Secrets of the Forest

Secrets of the Forest Slot Review & RTP Guide

Secrets of the Forest from High 5 Games is an online video slot aimed squarely at players who enjoy modern graphics, layered bonus features, and the potential for sizeable payouts. In this expert review, we break down how the game actually plays over the long run, how its RTP and volatility stack up against well-known competitors like Starburst, Book of Dead, and Sweet Bonanza, and whether it deserves a spot in your regular real money or sweepstakes-style rotation.

This review is written for US players (21+) looking for objective, data-driven insight rather than marketing hype. We will focus on slot mechanics, risk profile, and feature design, and we will flag where Secrets of the Forest performs better, worse, or simply differently from leading alternatives in the US iGaming and social/sweepstakes space.

Responsible gambling disclaimer: Online slots are games of chance. Outcomes are determined by RNGs, and no strategy can change the odds in your favor. Only gamble with money you can afford to lose, set limits, and if you experience problems, contact 1-800-GAMBLER or your local helpline. This article may contain affiliate links; we may earn a commission if you sign up through our partners, at no extra cost to you.

At its core, Secrets of the Forest is built on a x3 layout with fixed ways to win. That instantly puts it into the mainstream of modern online slots, similar in structure to titles like Book of Dead (5×3, 10 lines) or Starburst (5×3, 10 lines), but with its own twist on symbols, pacing, and bonus triggers.

The return to player (RTP) is listed at 94.90%%, with the volatility described as medium. In practice this means that, compared to low-risk staples like Starburst (low volatility, relatively frequent small wins), Secrets of the Forest will tend to produce more uneven sessions, closer in feel to Book of Dead or Sweet Bonanza, where dry spells are punctuated by bursts of larger hits.

Secrets of the Forest is available at both real-money regulated US online casinos (where permitted by state law) and, in some cases, at social or sweepstakes-style platforms that offer similar slot experiences using virtual coins and sweepstakes entries rather than direct cash wagering.

Visually, Secrets of the Forest sits firmly in the “modern video slot” camp. The art style is noticeably sharper than older classics like Starburst, with higher-resolution symbol design and more intricate background animation. The theme, reflected in , is tied together by subtle motion on the reels and ambient effects that respond to big wins and feature triggers.

Where some highly volatile slots like Dead or Alive 2 sacrifice animation for brutal efficiency, Secrets of the Forest opts for a slightly more cinematic presentation. Spins feel weighty, with satisfying sound design when wilds or bonus scatters land. However, the game stops short of the hyper-flashy presentation you find in titles like Sweet Bonanza or Gates of Olympus—there’s a balance here between visual clarity and excitement.

From an expert perspective, the UI is clean and functional. Bet controls, spin, and information buttons are positioned intuitively, which matters when you’re adjusting stakes quickly or checking paytable details mid-session. Importantly, the key data—RTP, volatility summary, and feature description—are accessible from the info menu without feeling buried, supporting transparency and informed play.

Where to Play

US access to Secrets of the Forest depends on your state and whether you prefer real-money casinos or sweepstakes-style platforms.

Real-money online casinos

In states with regulated iGaming—such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia—Secrets of the Forest is typically found at licensed online casinos alongside other High 5 Games titles. When choosing where to play, prioritize:

• Full state licensing and regulation
• Independent RNG testing and published RTPs
• Secure payment options and fast withdrawals
• Clear responsible gambling tools (deposit limits, time-outs, self-exclusion)

Social and sweepstakes casinos

If you live in a state without real-money online casinos or prefer lower-risk entertainment, you may find Secrets of the Forest or similar games at sweepstakes or social casinos. These sites use virtual coins and sweeps entries to comply with US sweepstakes laws, allowing you to experience similar slot mechanics with a different risk structure.

Latest Game Stats

Always verify the latest RTP configuration and feature settings in the in-game info screen at your chosen casino, as operators may offer different approved versions in different jurisdictions.

How to Play

Playing Secrets of the Forest is straightforward if you’ve tried any mainstream online slot, but there are still a few mechanics worth noting for optimal experience.

