Extra Chilli slot review
Released by Big Time Gaming (BTG) in 2018, Extra Chilli features the provider’s signature Megaways mechanic. As a follow-up to Bonanza Megaways, the slot is played on an asymmetric grid with six vertical reels and one horizontal row.
With a maximum win potential of 16,877x, Extra Chilli comes with high volatility, and RTP rates that vary between 96.15% and 96.82% depending on the mode. Its chaotic setup is matched by equally explosive features, including a Gamble feature prior to Free Spins round.
To find out if Extra Chilli has what it takes to really turn up the heat, or if it fizzles out with a mild kick, check out the full review below.
Highlights
Extra Chilli summary review
With vibrant colors and playful rhythms inspired by mariachi music, Extra Chilli is a fun slot game built around BTG’s Megaways mechanic. The asymmetrical grid with six reels and one additional row adds an extra layer of unpredictability to gameplay and keeps things engaging.
However, the slot really comes alive once the Free Spins round has been triggered, starting with the Gamble Wheel that takes place before the actual bonus game steals the show entirely. It’s a risk-versus-reward setup that really sets Extra Chilli apart from other Megaways titles.
With unlimited Win Multipliers that increase with every win, the Free Spins round itself offers solid potential for strong returns. While the game’s maximum win potential of 16,877x doesn’t quite reach the highest of its predecessor, Bonanza Megaways (26,000x), Extra Chilli’s theme, mechanics, and added tension from the Gamble Wheel make it a truly memorable slot release.
Pros
Above average RTP
Gamble Wheel adds potential
Unlimited Win Multipliers in Free Spins
Cons
Base game lacks features
Mechanics lack in-game clarity
Not beginner friendly
Extra Chilli comprehensive review
In this comprehensive Extra Chilli review, I’ll break down all the key features that make this game tick, such as its RTP rates, maximum win, volatility, and payouts. I’ll also be taking a closer look at the slot’s bonus features, including the mechanics surrounding the Free Spins round and Gamble Wheel.
RTP and volatility
Extra Chilli is a high-volatility slot, with BTG’s official stats listing a base game RTP that ranges between 96.15% and 96.41%. When the bonus round is enabled, the slot’s RTP increases, ranging from 96.26% and 96.82%.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| RTP | 96.15% – 96.82% |
| Maximum win | 19,995.5x |
| Number of paylines | N/A |
| Volatility | High |
Its Megaways mechanic means that the number of possible winning ways varies on each spin, reaching a maximum of 117,649 possible combinations. Wins are formed from the leftmost reel and require a minimum of three matching symbols on consecutive reels. This includes the additional horizontal row at the bottom of the asymmetric grid.
With no RTP rates displayed within the slot itself, I had to resort to BTG’s official page on Extra Chilli to gain more insight. Even then, depending on the configuration, the RTP varies within the base game and bonus round, which leaves a lot of room for ambiguity.
This kind of variation is fairly common across online casinos but regardless, I assumed that playing the slot on the provider’s official page would give me a bit more clarity on base configurations. On the plus side, all RTP ranges sit either marginally or comfortably above the industry average of 96%.
When testing the free demo version over 100 spins at $1 per spin, my hit rate stood at 24%, with one big return that reached 8x my wager in the base game. This is pretty consistent with the nature of high volatility slots, where wins are less frequent and larger returns are generally reserved for the bonus round.
Bonus features
Wild symbols are depicted as fireworks and can appear anywhere on the reels. They substitute for all paying symbols, except Scatters. Each Scatter carries a single letter, which together spell out the word ‘HOT’.
Landing three Scatter symbols in any order triggers the Free Spins round, awarding you eight free spins. Any additional Scatter that lands during the same round adds four extra spins on top of your initial eight. Alternatively, the Bonus Buy option can be triggered at a cost of 40x your wager.
Prior to the bonus round starting, the Free Spins Gamble Wheel appears, giving you the option to either collect your free spins or select ‘Gamble’ for a chance to win more. Each successful gamble adds four additional spins, up to a maximum of 24 spins.
