The Border Slot Review

The Border Slot RTP, Details and Wager Limits

Beginning on a 6×6 grid, The Border slot is Nolimit City’s first grid slot. With a Cluster Pays engine, this is the first game to use the new xCluster mechanic. Anyway, a winning cluster/combination is achieved by landing 5 or more matching symbols that are touching horizontally and/or vertically.

Bet options range from 20p to £100 per spin. Click on the Dollar icon to the bottom left-hand side of the grid to bring up all 15 available stake options. Non UK slot players have 2 additional functions. The Autoplay facility allows from 10 to 1,000 autospins as well as single win and balance limits. If you want to increase your spin speed, enable the Turbo Mode function which is activated using the Lightning Bolt icon (bottom right-hand corner).

The Border RTP is 96.17% which is above the 96% slots average. 53.77% of that return is for the base game with 42.4% for the bonus features. Bear in mind there are 94.07% and 92.15% RTP options. That said, you may find the 94.07% version at some UK slot sites so best check before you start playing.

As expected, the volatility is considered as extreme (10/10). The hit frequency rate is 29.58% which means a winning cluster will land ever 3.38 spins on average. Winning 100 x bet or higher will take approximately 634 spins and triggering the free spins will happen every 260 spins.

When it comes to win potential, the max payout per spin is 44,288 x your total bet. Interestingly, it’s the amount of cocaine in kilos that’s being impounded each year by the US authorities. The max payout will occur once every 44 million spins on average. The bigger wins will come from free spins features naturally.

Theme: patrol agents take on cartel kingpins

With an immigration theme, the storyline in The Border slot is that you will immerse yourself in a desolate world of trigger-happy patrol agents and cash fuelled cartel kingpins. Your aim is the not underestimate the power of the border wall as freedom and riches await. If you don’t succeed, you could end up being the vulture’s evening feed.

The setting is Mexico/United States border which is 3,145 kilometres long and runs from the Gulf of Mexico along the Rio Grande to the border crossing at Juárez, Chihuahua, and El Paso, Texas. It’s the most frequently crossed border in the world with approximately 350 million legal crossings per year.

According to the United States Border Patrol Agency’s 2010 annual report, there are over 6 million undocumented Mexicans living in the US. This has resulted in the Border Patrol receiving 600 million dollars to implement and improve security. In the 2021 fiscal year, the U.S. Border Patrol detained over 1.7 million migrants crossing the border illegally.

Set at a heavily guarded border crossing point, you’ll see a huge wall with barbed wire behind the grid. It looks like the San Quentin slot which has a prison theme. The soundtrack has a Mexican twang and could easily feature in a Narcos episode. It’s emotive and guitar based giving it a dramatic feel.

On the grid, they are 13 symbols with 8 standard ones. You’ll find scorpions, snakes and vultures as well as 5 characters. These include female migrants, Loco Luis from San Quentin, a Border Patrol agent, a Sheriff and a Drug Lord who resembles Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. The Drug Lord is the best paying symbol with 160+ om a cluster awarding 2,214.4 x your total bet.

Other symbols you’ll see on the grid include xWays, xSplit, xNudge Cluster Wilds, xBomb Wilds and the xCluster. Wilds substitute for all symbols bar the scatter. Finally, there is a Dollar Sign Scatter which will trigger the free spins features. More details on all these can be found below in the Bonus Features section.

Symbol	Payouts/Info
Scorpion	160+ pays 553.85 x bet
Snake	160+ pays 553.85 x bet
Vulture	160+ pays 553.85 x bet
Female Migrant	160+ pays 1,107.2 x bet
Loco Luis	160+ pays 1,107.2 x bet
Border Patrol Agent	160+ pays 1,107.2 x bet
Sheriff	160+ pays 1,107.2 x bet
Drug Lord	160+ pays 2,214.4 x bet
Dollar Sign Scatter	3, 4 or 5 = 0.4, 0.6 or 1.75 x stake

The Border Mobile

The Border has been optimised for 1280x720px or 16:9 ration devices (this is the highest definition standard commonly known as 720p. This means it can be played on desktop, mobile and tablet devices. Compatible with iOS, Android and Windows smartphones, I recommend you play using a laptop or PC to get the full visual experience.

The Border Bonus Features

With 10 bonus features, The Border slot has plenty to offer. This grid game comes with collapses and various special symbols that transform, split and nudge clusters as well as increase the win multiplier. xBombs explode symbols and increase the win multiplier. There are 2 free spins features where the new xCluster feature sees the win multiplier increase for each unique symbol cluster.

