The Hive Slots

It's refreshing to see Betsoft trying something for a change. It's definitely a lot of fun. The only thing we don't quite agree with Betsoft on is that it won't make you rich since the jackpot it offers is non-progressive, giving you 378 times your bet. While it may not provide hours of entertainment, let's move on to the aspects.

Introducing The Hive

The Hive slot machine has a 2D style, with shading that adds depth to its appearance. Although it follows a 5x5 grid format—not all rows have five reels. As a bee-themed slot game, the grid doesn't consist of squares but hexagons instead, resembling a beehive. The symbols you'll come across are all related to bees such as the Queen Bee, Worker Bee, and Drone Bee. These three types of bees appear randomly without any triggers. They move around the hive in a clockwise direction with each spin. After some spins, some bees will fly away until every single one has left.

The game features and gameplay

When you explore the game features, you'll discover that The Hive offers elements like Spreading Wilds in the Free Spins feature. Bees can pop up randomly, activating wins. Moreover, you can enjoy playing The Hive with bets ranging from $0.10 to $45 per spin. The game has an RTP of 96.5%, indicating that winning spins are likely, although they may not be huge.

Bee-themed symbols and their significance

The symbols on the reels beautifully complement the bee theme. You'll come across playing card symbols from Jack to Ace as lower-value icons. High-value symbols include three types of bees and vibrant flowers in various colors. The Queen Bee is the top-paying symbol, awarding a payout of 10 times your bet when five of them appear on the reels. With an RTP of 96.5%, The Hive ensures engaging gameplay for players. Additionally, the Wild symbol helps complete winning combinations whenever it lands.

Honey Meter and Free Spins

Each time a Drone Bee emerges during gameplay, it fills up the Honey Meter by one level. Once the Honey Meter is completely filled, it triggers five Free Spins.

The Free Spins feature in The Hive is enhanced by the Honey Burst Spreading Wilds feature, where you have the chance to get one to three spreading wilds. These wilds spread from their positions on the reel grid to adjacent honeycomb cells on each free spin. If you manage to land three wilds during a spin, you'll be rewarded with big winnings! The spreading wilds continue to expand and cover cells until the free spins end. This slot has medium volatility, which means it offers consistent payouts.

Betting options

Worker Bees are quite valuable as they can stack up and increase your winnings when aligned in a cluster. There are five high-value symbols that can pay between $27 and $450 at max bet. On the other hand, there are four low-value symbols that pay between $9 and $45. Landing a Scatter is key during gameplay because symbols connect diagonally or horizontally on all six sides of the grid. If luck is on your side and you get a five-symbol combo of the Queen Bee at the $45 max bet, you can win up to $450.

The game mechanics in The Hive are based on cluster pays. Instead of traditional paylines, it features hexagonal clusters where symbols like flowers, bees, and low-value Royals group together. The more identical symbols grouped, the higher the payout. The beehive theme revolves around this cluster pays mechanism for generating wins.