10,001 Nights: Slot Overview
Many readers are likely familiar with One Thousand and One Nights, the collection of old Middle Eastern stories which have been retold in various forms up to the present day. The most famous involves the Genie, the lamp, and Ali Baba - all recognisable in the slot world. Developer Red Tiger didn’t think there were quite enough nights, so they wedged another zero in there when naming their Arabian themed game 10,001 Nights. This being a slot and not a piece of literature; the 10,001 refers to winning potential, rather than adding more chapters to a book.
Red Tiger has produced an attractive slot which makes full use of the theme. At first, the images of exotic women and sultans brought back memories of the recently reviewed Book of Kingdoms. After the frisson of dread past, 10,001 Nights turned out to be quite the opposite. Red Tiger has turned up the visual experience by setting the 5-reel, 20-payline action area in a palace-like environment, all expensive carpets, drapes, and starry night skies. They didn’t scrimp on the music either which adds an dash of exoticism like a healthy dollop of hummus. It’s a nice view, and even better, the gameplay holds up its end of the bargain.
Players get the lamp action going on any device by setting bets from 10 p/c to £/€8 per spin. High rollers might be disappointed; for the rest, low bets tend to be a positive indicator of high potential in a Red Tiger slot. Less titillating is a slightly lower than average RTP rating of 95.73%, while volatility hovers around the high end of the spectrum.
The paytable is full of items every self-respecting Sultan should own. One the low side are gold-rimmed card suits – clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades. Next are the highs, consisting of genie shoes with curled toes, a spice jar, a camel, a tiger, and the Sultan himself. All need at least three to payout, except for the Sultan. He needs only two. As to payouts, 5 premiums on a line are worth from 3x to 40x the bet. The sultry deva in the Covid mask is the wild, which is worth more at 55x the bet. When she’s not paying out, she’s substituting for all paying symbols.
10,001 Nights: Slot Features
Initially, 10,001 Nights offers four modifiers triggered by a collection system, plus a batch of free spins. As time progresses, the dynamic shifts, as you’ll see.
The lamp symbol is the key to the four minor features, appearing at random on any spin. Each lamp is collected in one of four jars located on top of the reels. When a jar is full, it triggers one of four features in consecutive order:
- Stage 1 requires 6 lamps to be collected, unlocking the Imperial Spin feature. All low paying symbols are removed from the reels so only high pays will land during the spin.
- Stage 2 requires 7 more lamps, unlocking the Random Wilds feature. A random number of wild symbols are sprinkling around the reels.
- Stage 3 is achieved when 8 more lamps are collected, unlocking the Multi-Pick feature. Three cards are presented for the player to choose one. This reveals a multiplier which is applied to any win on the next spin. The highest observed during testing was x9.
- Stage 4 is achieved when 9 more lamps are collected, unlocking the Mega Wilds feature. One or more 1x4, full reel wilds are added to the screen.
When a feature is unlocked it becomes active on the next spin. Once all four features have been unlocked, the lamp collection mechanic ends, and features instead trigger randomly from then on at that stake level. Changing bet levels starts the process from the beginning, and progress is saved if you go back. It is possible to have more than one feature active on a single spin if more than one is unlocked.
10,001 Nights is a rather high paying slot, and solid wins are possible from free spins although strangely, they are no different from the base game. To trigger them, 3, 4, or 5 Destiny Spins Symbols in view award 8, 10, or 12 free spins respectively. During the feature, 3, 4, or 5 scatters add 6, 7, or 8 extra spins.
10,001 Nights: Slot Verdict
Is it the heat, the dust, the spicy food? Whatever it is, Red Tiger has found some inspiration in the Middle East and designed a pretty solid slot. It looks nice, sounds nice, the features aren’t half bad, plus potential sits on the high side. It’s got a classic Red Tiger look which some players might be wary of, but give it a chance as 10,001 Nights might surprise.
One element of intrigue is that once the four modifiers have been unlocked by lamps they can’t be collected at the same bet level again. You can repeat the process by changing the stake if you really want to. Still, it's somewhat odd the lamp collection system doesn’t just reset. It does dampen the enthusiasm once you’ve seen all four in action. Unless you’re fine with mixing the bets up a bit, 10,001 Nights mellows to an extent once that point is reached. In its favour, features do trigger randomly from then on, and there are free spins, though the game does lose a little bit of its spark.
The gameplay is fun, however, and the production values are high. The four modifiers can positively affect the balance but are nothing compared to the game’s max potential of 10,347.6 times the bet. A staggering figure from Red Tiger compared to the typical shelf filler slots they sling. Not exactly 10,001x the bet which would’ve been poetical, yet it’s unlikely anyone will be complaining about the extra amount. All up, 10,001 Nights is a decent game from Red Tiger. It’s got all the right elements for an enjoyable time in the Middle Eastern desert.
