Horses and the Great North American Plains have always lent themselves really nicely to the best free slots. The majestic beauty of both of these is often used to create a tranquil, calm atmosphere that keeps players relaxed while they are spinning the reels. Happy Hooves is one of those slots to use this theme, and it comes from the well-established developer, Pragmatic Play. While this slot might appear calm on the outside, these horses are actually hiding a high-volatile game stocked with special features. Let’s saddle up and see what they have in store in this Happy Hooves slot review.

The action in Happy Hooves doesn’t take place out in a big, beautiful field. Instead, you will find the horses inside a barn, with hay bales, buckets, and saddles strewn across the place. A big, beautiful sunset is setting over the plains and it can be viewed just above a barn door on the right-hand side of the screen. It’s a simple but effective design but it’s nothing that is going to live long in the memory. Of course, the higher-paying symbols in the slot are made up of the horses themselves.

Anyone who has ever attempted to ride a horse will know how extremely difficult it can be. Thankfully, you’ll have no such problems getting the reels of the Happy Hooves slot game to spin. The game is set across a 5x4 reel set, with 40 active paylines on each spin. 

The stake is adjusted using the +/- buttons located on either side of the spin button. Players are able to adjust the bet level, coin value, and total bet. The minimum bet here is $0.40, while the maximum is $100. This is fairly standard and is similar to what you could expect to find in a lot of top online slots.

As with all Pragmatic Play slots, Happy Hooves has been fully optimized by the company to work on a number of different online devices and platforms. The slot still provides the same gameplay, whether it is being played on smartphones, tablets, or desktop devices. It is best enjoyed when played in landscape mode, so be sure your device is set to auto-rotate before you hit the spin button.

The PowerNudge feature has been a bit of a hit for Pragmatic Play in the last year or so, and Happy Hooves is one of the slots to adopt it. In this slot, the PowerNudge Symbol works with Mystery Symbols and re-spins, and it is one of its most effective appearances yet.

Whenever players land a Mystery Symbol on the reels, it will reveal itself. If there are multiple, they will be the same symbol. A respin will then occur, with all other reels spinning, and the Mystery Symbol being nudged down one spot on its respective reel. This continues to happen until there are no Mystery Symbols on the reels.

If you get lucky and land multiple Mystery Symbols on multiple reels, you can find yourself sitting back for quite some time while the reels respin and potential wins stack up. The Mystery Symbols will always be a colored Wild or a Multiplier.

If you land three Scatter Symbols, you will launch the PowerNudge Respin Bonus. For this, the first spin will land at least eight Mystery Symbols across two reels. The game then continues to spin until there are no Mystery Symbols left. This guarantees at least four respins. To make it better, there is an additional Nudge Up Symbol added to the grid. If this lands, the symbols are nudged up, effectively adding an extra re-spin.

Depending on your location, you may be able to jump ahead and just buy the respins. This can be done for 100x the stake. This will not be available in some countries as a result of government legislation.

Don’t let the beauty of these horses fool you, this real money slot does manage to pack a little bit of a punch thanks to some strong numbers. The maximum win that you can land in the game sits at 5,000x their your stake, while the RTP of the slot is 96.49%, putting it higher than the average found in most top online slots. The slot has been given a full 5/5 volatility rating by Pragmatic Play.

Happy Hooves is a solid, if unspectacular, effort from Pragmatic Play. The PowerNudge feature is something the developer continues to work on, and this is arguably its most effective use yet. While there are elements of this slot that can be found and have been done better, elsewhere, there is still plenty to enjoy here. The game is capable of taking you on a fun ride, especially if you manage to hit a series of respins and can just watch the wins come in. This is a good effort from Pragmatic Play and one that can be found at a range of top online casinos.