In Hawaiian mythology, Pele is a volcano goddess who shaped and crafted the landscape. Belief in Pele was all but outlawed in 1819 with the arrival of Christian missionaries to the islands. And when she was reincarnated as a Brazilian soccer player toward the end of the 20th century, she quickly became regarded as the world’s best. That’s two truths and a lie. Can you guess which ones are which?

While you’re thinking about the solution to my ridiculous riddle, you should check out Thunderkick’s latest dip into the world’s cultural heritage for inspiration with its new Lava Lava slot.

Can you feel the heat?

Lava Lava slot is stunning to look at, and that’s really no surprise. Thunderkick has made a name for themselves by producing slot games that are great to look at even if their mechanics may not always hit the mark.

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Pele is a little obscured in the background during base gameplay. However, when the bonus game is activated, she is beautifully animated as a giant titan towering above her subjects. This brings me to her subjects. At the base of the reels, there are a number of small rectangular island people who will celebrate each of your winning combinations like a personal hype crew – it’s great!

That’s really just scratching the surface, though. There’s great music, one of the most satisfying spin noises I’ve ever heard, and just a whole bunch of other fun details.

So, you can feel it, but can you take it?

You know what they say about being able to stand the heat, right? That’s correct – if you can’t stand the heat, your laptop’s probably overheating, and you should do something about that. Now, let’s talk about these bonus features.

The slot’s base gameplay is mostly devoid of bonus features. However, there is a wild symbol that substitutes for all other symbols to complete winning combinations. And it’s not just any wild symbol. Any winning combination that includes a wild symbol will receive a multiplier value that will depend on how many wilds are involved in the win.

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If you’re looking for the big wins from the lady who runs the place, you’ll need to find a Pele scatter symbol. This will activate an avalanche feature with the chance to complete more winning combinations. It will also give you a chance to hunt for two more Pele scatter symbols to unlock the retriggerable free spins feature.

Once unlocked, you’ll get 10 free spins. Each free spin will come with the avalanche feature activated, maximizing your winning potential. Plus, before every spin, Pele will throw a random number of fiery wilds onto the reels to further superheat your winning opportunities.

Is Lava Lava really worth standing all this heat?

They were really close with this one. Lava Lava slot’s graphics and animations are fantastic, and its bonus features are exciting. It’s just too slow. With no real base game bonuses, no quick spin option, and high volatility, I found myself having to cycle through far more spins than I’d like between the action. And that’s a shame because, with the addition of that 10,000x max multiplier, this slot should have been a great addition to the Thunderkick roster.

If you’re like me, and you’re not convinced with Lava Lava slot, I recommend giving Not Enough Kittens or Bork the Berzerker a try. Both titles are also from Thunderkick and Bork the Berzerker is on my list of the? top 10 slots of all time.