Narcos slot review

Narcos is an emphatic slot from NetEnt, and its popularity comes as no surprise as it’s played both by fans of the show and by players simply looking for a quality game. There are so many features that they might seem a little confusing at first, but it won’t take players long to work everything out. Should you give this branded slot a go? Read on to find out...

Key features:

Reels: 5

Paylines: 243

Min bet: 20p

Max bet: £100

Slot RTP: 96.23%

Provider: NetEnt

Immerse yourself in 1980s Colombia

For a slot based on a TV show that’s based on the illegal drug trade and one of the most infamous drug lords in history, the music in Narcos is perhaps surprisingly upbeat. As you play, you can expect a Latin guitar sound for a timeless acoustic tune, but of course you’ll hear the inevitable gunshots too - these can signify something good however, like Walking Wilds.

The graphics are in a sort of comic strip style, and you’re sure to recognise some of the characters from the show if you’re a fan. They all look quite detailed, and in the background stands the dusty streets of Colombia, dotted with buildings, palm trees and electric cables. Look out for the birds and helicopters flying past and the tall city buildings in the distance too. Depending on the features you activate, you can expect some animations - watch out for bullets flying onto the play board and symbols going up in flames!

Playing the game

That you have 243 ways to win across the five reels here certainly catches the eye - simply match symbols across the board from the leftmost reel rightwards to win. There are a number of different symbols that you might see on the play board, from low-value letters to flamingos and helicopters, to the characters which include Escobar himself. The wild symbol also pays out, at the same rate as the most valuable regular symbols, and acts as a substitute too. It substitutes for all symbols apart from the scatter symbols and Locked Up symbols.

Sometimes the wilds will make a move, with the Walking Wild feature. Appearing both in the main game and in free spins, wilds which form part of a win will stay on the reel, and with each spin they’ll all move one place to the left. Meanwhile, there’s also the Drive-by feature. This is activated randomly during the main game and will transform some of the high-value symbols on the play board into wilds, increasing your chances of success.

Pablo Esco-bonuses

Getting Locked Up doesn’t sound so bad here, and the feature will be activated when three or more Locked Up symbols appear on the same row in the main game - they’ll all move together and be assigned a random value of 1-10 x the bet value. During this feature, just Locked Up and Golden Locked Up symbols will appear on the reels, with three or more together forming a winning cluster. If a Locked Up symbol sits adjacent to a winning cluster, you’ll get a random coin win value of 1-10 x the bet value. If a Golden Locked Up symbol is connected to a winning cluster, you’ll win either a multiplier, an upgrade symbol, or a bigger starting value. And, of course, all of these spins are free! 

Speaking of free spins, three scatter symbols appearing anywhere on the odd-numbered reels will get you ten of them. During free spins, high-value symbols can randomly turn into wilds, and if there are still Walking Wilds on the board when your ten free spins end, you’ll get extra free spins - one at a time - until they’ve all gone!

Conclusion

Whether you’re familiar with the show or not, Narcos is sure to leave you coming back for more! The graphics and sounds work together to really throw you into Escobar’s world, and there are plenty of features to get your teeth into too. The RTP of 96.23% is fairly good, on the higher side of average, so you can expect a decent return for your money while perhaps winning some free spins and activating the other features - will you be lucky?

Provider

NetEnt have been making games since 1996, with over 200 on offer - Narcos is just one of them! The Swedish company have a great variety of slots, with something to suit everyone. There are classics like Reel Rush and Starburst in their locker, as well as branded slots like this one and everything from Ozzy Osbourne to Jumanji - why not check out their other games?