Infectious 5 xWays

Forget the Fantastic Four, this year Nolimit City are bringing us Infectious 5, their latest release in the xWays series. First offered up in the form of Pixies vs Pirates, xWays seemed to become a lot more memorable with the introduction of Punk Rocker, and finally cemented its’ place in the sector as a mechanic we could get behind with San Quentin. By the time we got to East Coast vs West Coast, xWays had evolved into Infectious xWays, which we see once again in this new release. If there’s one thing we have come to expect from Nolimit City, it’s a strong theme. Nolimit City aren’t a provider that just add some light backing tracks and call it a day – the thought and attention to detail that seeps into every aspect of the slot in question is evident for anyone to see. This time, we’re taking a trip to a derelict city, in a toxic wasteland where only the extraordinary can survive; the Infectious 5.

Infectious 5 xWays Base Game

Infectious 5 plays on 5 reels, offering players 1,024 ways to win at a minimum, increasing to a maximum of 110,592 ways. In the background, toxic waste, chains and flames run rampant with an almost triumphant backing track added into the mix. Superhero vibes come straight to mind when playing this slot, and although some could consider it a bit dark and dreary, no one could say it isn’t well executed.

Infectious xWays very nearly turned a few of us into villains when we played East Coast vs West Coast, at times being responsible for the greatest heartache. At other times, it helped us to feel like superheroes, proving itself to be the key to some huge wins. The volatility of Nolimit City is what we love though, and Infectious 5 is no exception, with “extreme volatility”. RTP is 96.02%, rising to 96.81% for the most expensive feature buy, and wins of up to 55,555x are on offer, marking “End of Days”.

Infectious 5 xWays Pay Table

Infectious 5 xWays Base Features

Wins pay left to right on Infectious 5, where no fixed pay lines are required. At the lower end of the pay table, 10, J, Q, K and As pay up to 1.25x stake for 5 of a kind. Although non premium symbols almost blend in to the murky green of the reels, it makes the other “important” symbols stand out even more. Premium symbols consist of characters, with Mind Flayer, Torch, Misery, Toxicity and Havoc on offer, paying between 1.50 and 4x stake, again for 5 of a kind. Wild symbols are available, as an easily distinguishable yellow “W”, substituting for all symbols except the scatter.

Taking a leaf out of the San Quentin playbook with the Prisoner Files, each time Infectious 5 xWays is loaded, a different character will appear on screen, with a catchphrase. Although it doesn’t affect game play, small things like this go a long way towards showing the amount of work that has gone into a slot:

• Mind Flayer: “There are no heroes or villains. There’s just what I want and how I’ll get it.”
• Torch: “Let’s put some light into the shadows.”
• Misery: “Always confusing your pistols with your privates.”
• Toxicity: “Live as a villain, die as a hero.”
• Havoc: “You break my trust, I break your bones – as simple as that.”

When an xWays symbol lands, it transforms into any symbol except the wild or scatter symbol. Each time this happens, it reveals 2 or 3 of the same symbol type, which increases the reel height, and by extension the number of ways to win. A reminder: Infectious 5 xWays begins with 1,024 ways, and increases as high as 110,592 ways.

Infectious xWays come into play when a wild and an xWays symbol land on the reels. At this point, the xWays symbol behaves as normal, but also infects every other occurrence of the revealed symbol on the reels, expanding and increasing the ways in the same way.

Infectious 5 xWays Toxic Hazard Free Spins

Infectious 5 xWays Bonus

Landing 3 or 4 scatters triggers Free Spins, where you will have a choice of bonus. This is similar to what we experienced from Deadwood – a choice of win more often vs high risk, high potential. The choices are:

Toxic Hazard: The “win more often” option. Between 1 and 5 wilds are placed on reels 2, 3 or 4 for every spin. During this feature, any xWays symbol landing anywhere on the reels will trigger Infectious xWays as at least 1 wild is guaranteed. Landing 3 or 4 scatters triggers 9 or 10 spins, respectively. During the Toxic Hazard feature, xWays symbols will only reveal an Infectious 5 symbol – Mind Flayer, Torch, Misery, Toxicity or Havoc.

