Folsom Prison xWays

Brace for an encounter with some of the toughest inmates on the slot from Nolimit City. Folsom Prison is taking you on a highly volatile visit behind bars, featuring five dynamic reels, xWays, xSplit and xBet mechanics, Cockroach Nest Wilds, and two Free Spin modes that can lead to wins of up to 75,000x bet.

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Slot Details

Folsom Prison xWays is a video slot with dynamic five reels, up to six rows and 16 to 3,456 ways to win. The default at the start of every spin is a 2-2-2-2 format with 16 ways. Pays are awarded for three to five matching symbols landing on adjacent reels from left to right only. The game has extreme volatility with an RTP of 96.07% or, if an operator so chooses, just 94.01%. We strongly recommend to check the game rules for the currently active RTP setting.

With a little help from Wikipedia, we now know that Folsom Prison was opened in 1880, second only to San Quentin. However, it was the first to have electricity which made it at the same time an execution site. Being a maximum security facility, it houses some of the most dangerous criminals. The iconic guard towers are still in use today and serve as a fitting background to this extremely volatile slot. Just as volatile are the inmates populating the reels, each serving sentences for various crimes from extortion to homicide. A bleak-sounding grudge track rounds off the slot design.

The pay symbols start at the low end with card royals from 10 through to A, awarding 0.3x to 0.9x your bet for a five of a kind. They are followed by five inmates – Fresh Meat, Backstabber, The Fixer, Shivy Impala and Shankman, the latter is sporting a CASH tattoo on his forehead. Hit five across the reels to win 1x to 2.5x your stake.

The game has a standard Wild and a Cockroach Nest Wild (more to that shortly), both appearing on all but the first reel and substituting for all regular pay symbols. Further, a golden badge with a Folsom Prison tower acts as the scatter while the xWays and xSplit symbols will trigger their respective modifiers when they land.

Folsom Prison xWays Slot Demo Video

Folsom Prison xWays Slot Features

After visiting San Quentin on their first prison-themed slot, the creative folks at Nolimit City are taking us back behind bars at Folsom Prison. Neither has a reputation of being some kind of vacay-style penitentiary, which might explain in part the 150,000x max win on San Quentin, certainly no easy feat to achieve that amongst some of the most hardened criminals. Folsom Prison is following a similar pattern although with a lower max win potential and some differences on how the mechanics are impacting the gameplay. Reason enough to take a closer look.

Before starting to play, you will have to decide whether to use the xBet button. Called Toast Bet on this occasion, it will add 20% to your stake, e.g. 1.00 increases to 1.20 and guarantees a scatter symbol on the second reel in every spin. While it might decrease chances to score a standard way win, it boosts the odds to trigger the bonus features.

Loading Folsom Prison uncovers a rather strange set-up. You will be greeted with a mostly covered game area, leaving only four reels in a 2-2-2-2 format with 16 ways to start a round. Don’t be discouraged as things will change in most spins, courtesy of the special symbols that will open up the locked positions, split symbols and spawn cockroach multipliers. Uncovering the default grid to the maximum size will result in a 4-6-6-6-4 format with then 3,456 ways to win. Still not the end as the number of ways can further grow when xSplit and xWays symbols apply their modifiers.

• xWays: Can land on any reel including initially covered positions. All in view will reveal 2 to 4 matching pay symbols, thus increasing the ways to win. However, only the unlocked positions will count towards the payout.
• xSplit: Can land on the two default rows of reels 2 to 5 only. It will split all other symbols on the same row into two, increasing again the ways to win. Some extras that apply – split scatters award +1 free spin on triggers and split Cockroach Nest Wilds increase their multiplier by x1.

Speaking of Cockroach Nests, they can appear on the three centre reels, turning into a wild and releasing the cockroach that will move over a random number of unlocked and/or locked positions, adding its multiplier to each symbol. Any locked cell they pass, will open up and also benefit from the multiplier. Some more extras will apply to the Cockroach Nests in the Free Spins (see below).

All special symbols – xWays, xSplit, standard Wilds, Cockroach Nests and scatters – will increase the game area. Each appearing on a reel will unlock one position at the top and one at the bottom. Two on the same centre reel will thus open the full height of six symbols. Any expansion is reset between spins in both base game and bonus round.

Next up are the Folsom Prison scatters, which can appear on the two middle rows on reels 2 to 5 in the base game as well as reel 5 only in the Walk The Line Free Spins. Based on how many land on a spin, they will trigger various actions from turning into special symbols to triggering the two Free Spins features.

Hitting two scatters will always open up the two middle positions on reel five. Should no further appear, then the two in view will transform into either xWays, xSplit, standard Wild or Cockroach Nest symbols. You could call it a consolation prize for missing out on a feature trigger, although in the right combination they could lead to significant wins in the base game.

Get three scatters and you will be rewarded with 8 Walk The Line Free Spins. Any scatter affected by an xSplit symbol will add +1 spin. The round is played in a 2-4-4-4-2 format as default as well as at least minimum one Cockroach Nest guaranteed. The Nest moves to a random position on the centre reels on every spin. You will need to hit a scatter on reel five to upgrade the feature to The Chair Spins as well as getting +2 spins on the counter (plus one if split).

Four scatters will trigger 8 The Chair Spins. Similarly, any split scatter will award +1 spin. The game area starts on every spin in a 4-4-4-4-4 size and guarantees at least three Cockroach Nests. They will move to a random positions on reels two to four on every spin.

Lastly, the extras for the Cockroach Nests during both bonus modes. More Nests can land on any free spin and will be activated when a cockroach walks over it. At the same time, the multiplier on the cockroach will increase by one level. Available are x1 as default and upgrades to x2, x3 and x10. Should you be lucky to have two eggs in a nest, then it not only upgrades the Cockroach but also clones one of the same that will stay on the grid for the remaining feature. This can happen only once in a bonus round.

Nolimit City has included again a wide array of Bonus Buy options, ranging from 68x to a whopping 1,500x your stake. The cheapest will trigger 8 Walk The Line Free Spins, while spending 82x, 355x or 784x your bet will get you an increasing chance to directly enter The Chair Spins, namely 99:1, 80:20 and 50:50. In case it doesn’t, you will get the standard feature. Finally, the most expensive buy will take your straight into The Chair Spins. All Bonus Buys have a slightly higher RTP than default.

Final Verdict

After the very controversial Remember Gulag and the rather lacklustre Karen Maneater, Nolimit City has returned to its most creative on Folsom Prison xWays. The combination of the various X-mechanics and the newly introduced Cockroach Nest make for some highly volatile but rather well-balanced gaming. Surely, it will demolish balances with no remorse at times but the top prize of 75,000x bet is certainly well worth a visit to the legendary penitentiary.

Folsom Prison xWays – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What are the RTP ranges on Folsom Prison xWays?

Due to the large variety of betting and feature buy options, there are also various RTP settings. The two main ones that should have your attention are the default at 96.07% and the secondary setting at 94.01%. Always check the help file to find out which version you will be playing.

2. What is the maximum ways to win on Folsom Prison xWays?

The default at the start of every spin in the base game is 16, the maximum for the standard grid is 3,456 ways. However, xWays and xSplit symbols can create a near-unlimited number of bet ways.

3. Where can I play Folsom Prison xWays and other Nolimit City slots?

Being the iGaming shooting star over the last few years, Nolimit City has managed to spread its wings far and wide. As a result, their slots can be found at an extensive number of online gaming sites. Feel free to browse through our list of tested and reviewed casinos to find a place that fits your requirements.

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