NetEnt has brought its Hotline slot franchise back with a bang! The newest – Hotline 2 is a 5-reel, 3-row video slot that offers up to 1944 ways to win.
Released on 24th August 2020, it carries the bet ways pay mechanic and brings to players some exciting features, including Expanding Wilds, the unique Hotline feature and Free Spins with expanding reels.
This Hotline 2 review talks about pretty much everything you need to know to get started with the slot.
Reel type: | 5 |
Min/Max Bet: | €0.30 / €150 |
Max Win: | 5184x your stake |
RTP: | 96.05% |
Volatility: | Medium |
Jackpot: | No |
Provider: | NetEnt |
Play Hotline 2
About Hotline 2
For the uninitiated, Hotline 2 is not a mere replica of the original Hotline title from NetEnt. Of course, it comes with the same old Miami Vice-esque vibes and badass characters of the 80s. However, this new version feels like a better and more exciting extension of the original hit.
Hotline 2 powered by NetEnt draws heavily on the New Wave culture of the yore, which brings in all the elements of stylized graphics and retro-cool music. At the backdrop is the city of Miami with its burning hot streets soaked in twilight hues.
The plotline resembles that of the original American crime drama: detectives Quinn and Riviera investigating a jewellery heist that’s underway and chasing the sexy and devious Kitty Weiss. The soundtrack, as expected, is a blend of contemporary pop and rock music, which complements the visuals perfectly.
For a lot of players, Hotline 2 would be a powerful nostalgia hitter for sure. This 5X3 video slot offers 243 ways to win, which can extend up to 1944! It features 3 Hotlines, which expand to fully Wild reels when a Wild symbol lands. For every spin, you would get up to 3 Wild reels.
I have discussed more features of NetEnt’s Hotline 2 later in this article. The paytable includes 6 low-value and 4 high-value symbols. The 6 symbols are familiar jewellery items – necklaces, rings and solitary stones.
To land a win, you need symbols of the same kind in any position on 3 or more reels. Winning lines pay from left to right. The 4 premium symbols include detectives Quinn and Riviera, the Mic Drop Guy and Kitty Weiss.
Of them, Kitty Weiss is the most rewarding. She lands wearing her shades and holding a glass of champagne in her hand to reward you with 0.66, 1.66 or 2.66 times your stake for 3, 4 or 5 symbols.
Furthermore, a Cars Wild symbol might appear on the second, third or fourth reel in the base game as well as during the free spins round. It substitutes for all other symbols except the neon Flamingo Scatter (more about it later) and helps you win big and some more.
The stake range for Hotline 2 starts at €0.30 and goes all the way up to €150. The theme might be retro, but the slot is absolutely compatible across devices and browsers.
Play Hotline 2 on your desktop, smartphone or tablet and fire up the streets of Miami today! Choose between 10 and 1000 autospins using the Autoplay function and turn on the Turbo Mode to watch the reels spin at ninja speed.
Volatility and RTP
Hotline 2 by NetEnt is a medium variance slot that comes with an RTP of 96.05%. It means for every 100 you bet, you would get back 96.05.
This is well above the average RTP offered by most slots, which tells me Hotline 2 is worth a spin. However, if you are a fan of the original Hotline, which comes with an RTP of 97.04%, you might be slightly disappointed.
The volatility being medium, expect a balanced dose of winnings throughout the base game – not too frequent, but not too few and far between either. You can always look forward to bigger wins during the Free Spins round where the paylines expand from 243 to 1944.
Hotline 2 pays out a maximum win of 5184x your total stake for every free spin. A friendly tip would be to play the game with a juicy casino bonus offer so you stand a chance of winning big at the expense of a casino operator.
Hotline 2 Features
For a franchise as rocking as Hotline, the features in Hotline 2 slot are pretty limited but engaging nonetheless. As discussed earlier, this video slot comes with 3 bonus features which I have summarized below in three pointers.
Hotline
Hotline 2 carries forward the legacy of the awesome Hotline feature which first appeared in the original title. This special feature has been developed to increase your chances of winning Expanding Wild symbols for higher stake values.
It is triggered when Wilds land on the Hotlines. In the base game, reel 3 is the hotline. The moment a Wild symbol lands on it, the Hotline turns into a Wild reel, filling itself up with Wild symbols entirely if resulting in a bet way win.
Other reels in the slot could also turn into Hotlines at the two Bonus bet levels: the Double Bet and the Triple Bet.
An activated Double Bet turns reels 3 and 4 into Hotlines and subsequently doubles your bet. An activated Triple Bet, on the other hand, turns reels 2, 3 and 4 into Hotlines and subsequently triples your bet.
The real fun, however, begins in the Free Spins round, where landing Wilds on the Hotlines turn them into Wild reels and bring in more symbols on them. Here, the paylines might increase up to 1944 and fetch more free spins. I’ve discussed it further later.
Wild and Expanding Wild
In Hotline 2, Wild symbols appear on reels 2, 3 and 4 in the base game as well as the Free Spins round, substituting all other symbols except the Flamingo Scatter symbols.
In this slot, Wild and Expanding Wild symbols make for the highest-paying winning combinations possible. Also, as mentioned earlier, a Wild on a Hotline turns the entire reel wild.
Free Spins and Reel Expansion
Flamingo Scatter symbols activate Free Spins in Hotline 2. Free Spins in this slot are pretty interesting when you land Wild symbols. The reels increase in height, making room for more bet ways. The 243 standard number might reach 1944 eventually when reels 2, 3 and 4 increase in height.
Conclusion
NetEnt’s Hotline 2 makes for the perfect sequel to the original Hotline slot. It offers the thrill of the chase as well as the excitement of the blazing Hotlines. Expanding Wilds jazz up the gameplay even more.
So, what are you waiting for? Start spinning the reels of Hotline 2 and take a trip down memory lane to the 80s. Don’t forget to play the slot for free before investing real money.