Cool Wolf

Cool Wolf Slot Review

Cool Wolf is a five-reel video slot from Microgaming built around a teen werewolf theme set in a 1960s American high school. Released in 2013, it takes the classic monster movie premise - nerdy kid becomes fearsome creature by night - and wraps it in a surprisingly well-executed slot package. The game runs on 243 ways to win rather than fixed paylines, which gives it a flexible feel that suits a range of playing styles.

The RTP sits at 96.43%, which is comfortably above the industry average and worth noting for players who like to know where they stand before spinning. Bets run from £0.50 up to £50 per spin, so it covers casual players without shutting out those with a bigger bankroll.

Theme and Presentation

The setting is a 1950s/60s American high school called Howlingwood, complete with a drive-in cinema, milkshakes and leather jackets. The protagonist is a bespectacled, bookish student who undergoes a rather dramatic transformation when the full moon rises. Microgaming leans into the comedy rather than playing it straight, which gives the game a lighter feel than you might expect from a werewolf slot.

The reel symbols include the geeky student, the werewolf version, two schoolgirls, cocktails, a cineplex sign and a pair of sunglasses. The lower-value symbols are the standard playing card ranks from Jack to Ace, given a stylised treatment that fits the theme reasonably well. The soundtrack mixes rock guitar with spooky howls - it works better than it sounds on paper.

Graphics hold up well for a 2013 release. The animations during the rolling reels feature and the free spins round add movement without slowing the game down, which is exactly what you want.

How 243 Ways to Win Works

Rather than selecting a number of paylines, 243 ways to win means any matching symbols landing on adjacent reels from left to right form a winning combination. There is no need to activate specific lines or worry about symbols falling on the wrong one. Every spin covers the full 243 combinations automatically, which simplifies the experience considerably.

The bet per spin covers the whole grid, so at £0.50 minimum you are already playing with all 243 ways active. The maximum bet of £50 still keeps the game within reach of most players.

Stacked Wilds

The Cool Wolf logo serves as the wild symbol, substituting for all standard symbols except the scatter. What makes it particularly useful is that it appears stacked on reels three, four and five. With more than 40 stacked wilds on those reels, the chance of landing multiple wilds in a single spin is meaningfully higher than in slots with unstacked wild mechanics. When they appear across several rows on adjacent reels simultaneously, the effect on winning combinations can be significant.

Rolling Reels Feature

Rolling Reels is active during the base game and during free spins. When a winning combination lands, the symbols involved disappear from the grid and new ones drop down to fill the gaps. This can create fresh winning combinations from the same spin without any additional cost. The process continues until no new wins appear.

In the base game, rolling reels extend your winning potential from a single spin. During free spins, rolling reels combine with a multiplier trail, making the feature considerably more powerful.

Howling Wild Feature

The Howling Wild is a random feature that can trigger on any base game spin. When it activates, one of the middle three reels - reels two, three or four - turns completely wild for that spin. This is separate from the stacked wild symbols and stacks on top of whatever else lands on the reels. Rolling reels do not apply during the Howling Wild, but the reel-wide wild can still produce strong outcomes depending on what else is showing.

Free Spins Round

Three or more scatter symbols - shown as a wad of cash with "Scatter" printed on it - trigger the free spins round. Three scatters award 15 free spins, four give 20 and five award 25. The round cannot be retriggered once it starts, so the initial scatter count sets your total.

During free spins, rolling reels are active and tied to a multiplier trail. Each consecutive win from rolling reels moves the multiplier up. The trail starts at 2x for the first rolling reel win and climbs to 3x, 5x and then 10x for subsequent wins in the same chain. If the chain resets - meaning no new winning combination forms - the multiplier drops back to 2x on the next rolling reel win.

The combination of rolling reels and an escalating multiplier during free spins is where most of the game's big win potential sits. Chains of three or four consecutive rolling reel wins at higher multipliers stack up quickly, and a full chain reaching 10x on a strong grid can produce substantial returns relative to the stake.

Verdict

Cool Wolf holds up well for a slot of its age. The 96.43% RTP is strong, the 243 ways structure removes the frustration of missed payline wins, and the combination of stacked wilds, rolling reels and a multiplier trail in free spins gives the game more mechanical depth than many contemporaries. The theme is handled with a light touch - it does not take itself too seriously, which suits the high school monster movie premise.

Players who enjoy features that interact with each other rather than sitting in isolation will find Cool Wolf worthwhile. The base game rolls along at a reasonable pace, and the free spins round provides a genuine escalation when the multiplier trail builds. It is not the most volatile slot in the Microgaming catalogue, but the 10x multiplier ceiling during free spins means the potential is there for a standout session.

Where to Play Cool Wolf

These online casinos carry Microgaming games including Cool Wolf. Read our Donbet review or browse all casino reviews.

Cool Wolf RTP and Variance

Cool Wolf has an RTP of 96.47%, which is above average. See our highest RTP slots for the best returning games. High volatility means wins come less often but tend to be significantly larger. Explore our high volatility slots guide.

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