The Border Slot Review
NOTE: Screenshots on this page were taken whilst we played this game for real money at Casumo Casino
Game Scorecard
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.Overall Score
9.0A stunning, cinematic journey to the heart of the badlands with relentless, epic gameplay that can deliver huge wins
We recommend this site to play The Border
8.7
Opt-in required. 20 Bonus Spins on “Book of Dead” and 100% Deposit Bonus up to £25 on first deposit. Min deposit £10. 30x wagering requirement for Bonus Spins and 30x wagering requirement for Deposit Bonus (game weighting applies). Max £5/spin or £0.50/line or £10/round (live casino). 30 days expiry. T&C’s Apply. Please gamble responsibly • www.begambleaware.org
This game was created by:
Game Information
- Name: The Border
- Game Suppplier: Nolimit City
- Release Date: September 2022
- Theme: Action and Adventure, Adult
- RTP: 96.17%, 94%, 92%
- Variance: High
- Maximum Win: 44,288x
- Progressive Jackpot: No
- Minimum Stake: £0.20
- Reels: 6
- Rows: 6
- Paylines: Cluster Pays
- Features: Avalanche Wins, Free Spins, Multipliers, xWays, xNudges, xBombs, xSplits, xClusters
We've Picked These Slot Sites Where You Can Play The Border
7.4
Full T&Cs apply. Terms and Conditions apply. New players only. 18+. Min deposit £20. Wagering requirement apply x35. Offer valid for 24hr.
7.8
18+ new players only. Minimum deposit: £20. Maximum £100 bonus. Max bet with an active bonus: £2. Wagering requirement 100% match bonus: 30 times sum of deposit + bonus. Max redeemable from welcome bonus: £500. 100 Free Spins are given out 20 per day on Book of Dead for 5 days in a row, log in each day is required. Max Free Spins winnings: £100. Winnings from Free Spins are credited as bonus money with a wagering requirement of 45 times. Free Spins expire after 3 days. Some games may not be played with a bonus. Games may contribute differently when wagering a bonus. Play Responsibly!
7.9
18+. New players only. Min deposit £10. Bonus funds are 121% up to £100. Bonus funds are separate to cash funds and subject to 35x wagering requirement. Only bonus funds count towards wagering contribution. £5 bonus max bet. Bonus funds must be used within 30 days, spins within 10 days. Affordability checks apply.
7.5
Minimum deposit £10. Qualifying customers will receive 20 free spins on Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Catch game. Free spins will be added to the account immediately and be available as soon as the game is launched. The maximum stake per free spin bet is 10p. Free spins must be used within 48 hours of qualifying. Any remaining spins in your account after 48 hours will be removed. Offer excludes customers based in Northern Ireland.
7.4
18+ new players only. Maximum £50 bonus. Minimum deposit: £20. Deposit Bonus wins are capped at £500. Max bet with active bonus: £2. Wagering requirement 100% match deposit bonus: 30 times sum of deposit + bonus. Winnings from Free Spins are credited as Real Money without wagering requirement. Some games may not be played with an active bonus. Games may contribute differently when wagering a bonus. Deposit Bonus expires after 30 days if wagering requirement has not been met. Free Spins expire after 3 days. One bonus allowed per person, address, device, IP. www.begambleaware.org. Full bonus terms apply
7.6
18+. New players only. One offer per player. Max bonus bet £5. Offer: 100% bonus match on 1st deposit + bonus spins. Value of bonus & number of spins depend on deposit amount: £20-£100: max £100 bonus + 50 spins on selected games; £101-£200: max £200 bonus + 100 spins on selected games; or £200+: max £300 bonus + 150 spins on eligible NetEnt Games. Winnings from spins credited as bonus and capped at £100. Bonus funds are separate to Cash funds, and are subject to 35x wagering the total bonus & cash. Only bonus funds contribute to wagering requirement. Bonus funds expire within 30 days; bonus spins within 72hrs. Affordability checks apply.
7.8
18+ new players only. Maximum £50 bonus. Minimum deposit: £20. Deposit Bonus wins are capped at £500. Max bet with active bonus: £2. Wagering requirement 100% match deposit bonus: 30 times sum of deposit + bonus. Winnings from Free Spins are credited as Real Money without wagering requirement. Some games may not be played with an active bonus. Games may contribute differently when wagering a bonus. Deposit Bonus expires after 30 days if wagering requirement has not been met. Free Spins expire after 3 days. One bonus allowed per person, address, device, IP.
