In October 2020, Yggdrasil announced that it had signed up the emerging mobile-first game developer Jelly through its YGS Masters Programme. Nearly a year later, Jelly’s first slot rolled off the production line. The YGS Masters Programme has produced a wide range of slots in various styles, themes, and levels of quality, making it a mixed bag. With Savanna Roar, it seems Jelly aimed for a middle ground, creating a safe game that doesn’t break new ground but also avoids major missteps.
With YGS, predicting the next release can be challenging due to the variety of studios involved. However, the title Savanna Roar provides some clues. The game transports players to the heated lands of Africa, featuring a sun rising over a lush savanna filled with wild animals, mountains, acacia trees, and flocks of birds. Experienced players will recognize the familiar scene, which Jelly has executed adequately. However, the color palette is somewhat muted, lacking the vibrant hues of some other African-themed slots, though it becomes more vivid during free spins. The soundtrack is uplifting and choral, adding a pleasant auditory experience. To appeal to its target audience, Savanna Roar features a medium/high volatility math model with a theoretical return to player (RTP) value of 96.5%. The potential for high payouts is supported by free spins and several animal-based modifiers. The game is set on a 5×4 grid with 1,024 ways to win, and players can bet between 25 p/c and $/€100 per spin.
Winning combinations occur approximately once every three spins when three or more matching symbols land on adjacent reels starting from reel 1. Jelly keeps it straightforward by filling the grid with eight regular pay symbols, including Q-A card ranks and four premium beast symbols. These premium symbols—buffalo, rhinos, leopards, and elephants—offer payouts ranging from 0.8 to 8x the bet for five of a kind. The king of the jungle, the lion, appears as the wild symbol, substituting for any paying symbol to help complete winning combinations.
Savanna Roar: Slot Features
The studio’s goal was to provide straightforward mechanics, which they have achieved, while also incorporating several features to enhance the gameplay. In Savanna Roar, players will encounter four base game modifiers, a respin feature, and a free spins bonus game. The base game modifiers can be triggered randomly on any paid spin:
Rhino Stampede! – Turns random positions into mystery symbols that transform to reveal the same matching type.
Wild Leopard Spotted! – Turns all leopard symbols in view into wilds.
Buffalo Charge! – Any buffalo symbol in view may spread to adjacent reel positions.
Untamed Elephant Spotted! – Any elephant symbol in view may expand into a 3×3 sized symbol.
When triggered, the respins feature locks reels with bonus symbols in place and awards a respin. If additional bonus symbols land on the spun reels, they are also locked, and another respin is awarded. Respins continue until no further bonus symbols land, potentially leading to the activation of free spins.
Landing 6 or more bonus symbols triggers the free spins game. Specifically, landing 6, 7-8, 9-11, or 12-20 bonus symbols awards 10, 12, 15, or 25 free spins, respectively, from the base game or retriggers them if the bonus is currently active. During free spins, additional modifiers may appear. One is the Wild Leopard Multiplier, which turns leopard symbols wild and gives them multipliers of x1, x2, or x3. Additionally, landing 5 or fewer bonus symbols triggers the Savage Lion modifier, where the bonus symbols in view turn wild.
Savanna Roar: Slot Verdict
Savanna Roar isn’t exactly a daring, edge-of-your-seat game, but it is a solid debut from the new studio, Jelly. The theme and features are not particularly imaginative, so if you’re looking for wild creativity, this might not be the slot for you. It’s understandable, given that this is Jelly’s first release, and they likely aimed to make a good first impression. Like a first date, they didn’t want to reveal too much too soon. However, some personality is necessary to avoid coming across as too bland. Savanna Roar leans towards mediocrity due to its cautious design.
On the positive side, Savanna Roar offers a variety of features, providing plenty for players to enjoy. While none of these features are groundbreaking, the sheer number of them helps maintain player interest. Triggering free spins with a minimum of 6 scatters might seem challenging, but the scatters appear in stacks of three, making it more manageable. During testing, scatters often landed in threes, so two reels were usually enough to launch the bonus game. Additionally, the locking respins feature provides a helpful boost.
The winning potential is one aspect of Savanna Roar that doesn’t disappoint. During a billion simulated spins, Jelly recorded a maximum win of 10,459 times the stake, demonstrating the game’s ability to deliver significant payouts.
Jelly aimed to create a slot for players who prefer simplicity over complexity, using a familiar theme and proven mechanics. In this regard, they succeeded. However, Savanna Roar is so familiar that it risks being forgettable. Now that Jelly has their first release under their belt, hopefully, they will let more of their individual creativity shine in future games.