The Hive is a 3-4-5-4-3 bee-themed online slot by Betsoft that will have you buzzing for hours. The title relies on its three bee types, free spins and spreading Wilds to keep the honey flowing uninterrupted.
Interested players should note this is a low variance game with a 243x jackpot. Expect plenty of fun but very little in the way of big wins.
WHERE TO PLAY THE HIVE
Even a hardworking bee needs a helping hand sometimes. That is why we recommend tackling this release alongside Slots.lv casino. The operator accepts US players and offers a wide variety of Betsoft slots along with this title.
SLOT INFORMATION
You can bet between $0.10 and $90 with every round. You play The Hive on a 3-4-5-4-3 board with 30 paylines that pay both ways. The number of paylines is fixed, and cannot be changed.
Wins are awarded for finding three or more matching symbols in adjacent positions, starting with the leftmost reel. Winning combinations have to follow an active payline, or the associated cash prize will not be paid.
The theoretical return to player (RTP) for this game is 96.13%. This is better than the current industry average of 96%, though not by much.
BASE GAME
Players can find thirteen icons on the board. Wilds can appear normally and as part of a special feature. They can substitute for all other symbols. Other special icons include the queen bee, drone bee, and worker bee.
A crowned bee is also the most valuable standard symbol, worth 10x for a five-of-a-kind win. Meanwhile, the lowest paying icons include Q and J, which pay 0.3x for a five-symbol win.
HIVE BEES
Each spin has a chance of causing a bee to appear in one of eighteen positions surrounding the playing field. Each subsequent spin will move the bee clockwise by one position. Bees will fly away after a random number of spins, ranging from three to eighteen. Each bee that appears has a different effect.
Queen bees summon other bees to join them. This can include other queen bees! A new bee will appear every spin while the queen is present. Drone bees fill the honey meter by one level for each bee present. Worker bees grant a multiplier to paylines aligned with the worker bee’s position. The multiplier’s value is equal to the number of worker bees plus one.
FREE SPINS
Filling up the honey meter will award five free spins. During free spins, spreading Wilds will appear on the board. They spread to adjacent cells with each spin. This continues until no more free spaces remain or all free spins have been played. Free spins cannot be retriggered.
VERDICT
The Hive is a rather unorthodox release, but one we quickly fell in love with. The visuals are incredible, especially when you have countless bees flying around the hive.
However, what really won us over was the gameplay. Free spins with spreading Wilds are cool, as are progressive multipliers. The only thing we would change is the volatility and jackpot. With a top prize of 243x your total stake, it can be challenging to get excited about the game.