Numero Uno Review
A bright and colorful high variance, Mexican Wrestling Slot with a old skool features including Rolling Reels, Free Spins and Progressive Multipliers. Wilds come stacked on reels 3, 4 and 5 and the top win is a modest 2,100x. Play from 20c per spin.
Name: Numero Uno
Developer: Microgaming
Paylines: 243
Reels: 5
Rows: 3
RTP: 95.22%
Variance: High
Top Payout: 2,100x
ABOUT THIS SLOT
Those with more than just a passing interest in online slots will know that in May this year a new player on the scene, Games Global, acquired the full games catalogue and distribution business of gaming behemoth, Microgaming. That’s right, the company that started the online gambling revolution way back in the 1990s and is responsible for classics like Immortal Romance, Mega Moolah and Thunderstruck 2, has sold a significant part of its business in May 2021.
Games Global have only been in existence for less than two years, but with this deal they ambitiously claimed that they were ready ‘to define the future’. So perhaps it’s a bit of a strange way to begin proceedings with this game, Numero Uno, which repackages the game models from a bunch of old sports-themed slots like Football Star and Basketball Star, albeit with a super-cool Mexican Wrestling theme.
It’s hardly revolutionary, but for those who like classic slots features like Rolling Reels, Wilds, Multipliers and Free Spins, Numero Uno promises some old skool video slot fun across 5 reels with 3 rows and 243 paylines.
The game is due out in Mid-August 2022.
RTP, VARIANCE AND PAYOUTS
In recent years, old-skool slots developers like Microgaming have had to work hard to keep up with some of their more innovative competitors like No Limit City and Big Time Gaming. Microgaming have always been more traditional in their approach and so it’s no surprise that this game runs on a very traditional maths model with basic features.
Indeed, the RTP is a little under average at between 92.04% and 95.22% depending on the operator and the territory you play in (check the game info screen before spinning to be sure). Meanwhile, the top payout is a very modest 2,100x which is disappointing for a game with a very high variance. There are high variance games with much higher top payouts on the market right now. If you want more bang for your buck you could try No Limit City’s Tombstone VIP for example at 300,000x.
SYMBOLS AND PAYTABLE
Fans of Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling) will know that this sport is all about the masks – colorful masks that make the wrestlers look like superheroes. In this game the wrestlers are depicted as animals on a brightly colored 5×3 reel set, with a wrestling ring as the backdrop.
The low value symbols are represented by the cards Jack through to Ace paying out at 1.6x and 2x for up to five on a line. The five premium wrestlers are worth between 3x and 10x for up to five on a line.
There are also Wilds, that appear stacked on reels 3, 4 and 5 and sub in for all other symbols to form wins, and scatters, required to trigger the free spins round.
GAMEPLAY AND FEATURES
The gameplay here is very simple and involves just 3 well-worn features. Here is how they work:
Rolling Reels – This is a feature also known and Avalanche Reels or Tumbling Reels, first made popular in NetEnt’s classic, Gonzo’s Quest, and used in many Cluster Pays grid slots since. Winning symbols are dropped off the reels after a winning spin and new ones come into replace them. After this, if more wins are created, so the process repeats, until no more wins occur.
Wild Showdown – In a classic wrestling style, one of the main features is the Showdown. This feature gives a guaranteed win and triggers at random in the base game. Numero Uno is the hero wrestler and he faces off against one opponent. This will result in reels 2, 3 or 4 becoming totally WILD and giving more chance of wins.
Free Spins – the headline act is a very promising free spins round. You’ll need 3, 4 or 5 scatters to land to give you 15, 20 or 25 spins. You also get a payout of 5x, 50x or 250x at the same time.
AND … at this point a progressive multiplier kicks in. With every Rolling Reels win, the multiplier increases to 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or 10x. Once the Rolling Reels feature ends, then the multiplier re-sets. Anyone who enjoys Big Time Gaming’s Bonanza slot will be familiar with this interaction between a Cascading Win and a progressive multiplier and its certainly one of the more exciting aspects of Numero Uno slot.
COMPARABLE SLOTS
There are a few good Mexican Wrestling online slots in Canada available for comparison. Here are two we like:
Luchadora by Thunderkick – Microgaming’s Numero Uno is a very traditional slot in all ways. If you are looking for something a bit more innovative then you could try this one from Thunderkick. It plays out on a 5×5 grid with 30 paylines and a 96.02% RTP. Those are better stats that we see for Numero Uno. It also comes with a clever Wilds feature – any wrestler who lands in on of the four grid corners turns every other instance of that wrestler on the reels Wild. This can create lots of wilds on any spins and dramatically increase your odds of a win. Luchadora has a slick modern look in comparison to Numero Uno. It also has a Smackdown symbols that adds a multiplier of up to 15x when it lands on reel 5.
Lucha Libra 2 by Reel Time Gaming – we also recommend this game by RTG. Lucha Libra 2 is also a 30 payline game, but with a 50,000x top payout that is much bigger than that provided by Numero Uno. The features include a Time to Rumble in which players choose a bonus move to try to defeat their opponent and unlock a prize. Moves come with varying risk levels and appropriate rewards. Features like these make the game more entertaining but the graphics look very dated in comparison to both Luchador and Numero Uno.
OUR VERDICT
Numero Uno won’t be winning any awards for innovation but it’s still a fun and entertaining slot that utilises a bright and exciting theme. The features have been used many times over in slots over the years but the potential for decent wins from the mix of Rolling Reels and Free Spins makes this game for us. If you find it too boring however, you can always try another Mexican Wrestling game like Luchadora. Good luck!
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