Infectious 5 xWays Lock n’ Load Free Spins

Lock n’ Load: “High Risk, High Potential”. No wilds are guaranteed on the reels for every spin, however one wild will always land on the first spin, awarding +1 free spins, and any wilds that do land lock in place and award 1 extra spin per wild. Wilds may have a multiplier of x2 or x3 attached, and again if wilds are in play an xWays symbol will immediately trigger Infectious xWays. Landing 3 or 4 scatters triggers 7 or 8 spins, respectively. During the Lock n’ Load feature, xWays symbols will only reveal an Infectious 5 symbol – Mind Flayer, Torch, Misery, Toxicity or Havoc.

Infectious 5 xWays Lock n’ Load: Mayhem Free Spins

Landing 5 scatter symbols, or collecting 5 scatter symbols during one of the previous bonuses, triggers Infectious Spins: Mayhem. During this feature, players are still left with a choice of Toxic Hazard Mayhem, or Lock n’ Load Mayhem.

Toxic Hazard Mayhem: 12 Infectious Spins are awarded, with wilds operating in the same way as before. All Infectious 5 character symbols have transformed into one golden character symbol, and any Infectious xWays in this feature will only reveal the Golden Infectious 5 symbol, which pays 4x stake for 5 of a kind.

Lock n’ Load Mayhem: 10 Infectious Spins are awarded, with wilds operating in the same way as before. All Infectious 5 character symbols have transformed into one golden character symbol, and any Infectious xWays in this feature will only reveal the Golden Infectious 5 symbol, which pays 4x stake for 5 of a kind. Lock n’ Load Mayhem is the most volatile of all bonuses, but also has the potential to be the most lucrative, with locking, multiplying wilds working together with the Golden Infectious 5 symbol.

Infectious 5 xWays Big Win

For players in appropriate regions, Nolimit Buys are available:

• 3 Scatter Buy: 75x stake (max bet €100)
• 4 Scatter Buy: 140x stake (max bet €60)
• 5 Scatter Buy: 555x stake (max bet €18)

RTP varies depending on the Nolimit Buy:

• 3 Scatters: 96.12%
• 4 Scatter Buy: 96.33%
• 5 Scatter Buy: 96.81%

First Impression

Nolimit City have a unique talent of continuing with tried and tested techniques, whilst still releasing them in a way that seems as though we’ve never seen them before. Infectious 5 has all of the elements we expect from a good Nolimit City slot, including an expensive feature buy, an extreme volatility bonus and a monstrous maximum win. Couple this with immaculate audiovisuals and you get yet another masterpiece to add to their stellar catalogue. An added quirk is the continued use of the number 5, with a 55,555x maximum win, and a 555x feature buy. It looks like the 5 really is infectious after all. Alongside this, the characters are beautifully designed, and could probably make their own comic book.

We already knew that Nolimit City were a volatile provider, and we’ve seen firsthand just how volatile East Coast vs West Coast can be, but now this has been taken a step further. The potential of locking, multiplying wilds in Lock n’ Load Mayhem Free Spins working together with Golden Infectious 5 symbols is huge and then some, and inevitably there will be some lucky players out there to hit that maximum win.

Infectious 5 xWays Big Win

What we tend to love about Nolimit City games is that we do frequently get to see those maximum wins, often within a few days of release, and it’s a nice touch to be able to re-watch big wins in the Nolimit area (you can view this by clicking the yellow star at the left of the slot). Although these games may not be for the casual player looking for a low variance slot, established players and fans of Nolimit City alike will take joy in Infectious 5 xWays, which is set for release 1st June 2021.

*The screenshots taken of games reviewed on this site are taken from Demo Play, as reviews are often written before games are released for real play.