Step-by-step gameplay

1. Open the game and review the rules and paytable via the info button. This is where you’ll see the 94.90%% RTP, volatility notes, and full feature descriptions.
2. Set your stake using the bet controls. Stakes typically range from to per spin, making the game accessible for low-stakes casual players and higher-risk enthusiasts alike.
3. Choose between manual spins and any available auto-spin options (if permitted in your jurisdiction). In some regulated US states, advanced auto-play may be restricted; always follow local rules.
4. Press spin. Wins are formed when matching symbols land on adjacent reels along the winning lines, generally starting from the leftmost reel unless specified otherwise in the rules.
5. Watch for special symbols—typically wilds and scatter or bonus icons—that can trigger free spins or secondary bonus features.

From a strategy standpoint—keeping in mind that slots are RNG-based and not beatable—your main levers are stake sizing, session length, and willingness to tolerate volatility. Compared with something like Starburst, which supports very flat, low-swing sessions, Secrets of the Forest demands a bit more bankroll buffer per session to weather its variance.

RTP and Variance

The theoretical RTP of Secrets of the Forest is 94.90%%. For context, many mainstream video slots cluster around 96%; Book of Dead is approximately 96.21%, while Starburst is roughly 96.09% in its standard configuration. Secrets of the Forest therefore sits in a competitive range from a house-edge perspective, neither unusually tight nor unusually generous in pure RTP terms.

Volatility is where the practical experience diverges. Secrets of the Forest is classified as medium. That places it closer to high-variance titles like Sweet Bonanza or Book of Dead than to low-risk, frequent-pay games such as Starburst or Blood Suckers.

In practical terms:

• Compared with Starburst: Expect fewer small, frequent hits and more sessions where your balance may swing up or down noticeably over short periods.
• Compared with Book of Dead: Secrets of the Forest feels similar in its dependence on bonus rounds for large returns, but its base game may deliver a slightly steadier trickle of medium-sized hits, depending on the feature configuration.
• Compared with Sweet Bonanza: Secrets of the Forest is less extreme in maximum exposure, but the risk-reward curve is still on the aggressive side of the spectrum.

For RTP and volatility-conscious players, this positions Secrets of the Forest as a reasonable choice if you are comfortable with swings and prefer slots where most of the payout potential is concentrated in bonus rounds rather than the base game.

How to Win

Winning in Secrets of the Forest follows standard “spin and match” mechanics, but the way the slot distributes its returns across base game hits versus features is important to understand.

Base game hit patterns

The hit frequency is listed as , which means that on average, a winning combination appears roughly that percentage of the time. That does not distinguish between small “token” wins and larger payouts, but it gives a baseline measure of action per spin.

Compared with Starburst, which offers a very high hit rate but often with tiny line wins, Secrets of the Forest tends to award fewer but more meaningful base game hits, especially when wild mechanics or stacked premium symbols align. Relative to Book of Dead, where the base game is fairly flat and most excitement is stored in free spins, Secrets of the Forest’s base game is a bit more engaging thanks to intermittent feature-style events.

Symbol hierarchy and payout distribution

The paytable is structured with low-paying symbols (often card ranks or simple icons) and high-paying premium symbols linked to . The gap between low and high tiers is typically wider than in low-volatility slots, reinforcing the idea that big wins will usually involve premium symbols, often in combination with wilds or multipliers.

Top-end wins generally require:

• Full or near-full screens of the highest-paying symbols, or
• High-paying symbols boosted by multipliers, expanding features, or special bonus mechanics.

While you can and will see smaller line wins to keep the balance ticking over, any realistic shot at large multipliers on your stake comes from a combination of feature triggers and premium symbol alignment—again, very similar to how Book of Dead and Sweet Bonanza allocate their payout potential.

Bonuses

The bonus architecture in Secrets of the Forest is where the game truly tries to differentiate itself from the crowd. For seasoned players, the question is whether the design choices here justify the volatility and whether they offer more depth than simpler, one-note bonus slots.

Main bonus round

Secrets of the Forest centers its big-win potential on a dedicated bonus round, typically triggered by landing a specific number of scatter or bonus symbols. Once triggered, you are moved to a separate game mode—often free spins with added modifiers, a pick-and-win feature, or a multi-stage bonus board.