8.2
18+. New Players only. One bonus offer per player. Min deposit £10. Max bonus bet £5. Bonus funds expire within 30 days & bonus spins within 10 days. Spins valid on Starburst only. 1st dep: 100% up to £300 & 100 spins, 2nd dep: 75% up to £300 & 75 spins, 3rd dep: 50% up to £300 & 50 spins, 4th dep: 25% up to £300 & 25 spins, 5th dep: 100% up to £100. The 100 spins on 1st dep are credited at a rate of 25 spins per day over 4 days. Bonus spins winnings credited as bonus funds & capped at £50. For the 1st dep offer, this winning cap shall be applied to each set of 25 spins. Bonus funds separate to Cash funds, 35x wagering.
8.7
Opt-in required. 20 Bonus Spins on “Book of Dead” and 100% Deposit Bonus up to £25 on first deposit. Min deposit £10. 30x wagering requirement for Bonus Spins and 30x wagering requirement for Deposit Bonus (game weighting applies). Max £5/spin or £0.50/line or £10/round (live casino). 30 days expiry. T&C’s Apply. Please gamble responsibly • www.begambleaware.org
7.8
New customers only. Min deposit £20. Wagering 40x bonus. Max bet £5 with bonus funds. 100% bonus up to £100. Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse. No max cash out on deposit offers. Welcome bonus excluded for players depositing with Skrill or Neteller. Full T&Cs apply18+ Please Gamble Responsibly. Click ‘Claim Bonus’ to view the full terms and conditions.
About The Border
No Limit City’s latest journey into the darker corners of human existence via video slot takes us to The Border, a fictional zone between two countries that could very well have been inspired by the badlands between Mexico and the US, the location for Trump’s infamous and controversial wall.
And in typical NLC style, this is no weekend getaway. Indeed, there are no passports here. Instead, this studio explore the lives of the desperate hope-seekers looking to break through into the promised land by any means necessary and the nefarious characters exploiting their dreams. There are drug mules and drug lords on one side, and cops and heavily-armed soldiers on the other.
As we will find out, the gameplay itself is equally dangerous, ruthless and heart-stopping so prepare yourself for another NLC masterclass is pushing the boundaries! This time its Cluster Pays with Avalanche Wins, and a whole array of cell splits, bombs, multipliers and free spins.
The Border is live at the latest UK slot sites from 13th September 2022.
What We Liked
- Cinematic theme and dark characters
- Lots and lots of features!
- Progressive multipliers in free spins
- Splitting cells increase odds of big win
- xBombs increase multiplier values
What We Didn't like
- Complex gameplay hard to follow at first
- Too high risk for some players
About The Developer
- Name: Nolimit City
- Established: 2016
- UK License: Remote 052097-R-329532-005
- Total Games: 50 +
- Known For: Super high variance, super high maximum wins, adult themes, irreverent humour
- Popular Slots: San Quentin xWays, Mental, Book of Shadows, Tombstone RIP
RTP and Variance 8/10
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.As you would expect, NLC hold no punches back here, this is a highly volatile slot with big potential. Here is how the maths looks:
- Like Tombstone RIP and San Quentin xWays before it, The Border is a high risk slot with a 10/10 volatility rating. Expect a rough, rough ride but the potential for massive payouts in the Coyote Spins round.
- The top win is 44,288x in the game info sheet. That is less than Tombstone RIP (300,000x) or Mental (66,666x) but still highly competitive.
- The RTP of The Border is 96.17%.
- Bets start at 20p per spin.
Paytable 9/10
Coming out you from all angles in The Border are symbols represented by deadly animals, bad men, law breakers, victims and cops. And with plenty of splits, there is the potential to drive up some huge clusters and huge payouts.
Here is how the paytable looks:
- The Border is a 6×6 grid slot with a Cluster Pays mechanic – you need to form clusters of five or more identical symbols, with Wilds thrown in to help you, to trigger a win.
- There are 8 symbols in the paytable.
- Three low payers are the scorpion, snakes and vultures.
- The premiums are represented by five characters – the drug mule, the martial arts guy, the cop, the army guy and the drug baron loaded with bling.
- 5 of a kind clusters earn you just 0.2x to 1x your stake.
- When the maximum number of splits occurs you can land clusters in excess of 160 symbols with a 2,214 max win.
Gameplay & Features 10/10
The Border, like all good NLC slots is stacked with features so pay attention as we run through the gameplay.
Main Game Features
Avalanche Wins
As a Cluster Pays game, The Border uses the Avalanche Wins mechanic. After any win, the winning symbols are removed from the grid and new ones drop in to replace them. If more wins occur, so the process repeats, until no more new clusters form.
NOTE: This feature becomes highly lucrative when combined with splits, bombs and multipliers!
xWays Symbols
Like Mystery Symbols these land and transform into instances of the same pay symbol. xWays may land as 2 full symbols or 4 split symbols. If more than on xWays lands, every instance will transform into the SAME symbol.
xSplits Symbols
These land on reels 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 and turn ALL symbols to the left into split symbols. xSplits also convert into Wilds at the same time.
