with gold-framed symbols will keep piling up, like candies in an actual pinata. 

Bonus Buy

Free Spins can be bought at the cost of 450x of your current bet. Considering how generous this feature is, I almost support the hefty cost, but it’s still a bit too much for my taste. 

How to Win at Pinata Wins

Pinata Wins has 20 fixed paylines. All symbols pay in threes, which sadly includes even the major ones like Sombreros and Skulls. 

According to the paytable, Wilds don’t have any prescribed cash value, but as is the case with most games, lining up five on an active payline will make them assume the value of the highest-paying (skull) symbol. 

Pinata Wins RTP & Volatility 

PG Soft emulated over a billion spins and their tests have shown that Pinata Wins has a return rate of 96.75%, making it one of the safest titles in their catalog so far. Of course, the win rate doesn't guarantee that you will win that often when playing the game, as individual outcomes can vary widely due to the nature of randomness in gambling.

Regarding its volatility, you shouldn’t expect too much variance since there aren’t too many symbols to begin with. The developers dubbed it a medium volatility slot, and my tests didn’t fall too far from the same conclusion. 

Final Thoughts

If you’re into festive-themed slots, love a good story behind a good game, and are looking for a slot that plays as well as it pays, you’ve found yourself a keeper with Pinata Wins. 

I love virtually everything (except the Bonus Buy) about this game and I can’t wait for PG Soft to distribute it to online casinos so I can properly enjoy it with my friends.