9k Yeti

9k Yeti (4ThePlayer): Overview

The latest developer to team up with Yggdrasil Gaming is a small London based indie studio with some awe-inspiring lifehacks for other providers to learn from. Lesson one, use numerals at the beginning of every title to ensure you secure a top position in those casino lobbies that still rely on alphabetical sorting. Lesson two, make sure the title of your games has deeper meaning so that it will evoke an aha moment when players hear the background story.

9k Yeti, for example, is a game that got its name from "the mountainous maximum win" and which in turn was "inspired by the height of Mount Everest". We can only imagine all the brainstorming that must have transpired here. The question now stands, does the 9k Yeti video slot pack an equal amount of ingenuity?

The guys behind the studio '4ThePlayer' were all part of the original team at Ash Gaming which was acquired by casino giants Playtech in 2011. Having joined forces again, they have three upcoming games set to be released on the Yggdrasil Gaming platform - 1 Left Alive, 100 Bit Dice and, of course, 9k Yeti which we are going to look closer at here. Built using 6 reels and 4,096 ways to win, this highly volatile offering is all about the free spins feature where up to 880 spins can be won. The solid framework is supported by an exceptionally high RTP of 97%, which is outstanding.

To get even more technical, 4ThePlayer have developed a solution known as Big Reel Portrait Mode which uses 60% of the screen when in portrait mode as opposed to around 20%. This allows for a more immersive and visual experience and has been achieved by stacking the reels and spinning them right to left. Classic play is also offered if the player prefers it.

On the visual side of things, we're neither impressed nor put off. Based on the folkloric ape-like creature Yeti, the background in this slot is made up of a simple wallpaper of the Himalayan mountains. Overall, there aren't that many moving parts here or animations which makes the design come across as a bit primitive. But then again, that suits the theme quite well with the main character being a Snowman and all.

On the reels, you'll see 10 to A card suit values as well as ropes, ice picks, tents, Sherpas, and climbers. The most rewarding of all symbols, however, is the Yeti which gives you 8.8 times your stake for a combination of six across a full payline. A painting of Mount Everest serves as the wild - it appears on all reels and substitutes for all symbols except the scatter.

9k Yeti (4ThePlayer): Features

There's not much going on in the main game in terms of features, so we'll jump straight to the Snowstorm Free Spins bonus instead. It comes into play when 3 or more scatter symbols appear anywhere in view - 3, 4, 5, or 6 of them will give you 8, 15, 40, or 88 free spins respectively. It's also possible to retrigger the feature with up to 50 extra free spins per retrigger. In total, you can get 880 spins to play.

The free spin feature is all about landing stacks of Yeti symbols and wilds. To help you along the way, a Snowstorm feature has been included. If a Yeti symbol and a wild symbol lands simultaneously on a losing spin, this feature will come into play. A snowstorm will sweep across the reels and shuffle around the symbols to give you a guaranteed winning combination. In effect, a losing spin is turned into a winning spin.

9k Yeti (4ThePlayer): Verdict

For a debut slot coming from an indie provider, 9k Yeti is not all that bad. We may have ridiculed them a bit in our intro, but 4ThePlayer is definitely no joke. Sure, visually, it may look a bit amateurish, and there's nothing that stands out about it either. There are no real surprises, innovative features, or anything we haven't seen before. In that sense, the game is quite average. At the same time, 9k Yeti has everything you as a player could ever wish for - loads of win ways (you don't have to keep track of paylines), an exceptionally high RTP for extra value, high volatility for the thrill, and superb potential of up to 9,012 times your stake.

9k Yeti is not a game we're going to rush to play and it's unlikely to attract much attention within the gambling community due to the lack of x-factor. Then again, far simpler slots have become player favorites and technically speaking it's indeed a competent slot. Whatever the case, 4ThePlayer is undoubtedly a provider we will be keeping an eye on for sure.

Don't Miss

Be sure to check out 90k Yeti Gigablox as well which is powered by Yggdrasil's Gigablox mechanic. Played using a 6x6 reel format, it offers wins of nearly 100,000 times your stake!