At the end of 2022, gambling developer NetEnt released Wonders of Christmas. As you can see from the name, the pokie is Christmas-themed, with gifts and Christmas decorations waiting for you on the field. The maximum winnings, however, is not too big, as we would like at Christmas, but not very small: x1000 of the bet. You can win it in free spins, collecting gift boxes on the counters and accumulating a high additional multiplier. Of unusual in the slot there is a non-standard shaped field and a system of improving bonuses.
Honest casinos have a great selection of pokies from NetEnt (including Wonders of Christmas). You can find a good place to play safely and securely in our top.
The demo version is already waiting for the gambler at the beginning of the review, so that he can quickly move from theory to practice. You can launch it without registration and for free. Demo balance is 1000$, and it will be enough for a detailed analysis of the rules in practice.
You can quickly start playing for real money at any casino from our Casinoz list below. All of these sites feature Wonders of Christmas, so you can go to any of them. But if you want to make a more considered choice, or if you have some requirements for the casino, we have prepared our reviews about each of the options on the list with an honest analysis of the pros and cons.
It pays 20 fixed lines, each starting from left to right. For a field of non-standard size is a plus: higher chance that a winning combination will form. The width of the field is 5 reels, and the height - 3, 4, 5, 4 and 3 rows (a total of 19 cells). The gambler can risk an amount from 0.10 to 50 dollars (currency depends on the casino), and win no more than x1000 of the bet size.
The pokie has unusual free spins, additional multipliers with growth on the counter, and an enhancement system of two kinds: symbols (Gift, Golden Gift, Wild and Frame and Active Frame).
The game features 10 simple symbols, which only pay on the lines (they are divided equally into 5 junior and senior, differing in payout sizes) and a few special ones. Here's what the special symbols do:
Scatter. Can trigger a round of free spins. Appears only on reels 2. 3 and 4.
Golden Coin. The only symbol that falls on the field during free spins. Carries a random multiplier from x0.5 to x50.
Gift. The gift box participates in the Frame Collection feature.
Golden Gift. There is a chance that a regular Gift will turn into a Golden Gift.
Wild. Appears when triggering Active Frame, itself in the spins does not fall out. Counted for any of the simple symbols in the lines. Also for 5 Wild on the field is an additional payment of x5 of the bet. If there is another winning line, its payout and the prize for Wild are summed up.
Several features will make the game more fun and varied:
Frame Collection. The cell on which the Gift falls is encircled by a frame (Frame). Golden Gifts turn the Frame into an Active Frame. When the Active Frame appears in the next spin, all symbols in any frame (simple and golden) turn into Wild. Neighboring symbols around the Active Frame can also turn into Wild. After that, all types of Frame will be removed. Frames are also removed after free spins.
Free Spin Multiplier. There is a counter on the top left from 0 to 200. Each Gift on any cell adds +1 to it. Each Gift dropped in a Frame or Active Frame adds a random value from 1 to 4. After reaching 200 on the counter in the next round of freespins, an additional multiplier of x2 will apply, and the counter will reset to 0 and start accumulating Gift again. Every subsequent 200 will increase the additional multiplier for freespins. It is displayed on the top right. Its value resets after each free spin round.
The free spins will start immediately after 3 Scatters fall on any cells. The free spins only involve Golden Coin symbols, which stick in their places until the end of the round, and empty cells. The round starts with 3 respins. If at least 1 empty cell fills with a new coin for them, the gambler gets 3 more respins. If all cells are filled with coins, or if no new coins fall for 3 respins, the round ends.
The pokie holds the attention of the gambler quite well due to good payout. It is provided by the following parameters:
RTP is 96.06%. It's not a record high, but it's above average.
High volatility and win rate. There are few lines in the pokie, but the field is small, so combinations with payouts are often formed.
Pokies are entirely dependent on randomness. It's essentially a program that has a large list of numbers entered into it (tens of thousands, and each number means some combination of characters on the field). When the gambler starts spinning the reels, the random number generator is triggered: from the list he chooses one arbitrary. And on the field appear those signs that correspond to the fallen number.
Since there is no way to influence the work of the random number generator, it is impossible to come up with a strategy. We can only hope that luck will be on the side of the gambler, and besides the thrill he will get a profit.
The pokie can be set to start automatically based on the number of spins, or you can activate the reels manually each time. There is no acceleration of spins, there are no additional conditions for stopping autospins either (only from 10 to 1000 with the possibility of stopping manually). The interface is minimalistic, blended into the design. On the bottom left is the menu button. In the center are the launch buttons, to the right of them - the choice of bet and balance. The gambler for a more comfortable game can do the following:
Go to the payout table and see the schemes by which the pokie pays. This is useful because of the unusual field shape and fixed lines.
Find out the price of the symbols. It too is listed in the paytable and varies depending on the bet selected.
Play in demo mode to get used to the Gift and Frame bonus system.
Before playing for money, choose a 0.10 bet for the longest possible session per deposit.
For mobile devices with Android or iOS, NetEnt adapted the pokie to make it more convenient to play. Adaptation received a simplified design: all buttons are enlarged, the field and symbols too, and minor elements needed only for beauty - on the contrary, reduced or removed altogether.
The mobile version is also adapted for different screen diagonals, and does not require top specifications: a simple gadget is enough to run it.
The Casinoz team would give the pokie an above average score. The bonus system with Frame and Gift is triggered very often, so excitement is kept up at all times. Simple payouts are also frequently dropped as well. The field of non-standard sizes is a bit small, but does not spoil the impression.