Wild Hike (Relax Gaming) takes you on a night-time hike, set in a damp forest with wild animals and large wooden symbols. The pace is quite simple at the start, then the game picks up as soon as the expanding wilds trigger a series of respins.
Quick sheet (what you need to know)
Format | 6 reels × 4 rows, 4,096 ways to win |
|---|---|
RTP | 96.09% |
Volatility | High (irregular wins, bonus potential) |
Max win | 20,000× bet |
Bets | From 0.10 to 50 (depending on the casino) |
Theme, symbols and gameplay feel
Visually, the game focuses on a dark forest and animals (wolf, bear, wild boar, owl) as premium symbols, with the classic 10 to A completing the grid. Wins are made "any way": there are no fixed lines to memorise, you just need to align the same symbols on consecutive reels from the left. This structure makes the respins very easy to read: as soon as a wild expands on the 3rd or 4th reel, you quickly see whether the sequence can scale or not.
The mechanics that make the difference
The heart of the game is the Expanding Wild Respins: when a wild lands on reels 3 or 4, it can expand to cover the entire reel and trigger a re-spin. As long as wins land, the respins continue, and the wild multipliers increase by +1 with each re-spin. When two expanding wilds are involved in the same combination, their multipliers can multiply each other — which is when the biggest payouts occur.
The Free Spins bonus is triggered with 3 or 4 scatters (7 or 10 free spins). During free spins, the multiplier increase does not reset: if a session starts well, it can really stretch out. 🐺🌲
Bonus Buy option
Wild Hike offers a Buy Feature: buying free spins usually costs 75× the bet, and a "wild free spins" version can go up to 150× with a guaranteed win on a double expanding wild. It is tempting, but should be reserved for a budget planned for variance (the volatility remains high).
Game tips (without unrealistic promises)
📌 Bankroll management: given the volatility, a stable and moderate bet helps to absorb the dry spells.
🎯 Objective: aim for respin sequences with multipliers, rather than small regular wins.
🧪 Demo: test in fun mode to understand the frequency of respins and scatters.
Going further on 8Fortuna
To stay in the Relax Gaming universe, two titles to compare: Money Train 3 (more "action/bonus") and Winter Champions (snow atmosphere). And to test other games without pressure: free slot machines.
