Cream of the Crop

Cream of the Crop review

Cream of the Crop is a farm themed video slot from Rival with 5 reels and 20 lines. It focuses on simple features like wilds, scatters, free spins and a mushroom based bonus game, all on a low volatility setup.

Theme, visuals and layout

The game is built around a vegetable garden theme. Every spin drops seeds into the soil and the symbols then grow into plants right on the reels. It looks simple but has a nice animated touch that gives the game some charm.

The symbols are all farm related. You will see corn, cabbage, pumpkins, sunflowers, peppers and other vegetables across the grid. The layout is classic Rival: 5 reels, 3 rows and up to 20 paylines that you can toggle on or off.

Bets and payouts

You choose how many of the 20 lines you want to use, from just a few up to all of them. After that you pick a coin value from 0.01 to 0.25 and then decide how many coins to stake on each active line, up to 10 coins per line.

With all lines on, the total bet range runs from low stakes to a reasonable mid level, which suits casual players. The game uses a low volatility model, so you can expect a lot of smaller hits rather than long dry spells and rare huge wins.

The standout payout comes from the corn symbol. Landing five corn on an active line gives the top prize of 8,888 coins. With the maximum number of coins per line, that translates to a max win of 25,000 coins, which is 6,250 times the base coin value. Other vegetables fill in the lower and medium pays to keep the balance moving.

Wild symbol

The rabbit acts as the wild symbol. When it lands, it can stand in for regular vegetable symbols to help complete winning lines. It does not replace special symbols like scatters or bonus icons. There is no extra multiplier tied to the wild, but having more rabbits on the grid simply makes it easier to connect combinations on the 20 lines.

Scatter symbol and free spins

The treasure chest is the scatter. You do not need it to land on a specific payline. Hitting enough treasure chests anywhere on the reels can trigger a round of free spins. During these spins you do not pay for each round, but the game still uses the same line setup and coin value that started the feature.

The free spins are straightforward. You spin through a set number of rounds and collect any wins. Scatters can also pay out on their own in some Rival titles, so treasure chests can add extra coin prizes even before the spins start, though the exact pay table will show the current values at your stake.

Mushroom bonus game

Mushrooms are the key to the main bonus feature. Landing at least three mushroom symbols on the reels in one spin will trigger a separate pick and click style game.

In this bonus round you move to a field full of hidden items. You click on spots to pull up vegetables and treasure chests. Each good pick awards a coin prize, and treasure chests tend to be worth higher amounts or multipliers of your triggering bet. The twist is that there are weeds mixed into the field. If you reveal a weed, the bonus round ends immediately and you return to the main reels.

Because of this, the bonus is all about how far you can push your luck. Every safe pick builds up your total win, but one bad pick cuts the round short. With a bit of luck and a streak of good choices, this feature is where a lot of the better hits can come from.

RTP, volatility and feel

The game runs at an RTP of about 90.91 percent, which is lower than many newer titles. On the other hand, the low volatility means spins are quite steady. You see frequent small line wins from the vegetables, with the wild rabbit helping out, and then an occasional burst of value when the mushrooms or treasure chests show up.

This setup suits players who like relaxed gameplay and are not chasing huge modern style jackpots. The max win is decent for an older game, but most of your time will be spent building up modest returns across many spins.

Autoplay and controls

The interface is clean and easy to follow. You can adjust lines, coin value and coins per line with a few clicks. There is also an autoplay option, so you can set a number of spins to run on their own with your chosen bet. That makes it simple to sit back and watch the garden grow while the features come and go.

Mobile play

Cream of the Crop is an older Rival title, but many casinos still offer it in a format that works on modern browsers. The simple graphics and clear symbols carry over well to smaller screens, so it is still comfortable to play on a phone or tablet where supported.