Push Gaming has established itself as one of the leading slot studios in the past few years. The popular game developer has released more than a few hits, including the likes of Jammin’ Jars and Jammin' Jars 2. Its great streak continues with Hearts Highway, an action-packed slot game with all kinds of surprises, including a jackpot for the luckiest players.

My analysis of the Hearts Highway slot proved that it’s every bit as unique as it gets. The medium high variance is paired with a quite high RTP of 96.44%. There are 20 fixed paylines to win across and some retro slot symbols on the reels. The game’s retro-futuristic, cyberpunk vibes are masterfully mixed with modern gameplay features.

You’ll be racing on a highway full of hearts – the most important symbol in this game. Landing the red hearts fills the meters above the reels up, instantly awarding cash prizes. It’s like a Scatter Jackpot mechanic but a bit more rewarding than usual. There’s plenty more to cover in this slot, so strap in while I take you on this ride through my Hearts Highway slot review.

As mentioned earlier, the slot has pretty retro-futuristic looks. Think of 1990s video game adventures, except with much sharper visuals. The reels are populated by classic slot machine symbols. Expect to see plenty of fruits, including cherries, watermelons, and oranges, along with the usual suspects, such as BARs, 7s, and stars. The background shows a stop on the Hearts Highway – a shady motel/gas station with a broken letter on the sign. Classic retro vibes.

As expected out of a Push Gaming slot, the graphics are amazing, and so are the animations. Those pumping hearts whenever you land more than 4 and award a prize are a delight to watch. The soundtrack is as retro as it gets, as well. It gives off 1980s disco vibes, which perfectly blend with the theme and make this slot a retro-futuristic tale for the ages.

The action in Hearts Highway begins as soon as you choose your bet. The range goes between 10c and $100 per spin. Hit the spin button when ready, or use the Autoplay feature to let the slot’s reels spin on their own. The action in the base game revolves around the hearts. They’re key to landing the bigger wins and play a role in both the mini-game features and the bonus spins round.

But let’s start with the regular symbols first. The red 7 and bell are the highest paying symbols, delivering wins of 30x and 22.50x for 5 of a kind. The wild matches the red 7 in terms of payouts, and also substitutes for other symbols in winning combinations.

A red heart is the core of the action, acting as an instant bet multiplier. If you happen to have played scatter prize ladder slots before, this one works in a similar way. You need at least 4 hearts on the reels for a 2x payout. The more hearts you land, the bigger the reward. Up to 10 hearts can possibly land this way, delivering the 10,000x jackpot. These are instant win symbols, so they pay independently of any other winning combination.

A golden heart may also land on the reels, but only during the bonus feature. The final special symbol is the mini slot machine, which lands on the first and last reels only.

We already talked about the jackpot mechanics, which revolve around collecting red hearts. There’s another feature I’ve triggered several times during the base game – the Heart Slot feature. It plays out when you land a slot machine on the 1^st and 5^th reel simultaneously. A retro slot machine will then occupy the central area, with 6 reels and a single line. The reels spin between single and double hearts and duds – the latter pay nothing. When a red heart lands, it will be locked on the reels. The slot machine will continue to spin until there are no red hearts to land. You get paid relative to the number of red hearts that landed on the reels according to the instant prize paytable.

If you land 3 or more scatters, the Hearts Highway bonus round will play out. You receive 10 bonus spins for 3 scatters or 12/15 for 4 or 5. All symbols except for hearts are removed from the grid during the bonus. Golden hearts are added, too, appearing on the central reels. These symbols are collected in a special meter. You get an extra spin for 3, with a full reel with red hearts beneath the reels for the remainder of the bonus.

Landing 3 or more scatters retriggers the bonus round with the same number of spins as the original trigger. There’s a Bonus Buy feature that costs 75x and a Push bet that costs 20% extra by boosting your bonus trigger chances by 74%.

I love everything about the Hearts Highway slot game. It gives off amazing retro vibes and is powered by a jackpot prize mechanic that delivers spin after spin. While the developer lists it as a medium volatile slot game, I have to say it’s a bit on the high side. I needed around 10 spins in the beginning to hit a win, and even then, it was a red heart score (2x).

I managed to hit a few more wins later at my recommended slot sites, but no big red heart prizes. After playing around for a while, I paid for the push bet to push my chances for the bonus round. It didn’t take long for me to trigger it, and it was a blast to play the bonus after landing a slew of golden hearts. I even managed to retrigger it once with 3 scatters, adding to my overall win for a pretty decent experience.

The Hearts Highway slot is 96.44%, which is much higher than the average for highly volatile slots. It’s a medium high volatile game, with a maximum jackpot of 10,000x the bet.

Push Gaming has become one of my favorite developers in the past few years. It simply knows how to design a good slot, especially in the visual department. Hearts Highway is one of its better releases, matching perfect retro aesthetics with great sound effects and vibes. It’s a rewarding slot, too, thanks to the jackpot red heart mechanics and the lucrative mini-game and bonus round.

There aren’t many slots that match Hearts Highway in visuals. If you like the instant prize concept, you should try 9 Masks of Fire or 9 Pots of Gold, both developed by Gameburger Studios. For more Push Gaming action, go with Razor Returns or Jammin’ Jars and Jammin' Jars 2.