Collapse feature

When you see 5 or more matching symbols in a winning cluster, the Collapse feature is triggered. Winning cluster symbols are destroyed allowing new ones to drop in. This can lead to successive wins. It’s also a staple of most grid slots.

xMechanic features

The Border slot comes with lots of xMechanic features which are triggered when certain symbols land on the grid. Here are all the details:

Feature	Description
xWays	Transforms into 2 or 4 instances of a regular paying symbol. If multiple xWays land, all xWays symbols reveal the same symbol. An xWays symbol will either be 2 full size symbols or 4 half symbols. This helps connect more symbols adjacent to each other.
xSplit	Landing on reels 2-6, it splits all symbols to the left and doubles the symbol size as well as converting itself into a wild. Splitting scatters, multiple xSplit symbols on the same row will see a multiplier value up to 64x applied to already split symbols.
xNudge Cluster Wild	This wild can nudge both up and down if part of a winning cluster. It increases the win multiplier by 1 for each symbol it nudges over. If the symbol has an xMultiplier value, it increments with that value. If the xNudge Cluster Wild has been split by the xSplit symbol, it starts by adding its own multiplier to the overall multiplier.
xBomb Wild	Substitutes for all paying symbols, it removes adjacent symbols except scatters and wilds. It also increases the win multiplier by 1 for the next collapse. If the xBomb Wild is split, it increases the win multiplier for the next collapse with the amount it’s been split into. Finally, all xBomb Wilds explode before the next collapse takes place.

Mule Spins feature

The Mule Spins feature is triggered when 6 scatters land on the grid. 10 free spins are then awarded. When the xWays symbol is part of a Cluster win, Cluster symbols on the same reel are infected before the xSplit and xNudge are activated.

xWays symbols revealing 2 or 4 symbols would infect them to split into 2 or 4 symbols respectively. Each scatter gives you 2 free spins. Furthermore, scatters will also give you an upgrade to the Coyote Spins feature. This will occur every 15 times you play the Mule Spins feature on average.

You also have the xCluster feature. 2 or more unique symbol Clusters in the same collapse/avalanche will increase the win multiplier by 1 for each unique symbol cluster from the 2^nd Cluster onwards.

Coyote Spins feature

The Coyote Spins feature is played when 7 or more scatters appear anywhere on the grid. Your reward is 12 free spins for 7 scatters and 2 extra free spins for any extra scatter (i.e. 10 scatters will result in 18 free spins). The xCluster feature also applies.

xWays symbols infect Cluster symbols but all Cluster symbols are infected. xBomb Wilds add their multiplier value to all symbols with an xX indicator that are not blown away. xBomb Wilds with a multiplier will increase by 1. The good news is that the win multiplier doesn’t reset between free spins.

Boosted xRIP feature

At the cost of an extra 50%, you can enable the Boosted xRIP feature. You are guaranteed a scatter symbol on reel 1. However, there are no payouts for winnings below your stake if you use this feature. Here’s a couple of stats to help you decide whether to use this feature:

Nolimit Bonus feature

As with all Nolimit City slots these days, there is a Nolimit City Bonus feature. Not available in the UK, you can buy your way into various bonus features. There are 3 options which cost between 98 and 914 x your total bet.

Use the yellow Star icon/button to activate them. If you choose the Lucky Draw option, there’s a 50/50 chance of which free spins feature you’ll play. 33% chance of playing of playing each free spins feature. Here’s what you can choose from:

The Border Review Summary: Nolimit City blows the grid slot concept out of the water

4.8/5

Based on our expert’s review. Reviewed by Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor

Play The Border

The Border Slot

The Border is Nolimit City’s first grid slot and introduces the xCluster mechanic for an explosive cocktail of mechanics, max win potential and controversy.

Pros

• 44,288 x bet max wins (1 in 44 million)
• Nolimit City's first grid slot
• New xCluster mechanic

Cons

• Gameplay can seem complicated

Grid slots have become very popular in recent times. Slots like Jammin’ Jars 2 (Push Gaming) and Star Clusters Megaclusters (BTG) have been cult favourites at many online casinos. Nolimit City has blown the concept out of the water, or over the barbed wire wall I must say with The Border slot.

In terms of the theme, the US/Mexico border issue is a controversial one due to the fact its one of the world’s most lethal land borders where hundreds of hopefuls die every year. Nolimit City is no stranger to controversy with the releases of Tombstone RIP (with murder, hangings and amputations) and Karen Maneater (based on an entitled/demanding white woman). Fair play to the provider for having the guts to create a slot that, again, will divide opinion and stir up emotion.

When it comes to the gameplay, there are lots of bonus features to get your head around. We’ve seen many of Nolimit City’s mechanics come together in The Border to devastating effect. This enables a unique and new playing experience not seen before in grid slots. I do recommend you play the demo version above to get acquainted with everything that’s going on though.

The bigger wins will come from the free spins features. This is due to the xCluster feature increasing the win multiplier by 1 for each unique symbol cluster. xWays and xSplit symbols can see the grid grow which allows wining clusters of over 160 symbols. Add in the multiplier increases for potential wins of up to 44,288 x bet.

I particularly liked the Coyote Spins feature where the win multiplier can only increase. You will upgrade to the Coyote Spins feature from the Mule Spins feature once every 15 triggers. Finally, using the Boosted xRIP feature is seriously worth considering. The max win is achieved much more often (1 in 8 million spins vs 1 in 44 million spins). Also, triggering the free spins will happen every 112 spins vs 260 spins (on average).

In summary, The Border slot has combined many of Nolimit City’s mechanics and added a new one for an explosive cocktail. Extremely volatile, this all-action grid slot delivers controversy, explosive wins and huge clusters that can lead to big payouts. I just hope you don’t underestimate the power of the border and end up being the vulture’s evening feed.