Road Rage

Look, we’re all human – part of being human is expressing our emotions, and it’s not always in a nice way. The most common way for this to present itself? On the roads. We’ve all been in a rush, running late to an appointment, and gotten stuck behind someone driving 28mph in a 30mph zone (the audacity, right?), and we catch our first glimpse of the road rage within us. Nolimit City have zeroed in on this for their latest release, aptly titled Road Rage. As they put it – ‘Every traffic jam starts with at last one dumba$$. This one has five!’. Promising us that we’re in for the ride of our life, Road Rage comes with a highly (8/10) volatile maths model, a default RTP of 96.03% (versions available down to 92.17%), and wins available up to 36,000x bet – an amount that would turn any morning commute around.

Road Rage Base Game

Visually, well, where else would we be but on the road? Road Rage is set against a tarmac backdrop, making the symbols stand out in a vibrant way. There’s something that feels like it’s missing slightly, however. Maybe it’s a result of the admiration we’ve developed for the Nolimit City artwork, but Road Rage feels – empty? Of course, what is there in the form of symbols and logo are well done, but it just feels like there could have been more. Audios are exactly what you would expect – intense and powerful, and bring the whole thing back up a level. Overall, it works to bring you into this mindset of road rage, but it just could have been a bit…. more.

Road Rage Has Between 99 and 259 Connected Win Ways, Depending on the Amount of Reels.

Road Rage Base Features

Alright so first things first – wins are formed on Road Rage by matching at least 3 symbols on adjacent reels, beginning at the leftmost reel – and they must be connected. This is a ‘Connected Win Ways’ system, wherein ways to win are as you would expect, but symbols must be touching horizontally or diagonally to be considered part of the win. This can be a little unsettling at first, but it won’t take more than a few spins to pick things up. To help you form these wins there are 10 symbols.

We start with non-premiums, which begin with blue rear view mirrors, and purple smartphones (of course with a smashed screen). Landing 3 of a kind of either will pay 0.15x bet, whilst landing 5 of a kind will pay 0.50 and 0.75x bet, for mirrors and smart phones respectively. Up next are green Little Tree air fresheners (Cali Kush, if you’re wondering the scent), and flat tyres with a yellow background – landing 3 of a kind of either will award wins of 0.20x bet, increasing to values of 1 and 1.25x bet for 5 of a kind. Finishing up the non-premiums is a red cup of Liquid Lava – coffee, awarding wins between 0.25 and 1.50x bet for wins between 3 and 5 of a kind.

At the premium end, we meet our 5 dumba$$’, each with colours corresponding to the cause or vice to their road rage, and a license plate. We begin with UK 4RT3M, and K4R3N 69, awarding wins of 0.30x bet for 3 of a kind, increasing to 2 and 2.50x bet respectively for 5 of a kind. This is followed by 420 GR4N, and 4RI5T0C4T, awarding wins of 0.35x bet for 3 of a kind, increasing to 3 and 3.75x bet respectively for 5 of a kind. Finally, we have SPILL3D J0E, paying between 0.40 and 5x bet for wins between 3 and 5 of a kind.

Each Wild Car Offers a Different Feature

With no xBet, xSplit, xWays, xNudge, xPays, or xBomb in sight, Road Rage brings us entertainment in the form of Wild Cars – their take on a Sticky Wild. All cars on the reels are Wild, and have different features, depending on the colour:

• Yellow Cars (Engine Breakdown) – increases all other symbol sizes by +1 on the same reel.
• Red Cars (Drive-By) – drives from right to left, increasing the symbol multiplier by +x1 for all symbols it drives over, and leaving a Wild where it started and stopped.
• Green Cars (Drive-By) – drives from left to right, increasing the symbol multiplier by +x1 for all symbols it drives over, and leaving a Wild where it started and stopped.

Colliding cars trigger when the Red and Green Cars travel towards each other in the same row, with an odd number of symbols between them. Once they have collided, the multipliers on both cars are added together, and displayed on the Colliding Wild. The Colliding Wild is sticky if the Red or Green Car is sticky in a bonus game, but we’ll explain more on that below.

Landing 2 Scatters Triggers a Respin, Where a Wild Car is Guaranteed on Each Scatter Landing Reel

Car movements are stopped by Scatters, Mystery Symbols, or other Wild Cars. Fuel Rage can happen when 3 Red Cars are in a line, travelling in the same row, making the last Red Car ‘rage-out’, and lose 1 Drive-By multiplier.

Wilds do not pay on their own – instead they just help to form winning combinations with regular pay symbols, substituting for all symbols except Scatters in Connected Win Ways. If a full screen of Wilds is in view, Ghost Mode would be triggered – ie, the maximum win.

Landing 2 Scatters in the base game will trigger a Respin, with a Wild Car guaranteed on each reel a Scatter previously landed on.

Road Rage Bonus

Landing 3 or more Traffic Light Scatters triggers one of the following Bonus Modes:

• 3 Scatters – 6 Morning Rush Spins (3 rows active)
• 4 Scatters – 8 H1ghway Jam Spins (4 rows active)
• 5 Scatters – 10 City Mayh3m Spins (5 rows active)

The amount of rows active dictates the amount of Connected Win Ways available – with between 99 and 259 available in total.

Before any Bonus Mode begins, the Rage Buff will activate, deciding additional spins, and multipliers that apply to Wild Cars. Wild Cars will land on the rightmost reel, and move horizontally left through the reels, taking on the effect of any road sign symbols they pass. The following road signs symbols are available:

• Stop Sign – Stops the Wild Car from moving any further. This can only land during Rage Buff Respin.
• Turn Signs – Makes the Wild Car turn left, right, or make a U turn. One a car makes a U turn, Rage Buff Respin is activated, and the reel that triggers the respin will stick, and hold the car on that position.
• Free Spin Sign – Awards +1 spins.
• Car Sign – Increments Sticky multiplier by +x1.
• Speed Bump Sign – Increments Drive-By multiplier by +x1.
• Dice Sign – Reveals Free Spin, Car, or Speed Bump Sign, with x2 multiplier.

