Narcos Mexico

In terms of style and atmosphere, there are shared elements between the games. Narcos Mexico continues with the polished cartoonish details seen in its predecessor, giving a lighter touch to a daunting theme. As the game loads, players will notice five key figures set amidst chaotic scenes of bullet-marked cars, lush palm trees, and opulent residences, setting the tone perfectly. It invokes an exotic aura, tempting one to ponder why individuals engage in perilous lifestyles for opulent beachside living.

Narcos Mexico retains the former game's structure, playing out on a 5x3 grid with 243 winning combinations. Victory is achieved when a sequence of three identical symbols aligns from the leftmost reel. The game is characterized by high volatility, yet the return to player return to player value has seen a reduction, now standing at 95.7%. The betting options have narrowed, possibly to the dismay of more affluent players, with bets capped at $/€10 or lowered to as little as 10 p/c per spin.

Spin the reels, and within the base game, encounter nine different symbols. Five of these are lower-tier, showcasing classic card ranks 9-A adorned with designs like skulls or explosives. Landing five such symbols can yield payouts ranging from 0.4 to 1 times the initial bet. Premium value comes with symbols of four cartel bosses, rewarding 2-5 times the stake for five aligned symbols. A wild symbol, represented by dope bricks with scorpions, appears on reels 2 to 4 to substitute other paying symbols.

Narcos Mexico: Slot Features

There are a couple of surprising features in the base game, hidden under the names Supply Drop and Double Cash. With Supply Drop, an airplane flies overhead, depositing wild symbols across the board. Double Cash triggers unexpectedly after a win, doubling the value of your prize.

Win Exchange

In Narcos Mexico, when your winnings reach 100 times the bet or more, you have the chance to trade in an equivalent value for three Cartel Spins, keeping any remaining balance. Alternatively, for a win between 30 and 100 times the stake, you can take a gamble for a shot at 3 Cartel Spins. This risk involves a wheel split into red and green sections, with green ensuring a win and red indicating loss.

Cartel Spins

Cartel Spins serve as the principal bonus feature, activated when three Cartel Spins symbols land on reels 1, 3, and 5 in the base game, or via the Win Exchange. The action shifts to a distinct 10x10 board. Each corner hosts a cartel boss, while random symbols like blank spaces, Mystery Territory symbols, Phones, or Planes occupy the remaining cells on each spin. If any symbols neighbor a leader, they're activated, lock in place, and reset the spins to 3. Here's how these activated symbols work:

• Mystery Territory unveils a multiplier to enhance your bet.
• The Phone Symbol doubles multipliers in adjacent areas.
• Plane Symbol boosts multipliers in nearby territories by 1 to 5 times.

In subsequent turns, any new symbols adjacent to the activated ones will also become active. This dynamic sees each cartel boss's territory grow. When activated zones meet, leaders engage in a battle where the superior one claims the defeated leader's area. Cartel Spins end when the board is filled, spins are exhausted, or the maximum win threshold is reached.

Narcos Mexico: Slot Verdict

Hat tip to Red Tiger for steering the series into fresh waters. Narcos Mexico offers a novel experience compared to the prior Narcos slot. While it isn't entirely a new creation given its familiar art style and general atmosphere, it delivers a seamless transition from one game to the next. Though the presentation might not outshine the original Narcos, perhaps due to lesser impact the second time around, Narcos Mexico stands out as an attractive sequel. It doesn’t replicate the intensity entirely, but it’s a worthy continuation.

Notably, the Narcos Mexico slot surpasses its predecessor in several respects. Not least is the enhanced potential to win. The previous game's payouts were its downfall, but Red Tiger has remedied this, boosting potential earnings to an impressive 10,486 times the bet. Chasing this prize or embarking on Cartel Spins is quite exhilarating. While the bonus may initially seem underwhelming, it gains depth over time. The strategy of cartel leaders capturing peers' lands, followed by a boost from Phone or Plane symbols, effectively raises board values. Though it might lack the visceral adrenaline rush of the Drive-by feature, the territorial skirmishes can become quite intense. Still, if the hold & win format doesn’t appeal to you, Narcos Mexico might not either.

Ultimately, Narcos Mexico proposes a promising proposition for players who felt let down by the first installment. Even if Cartel Spins don’t escalate to a frenetic exchange of gunfire, Red Tiger has elevated the series from mere associate to a significant player in the cartel.