Out of the Ice Review
Print Studios released Out of the Ice in May 2022, and the mechanic at its core is worth understanding before you spin a single reel. The game opens on a compact 3-3-4-4-5 layout with 76 bet ways, but that grid is not fixed — a chain of winning respins can push it all the way to a full 5×5 structure with 259 bet ways. That expansion isn't cosmetic; it directly drives how multipliers stack and how the free spins mode gets triggered. The fantasy/ice/winter theme runs through dragon, fish, and crustacean symbols on the reels, all rendered with enough visual clarity that the dynamic paytable stays readable as the grid shifts shape.
The headline number is 6,000x max win, sitting alongside medium-high volatility and a 20% hit frequency. What complicates the picture is the RTP: Print Studios built in three operator-selectable RTP tiers — 96.55%, 94%, and 90%. That default 96.55% is fine, but the 90% floor is genuinely punishing, and players have no direct way to know which version a given casino is running. That single detail deserves more attention than most reviews give it.
How Out of the Ice Plays
The starting layout of 3-3-4-4-5 across five reels gives Out of the Ice an asymmetric feel from the first spin. Wins pay left to right, requiring at least three matching symbols on adjacent reels starting from the leftmost position. The 76 bet ways at base feels modest, but the game is designed to grow — every winning combination triggers the Freezing Respin feature, which strips the leftmost reel and appends a new five-row reel on the right. Keep winning and the grid keeps expanding until it maxes out at 5×5 with 259 bet ways.
During each respin, winning symbols lock in place while non-winners respin beneath them. That cascading/avalanche dynamic means a single base-game spin can evolve into a multi-stage sequence without ever entering the bonus round. Up to two Merfolk multipliers can attach to any winning respin, each independently valued between 2x and 40x. Two simultaneous 40x multipliers stacking on a strong symbol cluster is the scenario that pushes this slot toward its 6,000x ceiling.
There are nine regular symbols split between four premium types — dragons in three colour variants, a purple fish, a green snail, and a blue crab — and three low-value shell symbols. The paytable scales dynamically with your bet, so the displayed values always reflect your current stake. That's a small UX detail Print Studios got right.
RTP, Volatility, and the Max Win Reality
The RTP situation in Out of the Ice is the most important thing to sort out before playing. Three tiers exist: 96.55%, 94%, and 90%. The default 96.55% is above the industry average of roughly 96%, which is solid. But the 90% variant is among the lowest RTP configurations you'll encounter on a mainstream video slot in 2022, and operators choose which version to deploy. Spindex lists the verified RTP as 94% for the tracked sources in our network — meaning the casinos we monitor are not running the top-tier version.
Medium-high volatility pairs with a 20% hit frequency, which translates to roughly one paying outcome every five spins in the base game. That's not particularly generous, but the respin chain mechanic means individual hit events can extend significantly — a single triggering win can cascade through multiple respin stages before the sequence ends. The practical volatility therefore depends heavily on how deep a respin chain runs, making the free spins choice (covered below) a meaningful variance dial.
The 6,000x max win is competitive for a Print Studios title, though it sits below the ceiling of some high-volatility contemporaries — Hacksaw Gaming's Chaos Crew 2, for instance, reaches 50,000x, and even mid-tier releases from NoLimit City routinely push 30,000x+. For players whose primary goal is life-changing upside, Out of the Ice's cap is a real constraint. For everyone else, 6,000x on a medium-high volatility slot with active base-game multipliers is a reasonable proposition.
Freezing Respins and Merfolk Multipliers
The Freezing Respin feature is the engine of Out of the Ice. Every win — in the base game and during free spins — initiates a respin cycle. The leftmost reel is removed, a new five-row reel is added on the right, winning symbols freeze, and everything else spins again. The sequence repeats as long as wins continue or until the free spins trigger condition is met. At maximum expansion the 5×5 grid with 259 bet ways is nearly three and a half times more ways to win than the starting configuration.
Merfolk multipliers attach randomly to winning respins, with up to two applying per event. Each multiplier is drawn independently from a 2x–40x range, and both apply separately to the win value rather than combining into a single multiplier. That distinction matters: two 10x multipliers produce a 100x total on that win, not a 20x. During the base game these multipliers are random and non-persistent. In certain free spins modes they become sticky, which changes the calculus considerably.
The respin chain also functions as the free spins trigger mechanism. Four consecutive winning respins unlock the free spins mode selection screen. Because the trigger requires a sustained chain rather than a scatter count, the path to the bonus is organic — you can feel the sequence building in real time, which adds genuine tension to mid-chain spins.
Free Spins Mode: Three Options, One Choice
Reaching the free spins mode in Out of the Ice presents a three-way decision that effectively lets you choose your volatility profile for the bonus round. Option one is 10 free spins with standard random Merfolk multipliers — the same 2x–40x random application as the base game, but with more spins to accumulate value. Option two is 8 free spins with sticky Merfolk multipliers: once a multiplier is applied to a win, it locks in position for the rest of the bonus. Option three is 4 free spins with sticky multipliers that also award an additional free spin the first time each sticky multiplier activates.