Rage Buff Decides Additional Spins and Wild Car Multipliers

It is possible to land Mystery Symbols during any of the 3 Bonus Modes, although only one Mystery Symbol can land per reel. Mystery Symbols reveal a colour of either green, red, or yellow. Revealing a colour that matches the sticky Wild Car, the Wild Car multiplier is increased by +x1. If the colour revealed matches a Wild Car that isn’t present in the bonus round, +1 spins will be awarded instead.

As we mentioned above, if the red or green Wild Car is sticky during any Bonus Mode, Colliding Wilds will be sticky.

Road Rage Morning Rush Spins

When Morning Rush Spins are triggered, one Wild Car colour is chosen at random to act as a Sticky Wild during the Bonus Mode. This means if they land on the reels, they will stick at their stop position – this will be the rightmost reel for the first Wild Car landing, but as more land on the same rows, these sticky Wilds can move further left, as Wild Cars are stopped by Scatters, Mystery Symbols, or other Wild Cars.

Landing 1 or 2 Scatter Symbols will upgrade the Bonus Mode to H1ghway Jam or City Mayh3m, respectively. The upgraded Bonus Mode will begin once all Morning Rush Spins have been exhausted, and Rage Buff will be triggered again, with 2 or 3 Wild Cars. At the time of the Bonus Mode Upgrade each Sticky Car Wild awards +1 spins, and any Collided Sticky Car Wilds award +2 spins.

Road Rage H1ghway Jam Spins

When H1ghway Jam Spins are triggered, two Wild Car colours are chosen at random to act as Sticky Wilds during the Bonus Mode. This means if they land on the reels, they will stick at their stop position – this will be the rightmost reel for the first Wild Car landing on each row, but as more land on the same rows, these sticky Wilds can move further left, as Wild Cars are stopped by Scatters, Mystery Symbols, or other Wild Cars.

Landing 1 Scatter Symbol will upgrade the Bonus Mode to City Mayh3m. The upgraded Bonus Mode will begin once all H1ghway Jam Spins have been exhausted, and Rage Buff will be triggered again with 3 Wild Cars. At the time of the Bonus Mode Upgrade each Sticky Car Wild awards +1 spins, and any Collided Sticky Car Wilds award +2 spins.

When City Mayh3m Spins are triggered, all 3 Wild Cars will act as Sticky Wilds during the Bonus Mode.

Road Rage City Mayh3m Spins

There are a number of Nolimit Bonus options for players in appropriate regions:

• 66x bet – 6 Morning Rush Spins
• 270x bet – 8 H1ghway Jam Spins
• 666x bet – 10 City Mayh3m Spins
• 334x bet – Lucky Draw (33-33-33% chance for each bonus)

Max bet for each of the above bonuses are €100, €32, €14, and €24, respectively. RTP is 96.14%, 96.05%, 96.26%, and 96.11%, respectively – based upon the 96.03% RTP setting.

The maximum win available in Road Rage is 36,000x bet – known as Ghost Rider. When the total win of a single game round exceeds this, the game round will end, and 36,000x bet will be awarded.

First Impression

Wow, that was a lot to cover. There’s plenty going on in Road Rage, and whilst it is fun to win and not really know how it happened, plenty of players do want to understand. If you’re one of them, you might need to read the rules a few times, but you’ll get there. That said, I’m not sure even I understand everything – like the cars beside the reels during a Bonus Mode. I know the top number represents the multiplier (well, I think), but I’m still not sure what the bottom does, and believe me – I’ve tried.

Road Rage doesn’t feel truly ‘Nolimit’. Sure, there are parts that do – animations, sounds (which really are superb), and the intense maths model all fit the bill, but overall there’s just something lacking. Now, if a different provider released Road Rage, would I feel the same? It’s hard to say, but such is the burden of being known for releasing bangers. In spite of feeling like something is missing, is it a bad release? Absolutely not, and there’s plenty here for players to sink their teeth into – including a highly volatile maths model rated only 8/10 – interesting when compared to the usual ‘extremes’ we see from the team. Maths stats are as follows:

• RTP Options – 96.03% / 94.16% / 92.17%
• RTP Main Game – 64.04%
• RTP Bonus Modes – 31.99%
• Volatility – High (8/10)
• Hit Frequency – 23.43%
• Max Win – 36,000x (~1 in 80M rounds)
• Win 100x bet – 1 in 1109 spins
• Free Spins – 1 in 221 spins

Nolimit City are one of the best studios for introducing pop culture references into their games – Karen being the obvious example. There’s plenty of humour to see throughout their portfolio, and this continues in Road Rage, with things like 420 Gr4n, a penalty charge notice, and an elderly woman flipping you off as she crosses the road. There’s a story to be told in each of their releases, and in this it’s the story of how something as simple as a cup of ‘SPILL3D J0E’ can ruin your morning.

Of course, the obvious here is that there are no x mechanics to be seen. Maybe the team thought they were using them too much, or maybe they felt they needed to prove their worth without them – who knows? Whatever the reason, the result is that it’s clear they can produce something without them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they should. The x mechanics are some of the best things to come from Nolimit City, and when the right combination hits they can really take the excitement to another level – so maybe they’re what it feels like we’re missing in Road Rage.

Overall, Road Rage is a decent release to the Nolimit Portfolio – but it probably won’t end up a flagship release. However, with wins up to 36,000x bet available, it’s not to be sniffed at.

*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.