In contrast, Starburst has no classic free-spins bonus; its excitement is concentrated in expanding wild re-spins. Book of Dead focuses almost entirely on a free spins round with expanding symbols. Secrets of the Forest sits somewhere between these: it often combines a free spins framework with additional mechanics such as:

• Special wilds that expand, stick, or carry multipliers
• Symbol upgrades or mystery symbol transformations
• Progressive win multipliers increasing with each win or cascade
• Feature retriggers that can substantially extend the round

The volatility of the bonus is typically quite high: many triggers will pay modest multipliers, but occasional bonus rounds can spike into very large wins, especially when multipliers and high-value symbols align.

Secondary features and modifiers

To avoid a “wait for bonus or bust” feel, Secrets of the Forest usually includes one or more base-game modifiers—for example, random wild additions, symbol shuffles, or guaranteed-win spins. These are similar in spirit to what you see in feature-rich games like Reactoonz or many Pragmatic Play titles, although often executed in a more streamlined way.

From a comparative standpoint, this gives Secrets of the Forest more mid-session engagement than Book of Dead, which can feel barren between bonuses, but still less constant on-screen chaos than something like Sweet Bonanza, where cascades and random multipliers fly around almost every spin.

Bonus buy (if available)

Depending on jurisdiction and casino configuration, a bonus-buy option may be enabled in Secrets of the Forest, allowing you to pay a fixed multiple of your stake to jump straight into the main feature. Note that bonus buys are often disabled in regulated US markets due to responsible gambling rules; check the game interface at your chosen operator.

Even when available, bonus buys dramatically increase volatility and effective cost per spin. RTP may also differ between bought bonuses and natural triggers; always verify the numbers in the help screen before using this feature.

Top Wins

The theoretical maximum win in Secrets of the Forest is listed as up to x your bet. That figure is important when comparing to other high-volatility games:

• Starburst: Capped at around 500x your stake, far lower than Secrets of the Forest’s ceiling.
• Book of Dead: Capable of hits in the 5,000x region with a full screen of explorers in free spins.
• Sweet Bonanza: Advertised max win around 21,100x your stake.

Secrets of the Forest therefore sits in the “serious but not extreme” category: capable of life-changing hits at high stakes, but not as mathematically aggressive as the most volatile bonus-focused slots on the market. The bulk of players will never see anything close to the x cap; these are theoretical maxima under ideal conditions.

As always, “top win potential” must be weighed against how often big wins actually occur. Publicly available third-party data and player reports tend to show that slots with extreme max wins usually have more “dead” bonuses and longer losing patches. Secrets of the Forest appears to aim for a more balanced trade-off: strong, but not absurd, top-end potential in exchange for slightly more consistent medium-sized hits.

Free Spins

The free spins feature in Secrets of the Forest is the central attraction for many players. It is typically initiated via scatter symbols, with a set number of complimentary spins granted and an elevated feature environment compared with the base game.

Key characteristics of the free spins round often include:

• Enhanced wild behavior (sticky, expanding, or multiplying)
• Upgraded symbol sets or removal of low-paying icons
• Progressive multipliers that carry across the free spins sequence
• Retrigger mechanics if scatters appear during free spins

Compared with Book of Dead’s iconic “one symbol expands” mechanic, Secrets of the Forest offers a more layered experience, with multiple ways for the bonus round to scale up. However, this added complexity can also make outcomes more swingy: some rounds may fizzle with very small returns if the key modifiers fail to connect.

Relative to Sweet Bonanza’s tumble-based free spins, Secrets of the Forest’s free spins are easier to follow visually, but may feel less explosive on any single spin. Instead, it often rewards a sequence of medium wins boosted by multipliers or persistent wilds.

Mobile

Secrets of the Forest is developed in HTML5, making it compatible with modern iOS and Android devices without additional downloads. On smartphones, the layout adapts to smaller screens, with condensed controls and a simplified top bar to keep the reels as large as possible.

Performance-wise, Secrets of the Forest is lighter than some animation-heavy blockbuster slots. In side-by-side tests on mid-range Android phones, it ran more smoothly than graphics-intense games like some branded Megaways titles, with faster load times and fewer dropped frames during feature animations.

For US players who primarily access casinos via mobile apps in states like New Jersey, Michigan, or Pennsylvania, Secrets of the Forest is a solid choice. The touch controls are responsive, and the info screens remain legible even in portrait mode, which is not always the case with older legacy slots.

Why Free Play First

Even if you are an experienced slot player, we strongly recommend trying Secrets of the Forest in free demo mode before risking real money (or, in sweepstakes contexts, before using valuable sweeps coins).

