ABOUT THIS SLOT
Loco the Monkey is a 5-reel 4-row online slot machine from Quickspin with a cartoon jungle theme. The cheeky monkey, fun graphics and jovial sound track are joined by lush vegetation behind the reels. This green leafy background is constantly swaying in the breeze and each big win is accompanied by monkey shrieks to add to the high-energy atmosphere.
It’s an upbeat game with symbols to match, including brightly coloured fruit and a mysterious golden amulet in the shape of a monkey, along with Loco himself. The beaming monkey also appears at the front of the screen holding the golden amulet whenever you strike it lucky with the Free Spins round.
RTP, VARIANCE AND PAYOUTS
There are 50 paylines criss-crossing the 5 reels and you need to land 3 matching symbols on a payline to win a prize. The exception is the banana symbol, which only requires 2 symbol matches for a payout.
The minimum bet of 25p isn’t the lowest around and when combined with the high volatility, it isn’t that friendly for lower rollers. You can expect some ups and downs in rewards and the payouts are infrequent, although they can be very high when they do land. Loco the Monkey has an average RTP of 95.15% and the top prize is 6,829x stake, a payout which is most likely to hit during Free Spins.
SYMBOLS AND PAYTABLE
The symbols here include regular high card symbols running from 9 to Ace, a range of colourful fruits – bananas, pineapples, blueberries, mangoes and limes – and Loco the Monkey himself. The banana is the highest paying symbol, awarding 10x your bet for 5 matches on a payline. This is followed by the other fruits, which can award from 3x to 4x stake for 5 of a kind.
The golden monkey statue Scatter appears on reels 1, 2 and 3 and can trigger the Free Spins round, while Loco the Monkey is the Wild symbol, which means he can stand in for the other symbols in the game to create more potential wins. Loco often swings in during the other bonus features too to make a big difference to your overall payouts.
GAMEPLAY AND FEATURES
Monkey Wilds
Loco the Monkey is the Wild symbol and this can appear on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5. In addition to substituting for other symbols, the Wild also plays a big part in the other bonus features.
More Monkeys Respins
If you land 4 Wild symbols, you’ll activate the Respin feature, which freezes the Wilds in place for one Respin. If you hit another Wild, this will also lock into position for another Respin and you’ll keep re-triggering as long as more Wilds keep landing.
Monkey Frenzy Free Spins
Whenever you hit 3 gold statue Scatters, you’ll trigger 10 Free Spins with Sticky Wilds. The Wild symbols will stick into position for the duration of the Free Spins. If you hit another Wild in the same place, you’ll receive a up to a 3x Multiplier. Plus, hitting 3 Scatters on one Free Spin will trigger 5 extra Free Spins.
OUR VERDICT
Loco the Monkey is a high-energy slot with volatile gameplay and lots of character. The colourful design and cheeky personality are attractive in a cartoonish way and the action is fast-paced with plenty of Wilds. The best part of the game is the Monkey Frenzy Free Spins, which can be generous if you manage to land enough Sticky Wilds and Multipliers to creep towards the 6,829x stake top payout. There is a slightly childish feel to the design but this friendly, light-hearted appearance hides a dark underbelly – the highly volatile gameplay that can strike at the heart of any bankroll. The infrequent payouts and 25p minimum bet could prove problematic for low rollers. Although the grinning monkey makes it feel like a cheerful trip to the jungle, the dangerous-looking overturned jeep at the side of the reels warns you to proceed with caution!