Shopping in the Hills

Shopping in the Hills is a video slot that gives players a chance to run up some big winnings just like they would run up big shopping bills in this fantasy world that the game creates. It's bright and pink with lots of clothes, accessories, pets and other items that people would love to spend a lot of money on, and it has a cast of characters that gives the game its own flavor.

Game Format

Here's how the layout of this game works. First, it uses five reels with three rows to give players enough room for 25 paylines to cross the board. Players can bet between $0.25 and $250 per spin, which corresponds to coin sizes ranging from $0.01 to $10. However, you'll actually choose the bet size you want instead of choosing the coin sizes, so it's actually a little less confusing than the standard for how slots are operated once you get used to it.

We want to point out that this game also has a random progressive jackpot, like many of the Arrow's Edge online slots. This jackpot typically triggers in the range of $15,000 to $30,000 a few times each year.

Payouts and Symbols

This game has a number of different symbols that all include the theme of the game and the characters in it. It starts out with Brittney, the main character. She pays 1,000x for five of a kind, the largest regular win you can get. Her friend Alicia pays 750x, and their helper Stephan pays 250x. Both of the girls together on the same symbol out shopping gives you a 250x payout for five of a kind as well, and Brittney trying on dresses pays 125x for five. These make up the top payouts.

On the lower end, you have five of the dog for 100x. Five of Brittney's earrings will get you 75x, as will five of her ring. Five of the watch pays a solid 50x, and five of a kind in shoes will win a reasonable 30x payout. You'll notice that these symbols are largely grouped towards the middle of the typical range for wins, and that creates one of the Arrow's Edge titles with the lowest volatility overall.

Free Spins and Other Features

The free spins sign is scattered, and three or more will give you a set of 10 free spins. They can be re-triggered by lining up three or more during the feature, and that will give you another five free turns. There are no multipliers here, but getting free spins is nice anyway. Also, the scatters do not have their own payouts, and they only count as bonus symbols, which is a bit of a drag.

If you get a shopping wild symbol, you'll get a free set of re-spins where the wild moves one spot to the left each re-spin. You'll keep getting re-spins as long as the wild is still on the screen.

During the free spins, you can get a credit card symbol on the fifth reel. If you do so, then you can get extra features during the remaining free spins like stacked coffees, stacked champagne and expanding wilds. These all add a lot of value to the free spins and are responsible for giving you opportunities to win big multi-line wins. This compensates for the relatively small top wins that are available in this game without affecting the volatility all that much.

Overview

The bottom line on the Shopping in the Hills slot is that it's obviously geared towards a very specific demographic, and while there's nothing wrong with that, sometimes it'll rub people the wrong way. With that having been said, the game itself offers a lot more depth than just throwing a pink theme on a boring video slot.

Between the multi-level bonus features, the low-volatility pay table and the random progressive jackpot, this game has a lot to offer players no matter what their demographic. Arrow's Edge has done a decent job with adding some depth to this game, though like all of their titles, the graphics are their biggest weakness. They aren't terrible in this game, but they could definitely be better.