All three free spins modes play on the full 5×5 grid with 259 bet ways, and the Freezing Respin feature remains active throughout. That means a free spin can itself trigger a respin chain, locking additional symbols and applying further multipliers before the spin count decrements. The sticky multiplier options (two and three) are the higher-variance picks — a 40x sticky multiplier locked early in an 8-spin bonus with active respins is the scenario that drives the largest recorded wins on this title.
One limitation worth flagging: the free spins mode cannot be retriggered through standard play. The four-consecutive-respin trigger resets once the bonus begins. Print Studios did not include a bonus buy feature, so there is no shortcut to the free spins — you earn it through the base game chain or not at all.
Spindex Live Data: 793 Tracked Bets
Across our five crypto-casino sources, Out of the Ice has logged 793 tracked bets in the last 30 days. That's a modest volume — for context, established titles in the same volatility bracket typically clear several thousand tracked bets monthly on Spindex — which suggests the slot occupies a niche rather than a mainstream position in active casino lobbies. The trend signal is consistent with a game that has a loyal but limited player base rather than broad discovery traffic.
The top recent hit recorded on Spindex was 790x. That's notable because it lands well below the 6,000x theoretical ceiling, which is expected given the sample size — you need a deep sticky-multiplier free spins chain to approach that maximum, and 793 spins is not enough volume to expect ceiling-level outcomes. What the 790x hit does confirm is that the upper end of the base-game respin mechanic is reachable: a 790x result is achievable without even entering the free spins mode if the multiplier draws run hot.
The 94% RTP recorded across our tracked sources (rather than the 96.55% default) is the data point that matters most here. Players using our listed crypto casinos should factor that 2.55 percentage-point gap into their session bankroll expectations — over a long session, that difference is material.
Who Out of the Ice Is Built For
Out of the Ice suits players who want mechanical depth in the base game rather than a slot that runs flat between bonus triggers. The Freezing Respin chain means almost every spin has a follow-through phase, and the multiplier draws keep individual respin events genuinely variable. If you find most slots boring between bonuses, the expanding grid structure here addresses that directly.
The three free spins options make the slot adaptable. Conservative players can take the 10-spin option with random multipliers for more attempts at moderate wins. Players chasing the session-high will lean toward the sticky multiplier variants despite the lower spin count. That choice architecture is one of the better design decisions Print Studios made — it gives the bonus round replay value because the optimal pick shifts depending on how the sticky multipliers land early.
Players who prioritize RTP certainty should approach with caution. The three-tier RTP system means you need to verify your casino's configuration before playing, and based on Spindex's tracked sources, the default 96.55% is not the universal standard. Casual players who don't research operator RTP settings may be playing at 94% or lower without realizing it.
Final Verdict on Out of the Ice
Out of the Ice is a mechanically well-constructed slot that delivers more base-game activity than most medium-high volatility titles. The expanding grid, persistent respin chains, and independently applied multipliers create a system where the base game genuinely matters — not just as a waiting room for the bonus. The three free spins modes add a layer of player agency that Print Studios executes cleanly.
The base game pacing can drag if respin chains end early and multipliers don't fire, which happens regularly at a 20% hit frequency. Short losing runs feel longer here than on slots with more frequent but smaller hits. That's the inherent tradeoff of the mechanic, not a flaw exactly, but worth knowing going in.
The RTP range system is the one structural issue that genuinely affects the recommendation. At 96.55% this is a competitive slot. At 90% it is not. Verify the RTP at your chosen casino — if it's running 94% or above, Out of the Ice earns a straightforward recommendation for players who like respin-driven mechanics with real multiplier upside.
- +Expanding grid from 76 to 259 bet ways via respin chains keeps base game active
- +Merfolk multipliers (2x–40x, up to two per win) apply independently for large potential stacks
- +Three free spins mode options let players choose their risk profile
- +Sticky multipliers in modes 2 and 3 can compound significantly across 8 or 4 spins
- +6,000x max win accessible from both base game and bonus
- +Freezing Respin feature remains active during all free spins modes
- -Three-tier RTP system (96.55% / 94% / 90%) — players cannot verify which version their casino runs
- -Tracked Spindex sources running at 94%, not the headline 96.55%
- -Free spins mode cannot be retriggered
- -No bonus buy feature
- -793 tracked bets in 30 days indicates limited casino availability
- -Base game can feel slow when respin chains end quickly without multiplier activation
Best for
Out of the Ice is a mechanically dense slot that rewards patience. The expanding grid and stacking Merfolk multipliers (up to 40x each) give the base game real bite, and the three free spins options let you tune risk on the fly. The RTP range situation is the one genuine concern — always verify which tier your casino is serving before committing real money.











