Hugo Carts

Hugo Carts Slot Review

Slot Provider: Play n Go

RTP: 96.23% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 25,000x

Our Score: 8.2

Play at Barz Casino
QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | 200 Spins | Compare Slots | Tips For Players | About The Developer

About Hugo Carts

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 11th October 2021

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.

Hugo Carts is a 5-reel win ways slot from Play n Go featuring the popular cartoon character, Hugo and his chums. This time we are mining for gold and each of Hugo, Huglina and Scylla are bringing extras to the party to help us. When they appear, extra multipliers, wilds and mystery symbols are added before re-spins. And in the free spins round, one character will be active on EVERY spin, with re-triggers available too.

The top win is a massive 25,000x and spins start at 10p.

Hugo Carts Game Information

  • RTP: 96.23% | 94.24% | 91.24% | 87.19% | 84.18%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 25,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: Yes
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: 4
  • Paylines: 1,024 +
  • Minimum Stake: £0.10
  • Theme: Cartoon
  • Features: Re-Spins, Multipliers, Mystery Symbols, Free Spins

Hugo Carts Review Scores

  • Gameplay and Features 8
  • Maximum Win 9
  • Theme and Design 8
  • Paytable 8
  • RTP and Variance 8

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"Another super adventure with Play n Go's fun-loving Hugo with added wilds, multipliers and mystery symbols and a blockbusting max win potential!"

Our Score: 8.2

Hugo Carts Pros and Cons

What We Liked

  • Super fun cartoon theme with animations
  • 1,024 win ways throughout the game
  • Big 10x multipliers from Hugolina
  • Big 25,000x max win
  • Up to 33 free spins in bonus round

What We Didn't like

  • Can run at low RTP at some sites

Theme & Design

Our Score 8

Fans of Hugo Will Love This Gold Mining Adventure

Hugo has achieved fame in European gaming circles, though perhaps not as much in the UK. He is a troll-like character who always appears with his wife, Hugolina on various adventures. This time they are on the hunt for gold and we are in a subterranean world of mining carts and perilous cart tracks (a bit like Temple of Doom).

Hugo Carts by Play n Go
Hugo Carts – Cartoon fun in the gold mine

The artwork is quality, a continuation of the style from previous Hugo slots and igaming products and there are plenty of fun animations, including Hugo’s happy face smiling whenever he lands. If you enjoyed previous Hugo games like Hugo Goal and Hugo Legacy you will enjoy this one too.

RTP and Variance

Our Score 8

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.

Hugo Carts will come run at one of 5 RTP settings provided by Play n Go to casino operators. Which you play at is at their discretion. The 5 settings are 96.23%, 94.24%, 91.24%, 87.19% or 84.18%.  Few, if any, casinos will run Hugo Carts at the lowest settings, however, many will run at 94.24% or 91.24% which is not ideal. I checked the RTP at 4 online slot sites we regularly use to test game. This is what I found:

None of these sites run the game at the optimum RTP. That is unusual to find. I would choose form Casumo or Barz Casino from this list to give yourself the best chance of winning on this game. If you play elsewhere, always check the RTP on the info screen to be sure you are playing at a comfortable level.

This is also a high variance slot with a lot of potential which we will find out can best be unlocked with a combination of multipliers and free spins.

 

Maximum Win

Our Score 9

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.  

The top win in Hugo Carts is 25,000x which is impressive and up there with some of Play n Go’s highest max win games. I also recommend Raging Rex 2 (30,000x) and The Last Sundown (36,000x) if you like high potential.

Explore Games With Similar RTP, Variance and Maximum Win

Like the numbers? Here are some more games you might want to try.

Slot SiteSupplierRTPVarianceTop Payout
Clash of CamelotPlay n Go96.28%High35,000xPlay Here
The Last SundownPlay n Go96.2%High36,000xPlay Here
Raging Rex 2Play n Go96.2%Medium30,000xPlay Here
Mega DonPlay n Go96.2%High10,000xPlay Here
True Grit RedemptionNolimit City96.11%High20,200xPlay Here
Avalon GoldELK Studios94%High25,000xPlay Here
DropzELK Studios94%Medium-High25,000xPlay Here
The Bandit and the BaronJust For The Win96.09%High25,000xPlay Here

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 8

We are working with a 5 reel and 4 row reel set here and the classic Win Ways mechanic where wins are triggered by landing identical symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, regardless of the row they sit on. That means you have 1,024 win ways on each spin (4x4x4x4x4).

Initially you won’t be blown away by the values on the paytable but re-spins, wilds, mystery symbols and multipliers are all going to help you to power-up those wins.

Hugo Carts Paytable
Paytable including 10x wins for 5 wilds

The low value symbols are the cards, 10 through to Ace. These are valued at from 0.1x for 3 10s up to 1.5x for 5 Aces. The premiums are the spade, pick axe, lantern and helmet, valued at from 0.5x for 3 spades up to 3x for 5 helmets.

There are also wilds to help you complete win ways and they come with their own valuation, which is nice. That is 3x, 5x or 10x for 3, 4 or 5.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 8

Landing Character Symbols Triggers Re-Spins With Powerful Modifiers

In Hugo Carts you will be looking for the characters to land always, because they trigger re-spins, and the scatters, which trigger free spins. There is a good mix of modifiers here, which is needed to get more from those mediocre symbol values on the paytable.

