Enter the Dark Vortex with Yggdrasil’s newest dark themed online slots.
Halloween may be behind us, but dark, ominously themed online slots are always on tap for players who enjoy them. Released in mid-2011, Microgaming‘s vampire-themed Immortal Romance is, to this day, one of the most actively played online and mobile slot machines, worthy of front-screen placement at almost every online casino that employs the software.
While there’s clearly a year-round market for such games, there’s no better time to launch them into action than the Halloween season, when frights and free spin features go hand in hand. Yggdrasil is one of several major digital gaming suppliers that took advantage of the ghostly holiday to put a new eerie slots title on the market last month. We’ll take a closer look today in our Dark Vortex Slot review.
Yggdrasil’s New Dark Themed Online Slots, Dark Vortex
Yggdrasil’s latest release is a 5×3 reel slot that pays in both directions for a total of 243 ways to win in the base game, increased to 3,125 ways to win during free spins. Bets are placed in increments of 10, with coin sizes of $0.01 up to $5 (min $0.10, max $50 bets). The theoretical return to player (RTP) on this one is 96.5%.
The reels are made up of 10 standard symbols. High symbols are demonic creatures, color coded to match their low paying spell book counterparts of red, purple, green, light blue and dark blue.
There are also four special symbols, including the Wild, Pink Orb, Blue Orb and Vortex. The Wild is the most basic among them, taking the place of any standard symbols necessary to produce a win. All others are attached to special features.
Dark Vortex Slot Features
Vortex Spins: When two or more Vortex symbols appear on adjacent reels, they become Vortex Reels. When the vortex is open, the number of positions increases from 3 to 5 on those reels, also increasing the number of ways to win. The vortex will remain open for the next 3 spins (aka Vortex Spins). If another vortex symbol appears adjacent to an open vortex reel, its vortex will open as well, and the player receives 2 additional Vortex Spins.
Players are more likely to see Wilds and high paying symbols on open vortex reels. This is also the only time Pink and Blue Orbs can appear.
Note that standard Vortex Spins are not free spins—player’s pay for them just like any other spin.
Pink & Blue Orbs: Pink orbs can only appear on reels 1 and 5—and blue orbs on reels 2, 3 and 4—when their respective vortexes are open. Each orb that appears is collected on the left (pink) or right (blue) side of the screen. Their effects won’t activate until Vortex Free Spins are triggered.
Vortex Free Spins: If all 5 vortex reels become open at the same time, the player will receive Free Spins (after all Vortex Spins are played out). When Free Spins begin, the player is awarded 2 Pink Orbs, ensuring wilds can stack at least 2-high, and 5 Blue Orbs, delivering 5 free spins. For each previously collected Pink Orb, wilds will stack 1x higher. For each previously collected Blue Orb, another 1+ free spin is awarded.
Impatient? Buy A Bonus for 800 Coins
They say patience is a virtue, but fans of dark themed online slots are rarely known for their virtuous nature. And with a high volatility, those free spins aren’t so easy to come by without a little nudge. Fortunately, you can open the vortex and get those free spins rolling anytime you like by paying 800 coins to trigger the ‘Buy a Bonus‘ feature (valid only on coin sizes of $0.01 to $1.00).
Doing so instigates a pick-and-click game where you’ll choose two cards. The first set of cards are pink, denoting the height at which wilds will stacks in the free spins to come. The second set of cards are blue. The number of the card chosen will determine how many free spins you’ll receive (5-15).
