Our Hugo Legacy review takes a look at the latest slot to star 1990s cult hero Hugo the Troll. The likable fantasy character returns, along with all of his friends, in this August 2023 release which marks his 30th anniversary.
The Hugo Legacy slot by Play’n GO will appeal to a mass audience, with wide betting limits, well-balanced volatility and an action-packed cluster pays mechanism. To learn all about these, plus the slot’s many other features, keep reading!
| Software Provider | Play’n GO |
| Release Date | August 2023 |
| RTP | 96.20% |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Max Win | 3,000x |
| Reels x Rows | 7 x 7 |
| Minimum – Maximum Bet | $0.10 - $100 |
| Number of Paylines | Cluster Pays |
| Themes | Fantasy, Cartoon |
Hugo Legacy Details, RTP and Volatility
Although the 3,000x max win of the Hugo Legacy slot isn’t the biggest around, the standard Return To Player rate of 96.20% is a little above average. Be careful though, as several much less generous versions of the game can be found at some online casinos. These values are 94.20%, 91.20%, 87.20% and 84.20%.
The game’s mathematical model is nicely balanced, offering enough decent wins to keep even the most impatient of players happy. Play’n GO rates the variance level as 6/10. You can play from just $0.10 per spin, which suits casual gamers well enough. But higher-rollers are kept in mind too, with a maximum play of $100.
Theme & Graphics in Hugo Legacy
Hugo Legacy is set in a fantasy world, with a scenic forest sitting behind the 7x7 reel grid. This is beautifully depicted, while the cast of characters are also drawn in great detail. Throughout the game, a dramatic, almost cinematic score plays, adding to the drama and tension.
Anyone who grew up watching Hugo the Troll’s touch-tone telephone games on 1990s television shows will instantly get it. Hugo’s familiar friends all make an appearance in the game, while the old-school red telephone to the right of the grid is a nod to the character’s origins.
Hugo Legacy Slot Features
No Hugo Legacy review would be complete without a runthrough of the slot’s key gameplay features. So let’s address that immediately.
Regular Symbols
The game’s higher-paying symbols are Hugo and four of his friends. Jean Paul the monkey, Fernando the toucan, Don Croco the crocodile and the evil witch Scylla all make an appearance. They can pay up to 1,000x for a cluster of 20 or more.
Lower paying symbols are images from Hugo games of old, including mining carts, dynamite and a skeleton key. You’ll also find bars of gold with “30 years” etched into them, a nod to the fact that this is an anniversary slot.
Cascades
Match at least five symbols in a cluster and they’ll vanish from the playing grid. This creates space for new symbols to tumble in, potentially leading to winning combinations.
Wild
Like all good online slots, Hugo Legacy features a wild symbol. This is a huge, sparkling diamond and it can replace any regular symbol to create wins.
Telephone Meter
There’s no scatter in this game, but it’s still possible to earn free spins. Every time you form a winning cluster, the symbols involved are added to the telephone meter. Charge it enough and various benefits will come your way.
Match at least 15 symbols in any single round and spin a wheel containing all of the game’s characters. Whichever is chosen brings their own unique element to the rest of the spin:
- Hugo: Between five and eight wilds are added to the reels.
- Scylla: Destroys lots of symbols, while protecting one or two randomly-chosen types.
- Don Croco: Between two and five types of symbols are transformed.
- Fernando: Changes a symbol to wilds at random.
- Jean Paul: Picks a symbol type and creates a cluster.
Free Spins
Keep charging the meter to 35 and you’ll win a free spin. The more symbols you collect, the better the spin you’ll receive:
- 35: Two character modifiers in play.
- 40: Three character modifiers.
- 45: Four character modifiers with five collected wilds.
- 50: All five character modifiers with 30 collected wilds.
During a free spin, all winning wilds collected from the first phase are returned to the grid once the character modifiers are complete.
Before playing your free spin, you’ll have the chance to gamble and win additional character modifiers. However, losing means you’ll play with just one modifier.
How to Play Hugo Legacy Online
The mechanics of Play’n GO’s Hugo Legacy slot are extremely straightforward. Choose your stake from the options at the base of the reels, or use the plus and minus signs to adjust the bet. To spin, hit the double arrows button just to the right.
There are no playlines here. Instead, you’ll need to match a cluster of at least five same-type symbols. Do so and they’ll be removed from the 7x7 grid, allowing new symbols to drop into the spaces.
If you’re able to clear 35 symbols in one spin, the telephone to the right of the reels will be sufficiently charged to earn you a free spin.
Try the Hugo Legacy Demo for Free before playing for real money
Playing free slots is always the best way to understand a game before you risk your hard-earned cash. Why not enjoy the Hugo Legacy demo right here on this page? It’s a risk-free opportunity to safely make mistakes before graduating to real money play.
Hugo Legacy Review – Our Final Verdict
This is the sixth release in Play’n GO’s Hugo series and we were a little surprised by the direction taken. As you’ve learned elsewhere in this Hugo Legacy review, the maximum win in this medium-volatility slot is just 3,000x. And yet the previous title, Hugo Carts, was extremely volatile, with an impressive 25,000x top payout.
If the potential rewards were an initial disappointment, everything else came as a nice surprise. The game is extremely easy to pick up, while the betting limits are wide enough to appeal to any level of gamer. We loved the dramatic soundtrack, which fits the wider fantasy theme perfectly. While the visually-detailed characters each bring an interesting attribute to the game, without being overly complicated.
When playing the Hugo Legacy free demo, we found it hard to trigger the bonus spins. But we were treated to a plentiful supply of big wins and high-tempo action that was great fun to experience.
Similar Slot Games
If reading this Hugo Legacy review has whet your appetite to try similar games, check out the following titles.
- Hugo: This 2016 release is the first of six Play’n GO titles starring the cute cartoon troll. Enjoy an RTP of 96.40% and 10 paylines on this 5-reel classic.
- Hugo's Adventure: Released in 2019, Hugo returns in this highly-volatile 96.56% RTP title with a maximum payout of 5,000x.
- Troll Hunters 2: Hugo might want to avoid this particular 5x5 Play’n GO slot, with an RTP of 96.50% and a cluster pays mechanism.
