Big cats are once again in the spotlight in the latest Yggdrasil powered release, Savanna Roar, an African themed title, with a max win of up to 10,459 times the initial stake, by budding mobile-first game developer Jelly Entertainment (Jelly).  The new studio joined the provider’s flourishing YGS Masters program around this time last year, however this is the first release since the two penned the deal.

Here, we move from the lush jungle in Tiger Tiger, which is the first title from London-headquartered studio G.Games for the YG Masters program since the two firm’s partnered in 2020, to the African savanna where dust and rising heat give way to heavy summer rains and 1,024 ways to win.

Gameplay and features:

Savanna Roar is a 5-reel, 4-row, medium to high volatility video slot where a rolling grassland scattered with acacia trees and native wildlife serve as the backdrop, with Locking respins, four different base game modifiers and Extra Spins featured.

At home on the reels are four low paying symbols, including royals from J to A, while buffalo, rhinos, leopards, and elephants comprise the high pays.

Gameplay is straightforward, with winning combinations occurring, when starting from the leftmost reel, at least three identical symbols land on adjacent reels. Landing five-of-a-kind combination of higher paying symbols pays 0.8 to 8x the bet. The king of the jungle serves as the game’s Wild symbol and substitutes for all regular symbols.

Africa’s legendary “Big Five” get a nod here, with four base game modifiers that can be triggered randomly, and together with the sought-after “Big Cat” free spins bonus, can award players with a max multiplier of 9,544 times the stake!

The base game modifiers include:

• Wild Leopard Spotted! – all leopard symbols on the reels turn wild when this modifier is triggered
• Rhino Stampede! – randomly transforms reel positions into Mystery Symbols which transform to reveal the same matching type for potentially even more winning lines
• Buffalo Charge! – the buffalo roam when this modifier is triggered, with any in view spreading to adjacent reel positions
• Untamed Elephant! – triggering this pachyderm, sees the symbol increase in size to a jumbo 3×3 symbol

Big Cat:

Meanwhile, the Big Cat Free Spins can deliver an award of up to 25 extra spins to players, and lets loose the Wild Leopard Multiplier to transform all leopard symbols into wilds and award multipliers of up to x3, and the “Savage Lion” to turn Savana Roar symbols wild, which gives players the chance to bag some massive wins!

Debut effort:

Commenting on the first slot released as part of the YG Masters program, Victoria Newbolt, Marketing Lead for Jelly, said…

“We share Yggdrasil’s vision to raise the bar of the quality, variety and entertainment of mobile gaming, and we believe that Savanna Roar is a strong start to our journey, and there’s plenty in next year’s roadmap that looks pretty tasty as-well!”

Clear cut mechanics, familiar theme, feel-good soundtrack and plenty of features make for an enjoyable experience for players who prefer gameplay that is simple and smooth.

Developer tools:

The YG Masters programe gives independent studios like Jelly and G.Games the opportunity to design, develop and distribute high quality content while Yggdrasil’s state-of-the-art Game Adaptation Tools & Interface (GATI) technology to develop unique content and use the supplier’s vast operator network for rapid distribution across markets worldwide.

Also commenting on the new release, Stuart McCarthy, Head of Partner Programs for Yggdrasil, said…

“Savanna Roar brings slot gameplay back to basics, whilst remaining engaging, entertaining and full of win potential at all times. It is yet another creative addition to our YG Masters portfolio with a familiar theme, and is a good demonstration of what a young studio can achieve with the right industry understanding.”

McCarthy adds that with the game’s “aptly-named” features, players are able to enjoy the “differentiating aspects” each of the animals brings to the game.