Where more than one xSplit lands on the same row, the splits get a multiplier of up to 64x applied to them, where the value is based on the number of split symbols on the reels.
xNudge Cluster Wilds
Just like xNudge Wilds in games like Bushido Ways xNudge, where Wilds land as part of clusters, then the cluster will nudge up or down at the end of the spin. Every symbol it nudges over adds 1x to a multiplier to be applied to the win.
NOTE: If the cluster nudges over an existing multiplier, that value is also added to the wilds own multiplier.
AND … if the wild is split by an xSplit so the values of the multiplier values are carried over to each new wild.
xBomb Wilds
These explode when they land, removing all symbols in adjacent positions EXCEPT xNudges and scatters.
And … these trigger a 1x increase in the win multiplier for that spin. If the xBomb is split, then the multiplier goes up by the number of symbols the bomb splits into.
xClusters
These are only valid for FREE SPINS and occur when 2 or more Clusters are created on one spin. The win multiplier for the following avalanche now increases by 1x for each cluster. For example, two clusters would get you a 2x multiplier.
Free Spins Round
There are TWO free spins formats as follows:
MULE SPINS
- 6 scatters triggers 10 Mule Spins.
- Where an xWays symbol is part of a cluster win, it infects other symbols in the cluster that are on the SAME REEL before xSplit or xNudge activate. Essentially this brings up more splitting symbols and more win ways.
COYOTE SPINS
- 7 scatters trigger 12 Coyote Spins.
- You’ll also get 2 more free spins for every extra scatter in view.
- Now …. where an xWays symbol is part of a cluster win, it infects EVERY OTHER symbol in the cluster regardless of which reel it is on, before xSplit or xNudge activate. This creates more win ways than the same event in Mule Spins.
- Plus … xBombs multiplier values are carried over onto all other symbols that display an xMultiplier that haven’t exploded.
- The total win multiplier is progressive and DOES NOT re-set between spins.
More Games Like The Border Slot
If you like this game, you should try these ones too:
Narcos by NetEnt – based on the NetEnt TV series of the life of Pablo Escobar, drug king pin in Colombia this slot is a little less volatile than The Border, but populated by equally shifty looking characters. Its max win is much lower – 1,506x but the theme and fun features including Walking Wilds, Free Spins and Multpliers, make it a worthwhile play.
San Quentin xWays by No Limit City – another crime-based slot from NLC is this epic prison-drama slot with a much higher top win of 150,000x. Look out for expanding reels, cell splitting, xWins and Jumping Wilds. Its typically high variance and stacked features and pulsating gameplay. You can read more here.
Where to Play The Border Slot – Further Recommendations
We also recommend playing The Border at these sites:
Kassu – another favourite from the Genesis Global group of sites is Kassu, home to over 1,000 slots including the full catalogue of games from No Limit City. They currently offer 300 free spins and up to £300 deposit bonus. Check our full review before signing up.
Play Grand Casino – this slot site is on the White Hat Gaming label. That means a huge slots selection taking in the full range of NLC games, plus Big Time Gaming and many more. You can sign up and deposit with Paypal and claim up to £1,000 bonuses on your first three deposits. Find out more here.
Our Verdict 9.0/10
The Border is another stone-cold classic from NLC, a studio who continue to do things that others don’t. They have a knack for creating cinematic slots whose narratives and themes go far deeper than anything you see from rivals. You’ll never see a plain old Irish luck slot from No Limit! And that is why we love them. The most similar game we can think of would be NetEnt’s Narcos, based on the TV series and also featuring drug runners, barons and cops.
But The Border is a different beast entirely to Narcos because here NLC have innovated again by taking their best features – xNudges, xWilds, Bombs and xSplits – and applying them to the classic Cluster Pays mechanic, pushing that style of slot into new places. Cluster Pays fans can now enjoy the same pulsating all-action gameplay that we’ve seen on payline games like True Grit Redemption and El Paso Gunfight.
As ever, the gameplay may feel a little complicated to begin with – there is a lot to take in – but just sit back and enjoy. xWays and xSplits are important to driving your wins – they will split many cells to increase the chances of hitting a winning cluster. But it’s really the free spins round where the top payouts can occur. In the Coyote Spins, with xWays infecting EVERY symbol in a cluster before xSplits or xNudges are activated, the chances of landing high value multipliers goes up significantly.
As with all high risk games, if you can see out the rocky times, this slot has potential to deliver some adrenaline-fuelled big win sequences where multipliers reach super-high levels. Remember, up to 44,288x is the top win!
But for balance, remember the games tagline too – ‘hope can only get you so far’! Good luck!
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