Esqueleto Explosivo 3 Slot Review
Slot Provider: Thunderkick
RTP: 94.22% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 7,500x
Our Score: 7.8
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About Esqueleto Explosivo 3
Reviewed by:
Published Date: 8th October 2024
How We Review Slot Games
We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.Esqueleto Explosivo 3 is the third in the series of Mexican Day of the Dead slots from Thunderkick featuring a colorful band of skeletal mariachi players. This a cluster pays slot with avalanches after each win and a ‘mucho’ progressive multiplier that grows with each successive avalanche. Exploding wilds add to the fun, dropping in sometimes during avalanches to clear more space on the grid. In the bonus round the multiplier can grow as high as 1,024x and filling a wild meter extends the round each time.
Spins start at 10p and you can win up to 7,500x.
Esqueleto Explosivo 3 Game Information
- Release Date: 23.10.24
- RTP: 94.22%
- Variance: High
- Maximum Win: 7,500x
- Progressive Jackpot: No
- Reels: 5
- Rows: 5
- Minimum Stake: £0.10
- Theme: Mexican
- Features: Cascading WinsFree SpinsMultipliersWilds
- Format: Cluster Pays
Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Esqueleto Explosivo 3
IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.
Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers
I played 100 spins on Esqueleto Explosivo 3 on Thunderkick’s test server prior to release to test the game. This is what happened.
- Stake Size: 1
- Start balance: 5,000
- End balance: 5503.30x
- Win Rate: 19% (19 winning spins in 100)
- Biggest Win: 563.2x
- Free Spins Round: 1
The Esqueleto Explosivo games are really fun to play. The graphics look great and every time you see a win, the mariachi skulls start singing before disappearing off the grid. The exploding wilds are a great animation too. Overall, it’s very entertaining and even the simple base game is a lot of fun.
I played 100 spins and the win rate was quite low – just 19% of spins producing a payout, most of which were small. The mucho multiplier climbed to 16x at one point off 4 successive avalanches but the win was just 2.5x because the clusters were small. However, I was lucky enough to trigger the free spins round in the end, and it didn’t disappoint, producing a 563.2x win. If it goes your way then its spectacular. The mucho multiplier got to 512x by the end of the round, just shy of the 1,024x max. And with that in play, even small clusters triggered decent wins each time. Add to that the exploding wilds going off every other cluster, and the sounds of the mariachis singing, and it’s a quality experience!
This is definitely one I’ll come back to though it does feel very volatile. Before I saw that big win Esqueleto Explosivo 3 felt very tight. So beware.
What We Liked
- Fun design and theme with colorful celebratory tone
- Mucho Multiplier grows as high as 1,024x in free spins
- Chance to grab extra free spins via the wild meter
- Exploding wilds cause more avalanches to help score more wins
- Chance to build big clusters of 15 or more symbols with high payouts
What We Didn't like
- Quite low max win at 7,500x
- RTP is lower than average
Esqueleto Explosivo 3 Review Scores
- Theme and Design 9
- RTP and Variance 7
- Maximum Win 7
- Symbols and Paytable 8
- Features and Gameplay 8
What Our Reviewer Says ...
"One of Thunderkick's most entertaining creations gets another worthwhile outing!"
Overall Score: 7.8
Theme & Design
Our Score 9
The Esqueleto Explosivo series has always showcased the best of Thunderkick’s creative talent. The setting is a Mexican Day of the Dead festival in a small town at night. Fireworks pop overhead whilst a band of 5 skeletal mariachi players sit beneath the reels. The only pay symbols are brightly painted skulls which click into place each time they drop. There’s plenty of charm to the game and it’s a really fun one to play. Not much has changed as this slot series has progressed, but it doesn’t need to, it’s top quality as it is.
RTP and Variance
Our Score 7
What is RTP?
RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next. Read more here.What is Variance?
Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.Esqueleto Explosivo 3 has an RTP rate of 94.22% which whilst a little under the top rates expected from online slots (normally around 96%), is still reasonable. You should see a decent return on your wagering.