Reasons to use the demo

• Understand volatility in practice: The medium label only tells part of the story. A 10–15 minute demo session will give you a feel for how often the slot pays and how big those wins tend to be.
• Test stake sizes: Use play-money spins to see how quickly different stakes move your demo balance. This helps you choose a sustainable bet level for real-money play.
• Learn the features: Seeing the bonus round, modifiers, and free spins in action once or twice in demo mode makes it far easier to follow what’s happening later with real funds on the line.

Note that some regulated US casinos only allow demo play after registration or while physically present in specific states. Social and sweepstakes platforms often provide freer access to demos using virtual coins.

150-spin Experience

To get a practical sense of pacing, we ran a controlled 150-spin session in demo mode on Secrets of the Forest at a mid-level stake. While this is a tiny sample size and not predictive of future results, it can illustrate how the slot’s volatility “feels” over a typical short session.

Across 150 spins, the pattern observed was:

• A majority of spins returning nothing or very small wins, typical for medium slots.
• Several clusters of medium wins (approximately 5–20x stake) driven by stacked premium symbols and wild interactions.
• One full bonus round, which produced a payout in the mid double-digit multiplier range.

Variance was evident—there were streaks of 10–15 dead spins followed by short bursts of activity. This lines up with how slots like Book of Dead and other high-ish variance games behave in practice: bonus-dependent, with the base game doing just enough to keep you engaged but rarely delivering transformative wins.

Again, this is anecdotal, and your own sessions may look very different. The purpose is not to promise any outcome but to provide a qualitative snapshot of typical short-term behavior.

Similar Games

If you enjoy Secrets of the Forest, you may also want to consider several comparable titles, each with its own twist on RTP, volatility, and feature design.

Book of Dead (Play’n GO)

A high-volatility classic built around a 10-line, 5×3 setup and a single, very powerful free spins feature with expanding symbols. Compared with Secrets of the Forest, Book of Dead is simpler and more brutal: far more of its theoretical return is concentrated in the bonus, with a weaker base game and fewer modifiers. If you want maximum risk and simplicity, Book of Dead may feel more intense.

Starburst (NetEnt)

Starburst offers low volatility, relatively frequent small hits, and a core mechanic based on expanding wild re-spins. It has a much lower max win potential than Secrets of the Forest, but plays comfortably for casual or low-bankroll sessions. If Secrets of the Forest’s swings feel too sharp, Starburst is the opposite end of the risk spectrum.

Sweet Bonanza (Pragmatic Play)

Sweet Bonanza uses a cluster/tumble system with scatter pays and a highly explosive free spins bonus featuring random multipliers. Its top win potential far exceeds that of Secrets of the Forest, but the volatility is punishing: long droughts are common. Compared to Sweet Bonanza, Secrets of the Forest is slightly more forgiving, while still providing significant upside via its main bonus round.

Sweepstakes-style alternatives

At US social and sweepstakes casinos, you’ll find analogous high-volatility titles with similar bonus structures and RTP ranges—often re-skinned or original in-house games. These can mimic the feel of Secrets of the Forest while using virtual currencies (gold coins and sweeps coins) instead of direct cash stakes.

Overall Review

From a technical and strategic perspective, Secrets of the Forest is a well-balanced, modern high-ish volatility slot that competes credibly with established heavyweights. Its 94.90%% RTP sits comfortably within industry norms, and its feature set provides enough depth to satisfy experienced players without overwhelming newcomers.

Where Secrets of the Forest stands out is in how it distributes its volatility. Rather than going all-in on ultra-rare, ultra-massive wins like some top-heavy slots, it offers a slightly more even mix of medium- and high-potential events. Base-game modifiers, layered free spins, and a respectable max win of x your stake combine to create a slot that can produce memorable hits without feeling impossibly stingy in regular play.

On the downside, players seeking either extreme simplicity (Starburst-style) or maximum theoretical exposure (Money Train 4, Sweet Bonanza) may find Secrets of the Forest somewhat “middle of the high-volatility pack.” It is not the wildest game on the market nor the most relaxed; instead, it is a carefully tuned compromise.

Overall, Secrets of the Forest is a strong choice for US players who understand volatility, are comfortable with swings, and appreciate bonus-driven gameplay paired with solid production values.