We start with the characters – Hugo, Hugolina and Scylla – each of which has their own special power. First, you need to know that when any of them land, or a combination of the three, then a re-spin is triggered.

First, Hugolina appears only on reel 2 only. She will drop between 2 and 5 symbol multipliers worth up to 10x onto the reels before the re-spin.

A Hugolina Re-Spin
Hugolina lands for a re-spin

Next, Hugo appears only on reel 3 to launch from 2 to 5 extra nugget Wilds across the reels before the re-spin.

Finally, Scylla appears on reel 4 and creates Mystery Symbols, which transform into matching symbols when the reels stop after the re-spin.

Free Spins With GUARANTEED Character Features And Re-Triggers

Moving onto the free spins round, and this is where things get really interesting.

The dynamite is the Scatter symbol and at least 3 of these are needed. The round has 7, 9 or 11 Free Spins up for grabs, depending on how many Scatters triggered the round – 3, 4 or 5.

But there is help at hand too from Don Croco the evil crocodile who can also appear on the reels randomly in the base game to add 2 scatters.

Don the Croc dropping scatters
Don the Croc drops scatters from above the reels

The extra power in this phase of the game is from guaranteed character features. One of the three characters is randomly selected at the start and their respective Modifier is activated for ALL of the round.

And, if you land 3 more scatters then the another round of free spins will be added with another character selected. This can happen twice. Once all 3 characters have had their turn then the round ends. This way you can finish with all THREE characters activated on every spin for the last round.

The Final Verdict

Our Score 8.2

Hugo Carts delivers a massive slice of fun across the board. Assuming you like the friendly face of Hugo then this adventure with its crazy mining carts whizzing across the reels and the smiling phases of Hugo’s crew will put a smile on your face too. Despite its volatility the action rarely slows down and there are plenty of moments to enjoy with those re-spins and modifiers in the base game. Play n Go haven’t held back on the potential either, which you can chase down if you are lucky enough to unlock the free spins round and hit a good run. The chance to re-trigger and finish with all 3 character modifiers in play tells you where this game can deliver its biggest moments. In short, another excellent game in this super series!

Boom or Bust? 200 Spins On Hugo Carts

To give you an accurate and honest 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.

I played 200 spins on Hugo Carts for free at Casumo Casino to test the game and this is what happened.

  • Stake Size: £1
  • Start balance: £25,000
  • End balance: £25,002.30
  • Biggest Win: 24x
  • Free Spins: 4
  • Session Time: 19 minutes and 42 seconds

Hugo Carts is great fun when its in the mood and it was so for 200 spins with 4 free spins round triggers including a 24x win. The game chose Hugo (15.6x win) and Hugolina (19.9x win) for the features once each and Scylla twice (24x and 10.5x wins). Whilst Scylla was the best in this case, it really depends on the quality of the modifiers they drop – any of the three can deliver a big one if luck is on your side. So, 4 free spins rounds, but what about the base game? That was less interesting, with only 4 re-spins triggered in 200 spins. And the croc with his extra scatters showed up just twice.

Hugo Carts 24x Win
A 24x Win from the Free Spins Round in testing

I finished just a few £££s up on my balance but it was an exciting session with lots of action and showed a little of what Hugo Carts can be about.

Compare Hugo Carts With Similar Slots Picked By Us

Here are more games like Hugo Carts compared on configuration and features. Click through to read a review of each one.

Slot GameProviderThemeMin. StakeMax. RTPVariancePaylinesTop PayoutJackpot
Push GamingVegas£0.1096.4%High57650,000xNo
Play n GoDinosaurs£0.1096.2%Medium4,09630,000xNo
Pragmatic PlayMining£0.20%HighUp to 200,7085,000xNo
Play n GoIrish£0.1296.29%Medium-High12 +5,000xNo
Red TigerRetro£0.1095.66%Medium107,608xNo
ELK StudiosArthurian Legends£0.2094%HighUp to 262,14425,000xNo
ThunderkickOriental£0.10%MediumUp to 1202,500xNo
Fantasma GamesCartoon£0.2096.34%High6 (Titanways™)20,000xNo

Useful Tips When Playing Hugo Carts

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. Find A Site With High RTP

It makes a big difference playing at 96.23% rather than 84.18% RTP so make sure you check the RTP on the game info screen before you start spinning to be sure you get a good crack at winning.

2. Look Out For Don The Croc

He doesn’t show up that often, but Don the Croc can really boost your chances of free spins when he appears above the reels to drop extra scatters.

3. Hugolina’s Multipliers Are Powerful

Of the 3 characters, Hugolina offers some of the best modifier action with those multipliers. Watch out for her landing on reel 2 as she can power-up your wins significantly on the re-spin.

4. Play At Licensed UK Slot Sites

We have picked only licensed UK slots sites to recommend to you on this page. These are sites which are safe, fair and secure with useful Responsible Gambling Tools and great value bonuses.

Who Made Hugo Carts?

  • Name: Play n Go
  • Established: 1997
  • UK License: Remote 021725-R-304911-020
  • Total Games: 200 +
  • Known For: Grid slots, high variance slots, huge range of themes, styles and maths models
  • Popular Slots: Book of Dead, Reactoonz 1 and 2, Troll Hunters 2, Rise of Olympus
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