The game has a high variance so the win distribution may be uneven, bowing hot and cold in streaks. Interestingly this series has shifted from low variance in the first Esqueleto Explosivo to high in parts 2 and 3. So if you want a more balanced payout distribution, load up original!
Maximum Win
Our Score 7
What Is Maximum Win?
Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.Esqueleto Explosivo 3 has the highest max win yet in the series at 7,500x. This is higher than the second (5,000x) and the first (just 700x). It’s still not a huge potential payout, giving you just a £750 win from a 10p stake, but Thunderkick aren’t known for the same sky-high potential as rivals like Relax Gaming or Nolimit City for example.
Symbols and Paytable
Our Score 8
Esqueleto Explosivo 3 is a cluster pays game. It plays on a 5 reel and 5 row game area where wins are triggered by landing 5 or more identical symbols in vertically or horizontally adjacent positions.
There are just SIX symbols in the table, each one a painted skull. They are valued at from 0.2x for 5 lilac skulls up to 150x for 15 or more of the skull with a wig and red roses!
There are also exploding wilds which substitute for pay symbols to complete clusters. More on that in the next section.
Features and Gameplay
Our Score 8
There are strong similarities in the gameplay across all the Esqueleto Explosivo slots, using cluster pays and avalanches with multiplier wilds to drive the action. Here is how it works:
Avalanche Wins, Wilds and Mucho Multipliers
After any winning cluster is formed, the winning symbols are removed from the grid. Then a Wild, or an Exploding Wild, is added into the vacated cluster area before new symbols drop down into the remaining empty spaces on the grid.
The Mucho Multiplier meanwhile is an old favourite that fans of the original Explosivo games will know and love. It’s a simple progressive multiplier applied to all wins and it appears below the reels. It starts at 1x and with each avalanche win the multiplier doubles to 2x, 4x, 8x and so on.
The maximum multiplier in the base game is 32x, but it can go as high as a whopping 1,024x in the free spins round.
Explosivo Wilds
These special wild symbols appear when a winning cluster is removed from the grid. When they appear, they explode, taking out all symbols in a 3×3 area around them EXCEPT for high paying symbols, other Wilds or scatters.
Free Spins Bonus Round
As usual the best wins are going to come via the free spins bonus round. This is triggered by hitting 3 or more scatter symbols – the wind-up skull! 3 scatters gets you 10 spins and 4 gets you 12. Any extra scatters beyond that will get you another 2 spins each. So, 5 scatters in total earns you 14 spins for example.
The gameplay is the same, except that your multiplier is now more powerful – double in size in fact, up to 1,024x – and there is an additional meter beneath the reels where Explosivo Wilds are collected. Filling this meter gets you another spin each time and you can fill it 5 times for 5 more spins.
The Final Verdict
Slot games should be about entertainment as much as they are about winning and Thunderkick really deliver in that respect in Esqueleto Explosivo 3. The production is once again top class and all those animations and sounds enhance what is a relatively simple format. Avalanches with progressive multipliers are nothing new, but presented like this with those exploding wilds and singing mariachis, it’s a whole new experience! The max win could be better, but that’s the only small gripe I have about what is a top quality game.
Useful Tips When Playing Esqueleto Explosivo 3
Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.
1. Watch The Mucho Multiplier Under The Reels
This can quickly grow to as high as 32x in the base game with successive wins, helping to boost your payouts.
2. Look Out For THREE Scatters
You need these to trigger the free spins round where the chance of bigger wins is greatly enhanced by the bigger multipliers.
3. Keep Your Eyes On The Wild Meter
During free spins filling the exploding wild meter extends the round by 1 spin. You only need to collect 3 to fill it!
4. Play At Our Recommended Slot Sites
We have chosen the sites on this page because they all scored high in our reviews and they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. That makes them fair and safe places to play slots.
Who Made Esqueleto Explosivo 3?
- Name: Thunderkick
- Established: 2012
- UK License: 40165
- Total Games: 55
- Known For: Quirky, eccentric slots with fun features and distinctive designs
- Popular Slots: Pink Elephants 1 and 2, Flame Busters, Birds on a Wire
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