The first gamble carries a 50/50 chance of winning. A loss will see your eight free spins forfeited but a win takes your tally up to 12 free spins. Subsequent gambles are tilted in your favor with odds of 60/40.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Bonus features | Wilds, Scatters, Gamble feature, Free spins, Multipliers, Gamble Wheel |
| Top features | Free spins |
| Jackpot | N/A |
If you choose to gamble again for 16 free spins, a loss will see all 12 free spins forfeited. However, as shown in the table below, losing a gamble round after this stage will result in the partial retention of some free spins:
| Gamble Round | Odds | Playing For | Outcome if You Lose |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 50/50 | 12 free spins | Forfeit eight free spins |
| Second | 60/40 | 16 free spins | Forfeit 12 free spins |
| Third | 60/40 | 20 free spins | Retain 8 free spins |
| Fourth | 60/40 | 24 free spins | Retain 12 free spins |
The Free Spins round starts off with a Win Multiplier of 1x. Each additional win increases the Win Multiplier by +1 with no limit to how much they can grow.
Furthermore, during the round, the additional horizontal row is home to Free Spin Scatters depicted as big baskets filled with red chilli peppers. Landing three or four of these will award you with three and four extra spins, respectively.
While eight initial free spins may not seem like much, the Gamble Wheel can be a real game changer, giving you the chance to potentially triple your free spins at no extra cost. Plus, that all-or-nothing nature of the early gamble rounds really adds to the suspense.
Although I didn’t really feel it myself, the shift to player favored odds after the first gamble is a welcome touch and not something you often see in slot games. I also appreciated how later gamble rounds allow you to retain some free spins when you lose, which gives you a nice safety net to work with.
On top of all this, you can still win more free spins in the bonus game, while the unlimited Win Multipliers can help stack up some big wins. My only main criticism is that gamble odds are stated on BTG’s website as opposed to within the slot. Although to be fair, the wheel segments do hint at the probabilities.
Symbols and payouts
Extra Chilli doesn’t use fixed paylines, with the number of winning ways changing on every spin. In terms of payouts, the game is home to 10 pay symbols split between six low-paying card icons (9, 10, J, Q, K, and A) and four high-paying chilli symbols.
The game’s top-paying symbol, the purple chilli, has five separate payout tiers, forking 2x your wager for two matches and 50x for six. All remaining symbols pay across four separate tiers, with winning combinations formed by a minimum of three matching symbols up to a maximum of six.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Theme | Latin |
| Reel layout | Six reels + 1 horizontal row |
| Highest paying symbol | Purple chilli |
| Adjustable paylines | Yes |
| Visuals | Good |
| Sound | Excellent |
| Mobile quality | Very good |
Next in line after the purple chilli in terms of value, the red chilli pays 1x for three matches and 7.5x for six. The green and blue chillies share the same payouts for three and six matches, rewarding 0.25x and 2x respectively.
Low-paying card icons have payouts that range from 0.1x up to 1.75x your wager. Letters A and K share identical payouts across all four tiers.
Bear in mind the extra horizontal row adds a symbol to its corresponding reel on reel numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5.
While the images differ to match the theme, Extra Chilli’s payouts are identical to those found on Bonanza Megaways. This isn’t totally unexpected considering it’s a follow-up, but I would have liked to have seen something a bit different.
That issue aside, the payouts are fairly strong for a Megaways slot. In fact, Extra Chilli’s top-paying symbol provides better overall value than the highest paying symbol in other Megaways titles, including White Rabbit Megaways by Relax Gaming and Fruit Shop Megaways by NetEnt.
Big Bad Wolf Megaways by QuickSpin equals Extra Chilli with a payout of 50x for six matches on its top symbol. However, Extra Chilli still provides stronger value across lower matches.
How to play Extra Chilli
Extra Chilli has betting options that range from a minimum of $0.20 up to $20 per spin. With eleven preset betting tiers available in total, select the arrow buttons to increase or decrease your stake.
