Riddle Reels: A Case of Riches (Play'n Go) Slot Review

Riddle Reels: A Case of Riches: Slot Overview
Dust off your deerstalker hat and light up your pipe—Play’n GO invites you to crack a case alongside the world’s greatest fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Riddle Reels: A Case of Riches is a crime-solving slot adventure where logic meets luck, blending vintage fruit slot vibes with an investigative bonus game full of clever features. Released on July 30, 2020, the slot is far from a dry procedural. Instead, it’s a punchy, fast-paced game packed with mystery, multipliers, and mini missions.
Played on a classic 3×3 reel grid with 9 fixed paylines, this slot is easy to pick up, but its bonus structure adds unexpected depth. Featuring medium volatility, a 96.22% RTP, and a max win of 5,000x your bet, the game walks a fine line between simplicity and surprise. This is more than a fruit machine reskin—it’s a cleverly disguised mystery with Play’n GO’s trademark polish.
Design and Graphics
Riddle Reels takes you into the foggy streets of 19th-century London, with lamp-lit alleys and brick facades setting the mood. The game interface is clean and elegant, with a golden-framed slot grid adorned with subtle Victorian flourishes. Holmes himself occasionally pops in with a knowing glance, reinforcing the theme without overwhelming it. The symbols are a mix of classic crime weapons and colorful suspects, all rendered in a bright, cartoony style that strikes a balance between noir and playful. You’ll find pistols, daggers, ropes, nooses, and shady characters like a monocled gentleman and a golden-haired dame. This isn’t grim or overly serious—it’s more of a theme park detective ride, which works surprisingly well.
Animations are smooth, reels stop with satisfying weight, and transitions between game phases (especially the bonus board) are sharp and seamless. While not graphically groundbreaking, the design is polished, cohesive, and fits the tone perfectly.
Gameplay Mechanics
Riddle Reels uses a 3×3 layout with 9 fixed paylines, offering a nod to vintage slot mechanics while incorporating a few modern enhancements. Wins are awarded when three matching symbols land on any payline.
The slot has three types of wilds:
Standard Wild: Substitutes for any regular symbol.
x2 Multiplier Wild
x3 Multiplier Wild
These multiplier wilds are crucial. When included in a winning combination, they can amplify your payout dramatically—particularly when multiple multipliers land. For example, an x3 wild on each reel results in a staggering x27 multiplier, pushing the game’s max win potential.
With its medium volatility and rapid spin pace, the base game delivers a steady rhythm of moderate wins. But the real fun begins when the game starts dropping scatter symbols, setting up the layered bonus structure.
Sound and Music
The soundtrack evokes a cinematic detective drama, complete with brooding strings, mysterious piano melodies, and subtle ambient noise like footsteps and rustling fog. It fits the London crime theme perfectly, never overbearing but always present to reinforce the mood.
Sound effects are equally polished. Spins stop with a vintage click, wilds trigger with satisfying energy, and scatter landings are emphasized with a swell of suspense. During the bonus board sequence, the music intensifies slightly to signal the higher stakes and clue-solving progression.
Overall, the audio experience is well-integrated and helps immerse players in this Sherlockian spin on classic slot gameplay.
Bonus Features
The core bonus structure of Riddle Reels revolves around clues, dice rolls, and a progression system. Here’s how it works: Respin Feature
If two scatters land, the third reel gets a respin. This provides a second chance to trigger the Free Spins round. If the third scatter fails to land, the Mystery Feature activates instead.
Mystery Feature
If a third scatter doesn’t land, each scatter symbol expands to cover its reel and reveals either a suspect or weapon symbol. All symbols on the grid are then transformed into a matching symbol, creating guaranteed wins.
Free Spins (Clue Board Game)
Landing 3 scatter symbols anywhere triggers the Free Spins feature, which cleverly mimics a detective board game:
The player receives 5 clues to solve.
A 14-space board is presented.
Players roll a dice four times, moving 1–6 spaces per roll.
Each space contains 1–3 free spins with a unique modifier.
After each spin, the game awards progress toward solving a clue.
Clue Spin Modifiers:
Weapon: All weapon symbols convert into a single type.
Suspect: All suspect symbols convert into the same suspect.
Guaranteed Wild Reel: A full wild or multiplier wild reel is locked.
Nothing: Bad luck, no bonus this time.
Solving clues fills a Clue Point Wheel. If filled completely within 4 dice rolls, a Mega Spin is triggered:
Mega Spin: One reel is wild or multiplier wild; the other reels match a suspect or weapon.
The round retriggers after the Mega Spin, creating loop potential.
If the wheel isn’t filled, players still get a chance at the Mega Spin if the arrow lands within the charged zone when the wheel spins.
This system adds strategy and unpredictability, turning the bonus game into a progressive puzzle with real depth.
Betting Options and Payouts
Rich in features yet easy to access, Riddle Reels allows bets from €0.10 to €100 per spin, appealing to both casual players and high-rollers. Its medium volatility ensures a smoother ride than Play’n GO’s more aggressive titles.
Paytable Highlights:
Weapons (low-paying): Pay 0.4x to 1x
Suspects (high-paying): Pay 2x to 12x
Wilds: Standard or x2/x3 multipliers
x3 wilds across a line pay a maximum 324x the stake
The maximum win is 5,000x your stake, attainable through full-line wild wins with stacked multipliers, or a particularly lucrative Mega Spin.
The default RTP of 96.22% is solid, but as with all Play’n GO slots, it’s wise to check as alternative RTP versions may be used by operators.
Conclusion
Riddle Reels: A Case of Riches is an inventive hybrid of classic fruit-slot simplicity and board-game-style progression, wrapped in a detective theme that offers both charm and intrigue. The base game is straightforward and breezy, ideal for quick sessions, while the bonus features add surprising depth through its clue board and Mega Spin mechanic.
It’s a smartly constructed slot that doesn’t try to be the biggest or boldest, but succeeds in offering a different kind of experience—one that trades endless modifiers and Megaways-style chaos for strategic progress and fun detective roleplay.
Not everyone will love the 3×3 grid or the slower-paced board game bonus, but for players who enjoy narrative slots and clever feature sets, Riddle Reels is a mystery worth solving.