Balloon Race

Evolution is a top provider in the iGaming industry, offering many exciting slot titles and popular live casino games like Crazy Time. The software developer has launched a refreshingly unique live game, Balloon Race, and I knew I just had to check it out.

You might be expecting a classic live slot variant when you first launch the game, but I was in for a pleasant surprise. The game features three exciting levels, but the last level is where the live game begins. With an impressive 96.09% RTP and medium volatility, Balloon Race is fun and rewarding to play. Read on to learn about my experience playing the game.

Unlike most casino live games I've come across, Balloon Race presents players with three different levels, each with various themes and functions. When I first launched the game, I started on the qualifying level. This level features a classic slot reel with a 5x3 reel machine and 10 paylines. While the slot machine is the central focus here, you can see two clusters of balloons in the background, adding color to the game and reflecting its title.

There are seven symbols: one Scatter, represented by a hot air balloon, and one Expanding Wild. At the bottom of the screen, there are two features that you can use to accelerate your qualifying time if you wish: the Xxxtreme Spin mode and the Super Xxxtreme Spin mode. I was surprised to see that there's no auto-bet option for this slot. You must continue wagering manually.

The next level is the Top-Up level. Here, I had the option of choosing to boost my qualifying booster by clicking the “Top Up” button on the page. There are two red, two yellow, two purple, and two green balloons at the bottom of the page on either side of the button. At the top of the page, you'll find four multiplier lines of corresponding colors to the balloon. Besides these objects, the page is empty.

After passing these two levels, you'll finally get to the “live casino” part, complete with a live host and the actual race. The theme of this level is centered around the clouds and a hot air balloon, where the host sits with a bingo-style machine holding 80 balls of the same colors as the balloons from the Top-Up level. Balloon Race not only features a cloud theme, but it also takes place within the actual clouds. I got this feeling of actively participating in an exciting sky race.

Besides the hot air balloon holding the host, there are four smaller ones in red, purple, green, and yellow. These are the balloons that run the Balloon Race. The goal is for one balloon to get to a matching multiplier strip before the other balloons.

One thing I consistently noticed through all the levels was the lack of distracting animations. The backgrounds are all plain with soft, pastel colors. Quiet music playing in the background ensures players get all the excitement from watching the race. The Balloon Race level is by far the most colorful interface of this live game.

The most important part of playing Balloon Race live is qualifying for the game. It's also the most tedious level of the game, so you need to be prepared for that. 

Once you've funded your wallet in a trusted casino online, launch Balloon Race from the live casino section. When the game opens, you'll be faced with the Qualifying level. What you need to do on this level is set a wager amount and start spinning the reel till you land three Scatters.

Alternatively, you can land three Wilds to qualify. This process may take a while, but you can speed it up by using Xxxtreme and Super Xxxtreme Spin modes at the bottom of the screen. Xxxtreme will cost you 5x your bet and guarantee you at least one Scatter and one Wild per spin, while Super Xxxtreme will cost you 50x your bet and give you two Scatters and two Wilds per spin. A little pricey, I know. However, it could save you loads of time just spinning the reels. 

If you land a Scatter with an attached multiplier in the qualifying rounds, it helps boost your gameplay for the main balloon race. Even if you don't, you can do something about it at the next level. 

Between playing the slot and trying to qualify, you'll get some wins along the way. It's not much, however, with the highest win being 15x your initial wager.

When you get to the Top-Up level, you can optionally top up on multipliers to boost your gameplay. Since it's random, topping up doesn't guarantee getting multipliers. If you choose to top up, four balloons in red, purple, green, and yellow begin a climb to a multiplier line of corresponding color at the top of the screen. 

There's a high chance the balloons will burst before getting there, but if anyone reaches it, it applies a multiplier to the line. Once that's done, you're in the race. 

Before the live host fires up the bingo machine to start the balloon race, an airplane passes overhead and randomly distributes additional multipliers to the multiplier lines. Next, the host draws a ball. If a red ball is drawn, the red, mini hot air ascends one step. The first balloon to climb five times to the multiplier lines wins the round, and all players are paid according to the multiplier on that color.

If you had any multipliers from the qualifying and Top-Ups levels, they're calculated with the existing multiplier, and you receive your culminated win. This brings you to the end of the round. You can start the process from scratch and then play again. As you've probably seen by now, the game is simple but refreshing and exciting.

