Reels & Wheels XL Game Review

There’s nothing quite like a slot game that takes you on a thrill ride as you rack up incredible prizes. If you’re the type of player who lives life in the fastlane, and has the need for speed, then Bodog is at your service with a ripping theme. Prepare to tear through five spinning reels ready to toss out wins, as well as two spinning wheels, each with an array of prizes, whirring around in a race for the jackpot.

If the name of this game sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve likely encountered the original classic slot. The first Playtech-designed incarnation of Reels & Wheels was a loose tribute to the Indy500 and Formula 1 races, so you won’t be surprised that screeching around corners at breakneck speed is a core feature. Now, this souped-up and re-energised version, Reels & Wheels XL, retains all of the best bits from the original, but this time it’s got more colour, more multipliers, and more engine-pumping jackpots than ever before.  

Whether or not you’re a fan of car racing events, Reels & Wheels XL will have you spinning ‘round and ‘round more than an ice skater during a World Championship finale. Only here, the asphalt surface is red hot, and you can come away with more impressive prizes. Are you ready to see some spins in action? Buckle up, and let’s start out at cruising pace. 

Reels & Wheels XL: Spin-tastic Fun

The perky, techo-inspired music over the retro game board makes you feel a little like that ice skater champ after all, with a 1990s pop vibe that would equally be at home in the rink. If you weren’t driving, you’d be pulling leg crossing tricks around its curves. 

While the original Reels & Wheels was modelled on a realistic slot machine you’d find in a corner store back in the day, the XL version modernises the feel with a simple and clean layout. The background is bright candy red, but the real colour, and the real wins, come from the wheels in this game. 

There’s a bonus multiplier wheel as well as a big jackpot wheel, and both of them lure you into their hypnotic vortex of high-speed spinning blurs of colour.   

How to Play 

• 5 reels
• 3 rows
• 20 paylines fixed
• Bet size $0.2 – $200
• 5 progressive jackpots
• Free spins
• Bonus wheel
• Jackpot wheel

You’ll recognise the universally classic symbols in this game from the earliest of slot machines, plus a few extras to keep it modern. Here they are from highest-paying to lowest:

• Diamond
• Red 7
• Watermelons
• Lemons
• Plums
• Cherries
• A, K
• Q, J

Features 

Despite its traditional theme, Reels & Wheels XL has wonderfully contemporary features. They may not be overly complex with gamble features and pick-me bonuses, but you do have plenty of straightforward paydays coming at you from multiple retro side games.

Bonus Symbol

You want to land the round, yellow bonus symbol on reels 1 and 3. This sets you up for two more features, depending on the last symbol that lands alongside them on reel 5. If you get a free spins symbol on reel 5, you get 12 free spins. If you land a wheel symbol on reel 5, you’ll take a hard right to the bonus wheel. And you know where that could take you, right?!

Free Spins

Since this game is purely about the thrill of spinning and whirling to your heart’s content, you could imagine the free spins are plentiful. You can get 12 free spins by landing two bonus symbols on reels 1 and 3, along with the purple-blue free spins symbol on reel 5. 

A small multiplier wheel spins rapidly above the base game during your free spins. Whichever multiplier it lands on during a winning spin will multiply that win by its value, up to 10x. And while you’re getting dizzy on those free spins and multipliers, you may just trigger even more by landing three bonus symbols.

Wild Symbol

The big blue-white diamond is your Wild. This can replace any other symbol in the game to help you form a winning combination. 

Big Bonus Features

Reels & Wheels XL is all about the bonus features, and they won’t leave you driving around in circles, either. In this race, there are two major bonus rounds to conquer!

The Bonus Wheel

This is the first wheel you’ll spin for prizes. To trigger it, you need two bonus symbols on reels 1 and 3, plus a wheel symbol on reel 5. The bonus wheel has 23 wedges. And all but one are dotted with multipliers from 5x-500x. The final wedge is the jackpot wedge. Landing that one will send you off to the game’s most extraordinary feature – the jackpot wheel! This is where the serious manoeuvres happen.

The Jackpot Wheel

The only way to reach the jackpot wheel is through the bonus wheel, making this a double-bonus feature. And for a game slated as ‘XL’, you’d expect nothing less. If you’ve been lucky enough to land on that jackpot wedge on the first bonus wheel, then it’s time to brace yourself for the homestretch! This jackpot wheel holds not one, but five different progressive jackpots, and you’ll be burning your way over the finish line when you land on the right wedge. If it’s really your lucky day, it’ll be the Vegas: the ultimate jackpot which is usually a six-figure prize.

Your five jackpots are:

• Vegas
• Mega
• Major
• Minor
• Mini

Game Mechanics

Reels & Wheels XL is super easy to navigate on either your PC or mobile. To play on your larger screen:

• Spin: click/tap the big green arrow
• Stop: hit the red square while the reels are in motion. You can also stop the reels during autoplay.
• Autoplay: the arrow inside the circle – autoplay mode still allows you to set parameters for your spins
• Bet amount: a small grey circle with a number inside it
• Menu/Paytable: the hamburger icon
• Jackpot metre: these jackpots are always growing, and you can watch their sums rising on the left of the screen
• Balance metre: keep track of your bankroll on the bottom left of the screen
• Win metre: all of your wins are recorded in real time on the bottom right

Reels & Wheels XL functions fantastically on the small screen as well. If you’re spinning through the reels away from home on your mobile phone, you can find most of these controls inside the hamburger icon, including the button to set your bet amount. Easy.

Conclusion

If you love the throwback vibes of old-school slots that keep their features sleek and uncomplicated, but prefer your functionality – and your progressive jackpots – to be more like the Grand Prix of modern slot gaming, then Reels & Wheels XL is your ride of choice. Want to test the waters first? Easy. Try it in Practice Mode before you strap into the hot-seat!

Grab yourself a seat and hold on tight – it’s pedal to the metal time! Aim for that second jackpot wheel and crash right into a progressive. Just remember to come up for air between rounds –  the smell of burning rubber can impair even a champion driver after a while, so take your foot off the gas and break before you re-enter for another circuit.