Riddle Reels: A Case of Riches Slot Review

Released in July 2020, this game can be played at online casinos such as Vera&John, ComeOn! or Guts.

Theme and general information

Whilst not immediately obvious from the title, it is Sherlock Holmes and trusted friend Dr Watson who feature in this game of crime and sleuthing, where you have to uncover clues to find the murderer.

We get a somewhat simple but good-looking game. You might imagine looking at a comic strip from hundred years ago. Graphics are crisp and the usual high standard we get from Play’n GO.

The scene is set in the dingy streets of London just after sunset. The atmosphere is foreboding and if we’d stumble over a body here, we would not be surprised. The soundtrack only adds to the general feeling of unease.

The reel symbols look like a card game of sorts, where the low values are showing us various weapons (noose, dagger, gun and wrench) and the high values show us the usual suspects: a lady in purple, a sinister-looking guy in green, another lady in gold and an even more sinister-looking guy in blue. The latter is worth the most with 12x our stake.

Sherlock and Watson are the wild symbol, which can have a 2x or 3x multiplier attached.

The game is played on a classic 3×3 grid of symbols and only 9 paylines.

Bets can be placed from 0.10 to 100.00 per spin.

Re-spins and Mystery feature

There is not an awful lot going on in the base game. If we manage to land two scatters in the base game, they are locked in place and we get a re-spin of the remaining reel, hoping to catch another scatter. If that doesn’t happen, the Mystery feature is triggered.

Now the scatters duplicate across their reel and transform into a random symbol (weapon or suspect) to hopefully create a win.

Find the clues and solve the crime in the free spins

The free spins are triggered with 3 scatters, of course, and they are a little bit confusing to look at and play. A board game style setup now frames the reel set, along which Holmes is following clues.

The game board contains 14 spaces, which each hold a clue. In total, you can get five clues in this feature, with the first one provided right at the beginning. The other four must be collected by moving around the board. To do that, a dice in the upper left-hand corner is rolled (you get four rolls) and your Sherlock moves between 1 and 6 spaces. Each space you move awards between 1 and 3 free spins on the main set of reels. Additionally, there are four spin variations:

• Weapon – All symbols are converted into the same weapon
• Suspect – Same but with a suspect
• Wild reel – 1 guaranteed wild reel
• Nothing – try again next time

To complete a clue, you must land between 1 and 4 winning spins (depending on the clue), which will then be counted as a Clue Point on the Wheel Meter. If we complete all dice rolls and spins and manage to charge the Wheel Meter, we are awarded a Mega Spin. Here we get a free spin with 1 fully wild reel and all other symbols showing a suspect or a weapon. If we get the Mega Spin, the bonus feature is retriggered afterwards.

If the Wheel Meter is not fully charged the Clue Point Wheel comes into play, which gives us a spin on a wheel with a charged area. If the arrow lands on the charged area, we get a Mega Spin. If not, we don’t.

Verdict: A unique slot with unusual gameplay that may not captivate forever

The theoretical RTP (Return to Player) of Riddle Reels: A Case of Riches is 96.22%, which is good value here. This is one of the rare medium volatility slots in Play’n GO’s portfolio and thus doesn’t hit too hard.

Whilst the base game setup is simplistic and the graphic style is not super sophisticated, the bonus game does get a little more involved and can last quite a while. The slot offers two very different sides, which can be fun or distracting, depending on your own preferences for slots.

For us, it was fun for a while, but ultimately, the slot didn’t quite captivate us in the long run and the bonus game added to that by being a little long-winded. Still, give it a try and see if you can win anything close to the 5,000x our stake that are supposedly possible.