Fire in the Hole 2

Fire in the Hole 2 Review

Fire in the Hole 2 Reviewed by Casinogamesonnet.com

Fire in the Hole is one of the most-successful Nolimit City slots of all time, which says a lot when considering NLC’s many hits. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Nolimit has decided to release a sequel called Fire in the Hole 2. You can find out what to expect from this game in the following Fire in the Hole 2 review.

Pros and Cons of Fire in the Hole 2

Gameplay and Graphics

This slot will feature the same style of grid and gameplay as the original Fire in the Hole. Therefore, the grid will have 6 reels and 3 rows (6x3 grid) by default. You can expand the game board up to 6 rows (6x6 grid), allowing for up to 46,656 ways. You’ll score wins by lining up 3+ matching symbols in adjacent reels, beginning with the first reel and moving right.

Fire in the Hole 2 looks much like the original in terms of graphics and setting. The same unhinged dwarf miner is back with more explosives than ever before. You can also look forward to a slightly different mine setting with gems and gold laying in various buckets.

Payouts and Max Win Potential

Symbols include royals (A-9), work boots, a lantern, shovel, treasure map, and dynamite (wild). You will also come across special symbols, like a buzzsaw that splits symbols (covered later). The Fire in the Hole 2 max win is 65,000x the stake, which is slightly higher than the first game (60,000x).

RTP, Volatility and Betting Options

The Fire in the Hole 2 RTP is 96.07% at the highest setting. Like with many NLC games, though, you need to watch for lower alternative payout percentages—plunging as low as 87.1% in this case.

The betting range runs from €0.20 to €100 per spin. You can activate an xBet, which, for an extra 2.5x on your wager, gives you 1 in 49 odds of triggering free spins (versus 1 in 211). Volatility is 10/10, placing this game in the extreme range.

Game Features

The following features consist of currently available information (via Nolimit) about the game. You can look forward to xBomb Wilds, xSplit symbols, Collapsing Mine, Lucky Wagon Spins, Buried features, Wild Mining, and a bonus buy option.

Collapsing Mine

You can expand the number of rows from 3 (729 ways) up to 6 (46,656 ways) through collapses. A collapse is possible through any of the following occurrences:

• Winning combination
• xBomb Wild explosion
• During the Wild Mining feature

Winning symbols disappear and leave vacant symbols, which leads to collapses (i.e., cascading reels). Collapsing Mine will continue until no more winning combos are possible.

xBomb Wilds

An xBomb Wild symbol will substitute for any other symbol except bonus scatters. It explodes and blows up adjacent symbols (again, except for bonus symbols) and boosts the win multiplier by +1 for the following collapse. xBomb Wilds always explode before the next collapse, except for when Wild Mining triggers. Additionally, xBombs blow up after a win even when not part of the winning combination. It also explodes on no-win spins if Wild Mining isn’t triggered.

xSplit Symbols

An xSplit symbol splits all symbols into two in its respective row. If a position has 8+ split symbols, it will indicate the number of icons it holds through a multiplier value. Other xSplit symbols and bonus scatters are the only symbols that won’t split. Any dirt block (covered below) that gets split will disappear during a collapse.

Buried Features

A dirt block in the base game can contain either a bonus, wild, or xSplit symbol. You must split or remove a dirt block position to activate its hidden modifier.

Wild Mining

You trigger Wild Mining in the base game by landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 matching symbols horizontally or vertically on a non-winning spin. Wild Mining removes triggering symbols and places wild symbols in the middle positions of the vacant spots. It performs this action as follows:

• 3 triggering symbols = 1 wild
• 4 triggering symbols = 2 wilds
• 5 triggering symbols = 3 wilds
• 6 triggering symbols = 4 wilds

All other positions that don’t get wilds will explode and trigger a collapse. The only exceptions include when these positions contain bonus or wild symbols.

Lucky Wagon Spins

You trigger Lucky Wagon Spins with 2, 3, or 4 rows by landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters, respectively, anywhere on the reels. This bonus begins with 3 spins and resets to 3 whenever a new coin lands on the grid. The coin markings represent how much they are worth.

A top row is available during Lucky Wagon Spins, and this provides modifiers like coin values, Beer, Dwarf, Dynamite, and multipliers. You activate one of these enhancers anytime that a coin lands directly below a given modifier. Here’s what each enhancer does:

• Coin value – Determines the value of the given coin.
• Multiplier – Multiplies all coins in its respective reel by its displayed value.
• Dynamite – Throws a number of dynamite sticks onto the reels equal to the triggering coin value. Depending upon where it lands, dynamite can remove dirt, double coin values, or open treasure chests (covered later).
• Beer – Reactivates between 0-5 coins and unlocks their respective enhancers for the following spin.
• Dwarf – Collects all coin values within the reel area of the triggering coin.

Aside from the enhancers covered above, you might also see the following modifiers during this bonus round:

• Upgrade Crystal – The top row with enhancers may offer Upgrade symbols, which will boost the effect of triggering coins. Available upgrades include coin values and multipliers reactivating the triggering coin for the next spin; and Beer, Dwarf, and Dynamite becoming persistent features.
• Collect Chests – The bottom row can provide Collect Chests, which open through Dynamite. When opened, these chests will gather values in the triggering reel area for each remaining spin.

The Lucky Wagon feature continues until you run out of spins or the grid becomes full of coins.

Bonus Buy

You can purchase different features through the following options:

• 3 guaranteed scatters (Lucky Wagon Spins) – 70x the stake (€100 max possible bet)
• 4 guaranteed scatters (Lucky Wagon Spins) – 200x the stake (€100 max possible wager)
• 5 guaranteed scatters (Lucky Wagon Spins) – 600x the stake (€100 max possible bet)
• Lucky Draw on number of scatters – 175x the stake (€100 max possible wager)

How Does This Game Compare to the Original?

Released in 2021, Fire in the Hole quickly attracted players due to its unique xBomb feature and huge win potential. Fire in the Hole 2 offers much of the same—plus more. You can still trigger features like xBomb, Collapsing Mine, Wild Mining, and Lucky Wagon Spins in this sequel. However, you will also unlock new extras like Buried features and Upgrade Crystals.

The Fire in the Hole 2 max win isn’t much larger at 65,000x, versus 60,000x for the first game. We expected something perhaps higher, although this max payout is still impressive no matter what.

Final Thoughts on Fire in the Hole 2 Slot

This game is a very worthy sequel to the original. It has the same crazed dwarf miner, explosive features, and massive wins that have made the original such a success.

Fire in the Hole 2 slot also provides the same lofty win potential as the first game—except even a little higher at 65,000x. You do pay for chasing such big payouts in the form of incredibly high volatility.

Provided you can deal with the volatility, though, Fire in the Hole 2 is a great game. We highly recommend this slot, especially if you enjoy the original. Even if you haven’t tried the first game, you will probably like all the features and serious win potential involved with the sequel.

Release Date

Fire in the Hole 2 was released on February 22 2024.