Evolution's Balloon Race comes with a decent 96.09% RTP, which is within the acceptable rate for live casino game shows online. I consider it a game for both casual players and high rollers since I started with an initial bet of $0.10. Please bear in mind that whatever amount you bet in the qualifying stage is the same amount that'll be applied to your top-up for that round. 

The highest payout for every round is $500,000. Balloon Race is a medium volatility game, so you can get fairly big wins if your initial stake is a reasonable sum and you've landed sizable multipliers in the qualifying and top-up stages. This only applies to the final level, though. The qualifying level makes provisions for only small wins.

Balloon Race doesn't have any distinct bonus features that I can focus on except the last level of the game, which is sometimes referred to as the bonus rounds. Nevertheless, it's a fairly new invention in the iGaming scene, so I'll go over its top three distinguishing features with you:

Xxxtreme Spin

This spin in the qualifying stage is Evolution's option to shorten the qualification time by giving yourself a chance to land the required Scatters or Wilds more quickly. Wagering on Xxxtreme Spin mode ensures that one Wild and one Scatter appear each time you spin.

Super Xxxtreme Spin

Shortening the qualifying time even more, this spin mode gives you two Scatters and two Wilds for each spin. Using these modes makes it possible to qualify in as little as five minutes. A small golden button at the bottom of the screen opens the option box, and you make your pick of the two bonus spin modes.

Top-Up

This is the second leg of race qualifying, as well as a chance to rack up multipliers. It's fully optional, though. Here, you click on top-up, which costs the same as your qualifying bet. Six balloons containing random multipliers start ascending with a high possibility of bursting at any time. 

You can choose to skip it and wait for the race to begin instead. However, participating in top-ups may increase your potential wins significantly if the balloon makes it to the top and applies its multiplier to the multiplier line.

I almost gave up on Balloon Race live in the qualifying stage due to how long it took to land the required symbols. Like I said, this part can be a bit tedious. It took me 10 minutes to qualify for the first game, considering several factors, including how long the reels spin before stopping.

Things progressed quickly once I qualified for the round. The Top-Up level takes an average of 30 seconds to complete, regardless of whether you top up or not. However, the Balloon Race ends very quickly if one ball color is drawn successively. 

My first balloon race at the best live casino online was exciting and thrilling, keeping me on the edge of my seat. I realized quickly that the race can end in the most unanticipated ways. One color can make its four steps of the way, and another color will completely overtake it. 

In my next round, I tried using the Xxxtreme Spin mode. While it reduced qualification time, it wasn't by much. I think it took me six minutes to qualify using this feature.

The live experience can be improved, particularly the enthusiasm that the live host brings to the show.

One thing I can say is to be prepared for lots of losses in the first stage of playing Balloon Race. This happens due to how long it takes to qualify. I did make some wins on the slot while trying to qualify, but it wasn't worth much when I compared how much I had spent to qualify and the amount I ended up winning. 

I started with a moderate wager of $0.10, which made the losses not too painful. After seeing how long it can take to qualify, I took turns trying the Xxxtreme Spin modes. Since even those modes don't guarantee landing three Scatters or Wilds, I ended up losing a significant amount at first. 

However, I qualified with a 5x multiplier on the Scatter. Then, I also opted to top up. About two balloons made it successfully to the top: red and purple. These colors got an extra boost of multipliers for the balloon race. However, Yellow ended up winning the race, but I got a nice win when my multipliers from the qualifying stage were added. 

I'd suggest playing in the Xxxtreme Spin modes and topping up only if you're a high roller. In the end, the wins can be quite sizable and worth the losses incurred.

There's no need to spend hours scouring the internet for suitable casinos where you can play Balloon Race for real money. I've included some of the best casino sites from my personal experience below. Simply choose one and kick-start gameplay. 

Balloon Race by Evolution is an exciting combination of slot and live gaming. This game keeps you on the edge of your seat, anticipating the next outcome. 

What I love most about playing Balloon Race is that a win is guaranteed once you qualify for the game. Note that it can take a long time and many losses to qualify. However, the multipliers and exhilarating balloon races make it an enjoyable game to play at the best Evolution casinos.