Once you’re ready, press the large green play button to start spinning the reels. Above the play button, you’ll find the purple Bonus Buy option which automatically awards you with eight free spins at 40x your wager.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Min bet | $0.20 |
| Max bet | $20 |
| Autoplay | Available |
| Turbo mode | No |
| Game history | Available |
For more efficient gameplay, the icon with two circular arrows takes you straight to autoplay settings found in the menu bar. From here, you can use the plus and minus buttons to cycle through the amount of autospins you wish to play. You can also set a Loss Limit and Single Win Limit. Once one of the limits has been reached, your autospins will stop.
Within the autoplay settings, you can use the menu bar to access other sections. This includes symbol payouts and sound settings, while the Help section gives you more information on game rules. Alternatively, all these sections can be accessed at any time by selecting the hamburger icon.
Casinos where to play Extra Chilli
As one of BTG’s most popular slot releases, Extra Chilli can be found on many high-performing gambling platforms. Below is a substantial but by no means exhaustive, list of online casinos where you can play the game for free or for real money:
| Casino Logo | Rating | Bonus | Go-to-casino button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
91%
Playscore
based on
|
100% up to $1,000 + $25 On The House
|
Play now players accepted |
|
Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. MI, NJ, PA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV). |
2
|
86/100
Expert rating
by Vule P.
85%
Playscore
based on
|
Bonus Money reload up to $500
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
3
|
81/100
Expert rating
by Jack B.
86%
Playscore
based on
|
200% up to $100 + 25 free spins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
1
|
94/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
85%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweepstakes Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
2
|
94/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
81%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweeps Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
3
|
94/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
91%
Playscore
based on
|
1.5 million WOW Coins + 35 free Sweepstakes Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
4
|
93/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
79%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweeps Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
5
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
79%
Playscore
based on
|
25,000 Gold Coins + 2.5 Spree Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
6
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
77%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweeps Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
7
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
87%
Playscore
based on
|
Up to 120,000 Gold Coins + 10 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
8
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
81%
Playscore
based on
|
10,000 Gold Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
9
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
89%
Playscore
based on
|
Up to 650,000 Gold Coins + 1,400 Fortune Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
10
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Vule P.
79%
Playscore
based on
|
500 Gold Coins + 3 FREE Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
Expert verdict
Despite being a follow-up to Bonanza Megaways, Extra Chilli’s Latin theme and creative setup make it stand out from the crowd. Plus, unlike the original, the addition of a Gamble Wheel elevates the game to a whole new level and gives it that extra edge.
When you combine this with its use of Megaways technology, vibrant colors, and trumpet sounds, you easily forget that the base game itself is quite, well, basic. Aside from the extra row and Wilds, there isn’t a great deal going on here. That said, the Unlimited Win Multipliers in the bonus round help compensate for this.
Considering its popularity among players, I was surprised at the lack of clarity in some areas, most notably its variable RTP ranges and how the Gamble feature behaves if you unlock 12 free spins during the base game.
However, given how entertaining and potentially rewarding Extra Chilli can be, I found it easy to overlook these grievances. Overall, it’s a very strong and memorable slot entry by BTG.
FAQs
What is the RTP of Extra Chilli?
Extra Chilli RTP rates vary between 96.15% – 96.41% in the base game. When the bonus round is enabled, the RTP ranges between 96.26% – 96.82%.
What is the maximum win potential of Extra Chilli?
The maximum win potential of Extra Chilli is capped at 16,877x your stake.
Does Extra Chilli have a Gamble feature?
Yes, prior to the Free Spins round, the Gamble Wheel gives you the chance to earn a maximum of 24 free spins at no extra cost.
How do I trigger free spins?
To trigger the Free Spins round, you need to land at least three Scatter symbols during the base game. Alternatively, you can buy eight free spins at a cost of 40x your wager.
What is the volatility of Extra Chilli?
Extra Chilli is a high-volatility slot game. This means wins will be few and far between, but when they do land, the potential returns can be substantial.
