Review of Dark Vortex
The background music complements the theme perfectly, which only intensifies as the reels are spun, elevating the suspense to a whole new level. The music becomes even more dramatic as certain winning combinations are made. Captivating doesn’t even begin to describe Dark Vortex slot and with all the features and surprises this slot brings, there’s no doubt that this online slot will go down as one of the best releases of Yggdrasil of 2018.Â
Game Mechanics and Game Symbols
As touched on briefly above, the Dark Vortex packs quite the punch, with it’s 5 reels and 243 ways to win, excluding all the bonus features we’ll be covering later in this review. The game boasts of a return to player percentage, or RTP of 96.5% which increases to 97% when the free spins feature is activated, but more on that later.Â
There are five main symbols in the base game which are some of the weirdest creatures to ever be placed on an online slot. Each of these characters has a specific colour attributed to them and each of the characters comes with another set of symbols, in the form of sacred books. These books are the lowest paying symbols of the game and the next in line are the goblins, monsters and demons, where three symbols will result in a winning combination.Â
The red demon is the most rewarding character of the game, granting you six times the stake across a payline. In the section below, we’ll be covering all the special features of the game, which includes the Dark Vortex, free spins, the orbs, the wild symbol and the special buy-in free spins feature.Â
Special Symbols, Free Spins and Bonus Feature
This is where things get interesting. Dark Vortex comes bursting with special features where players will never experience a dull moment. The wild symbol of the game comes in the form of a gold bullion with the word ‘WILD’ on it and it will substitute for any symbol except for the orbs and Vortex symbols. The wild symbol can only appear on the Vortex and on free spins reels 2, 3 and 4.Â
There are two orb symbols, both of which are protected and sitting inside the palm of what seems to be an interdimensional demon. One orb is pink and will extend the wild stack size. The pink orbs are awarded when the vortex opens and appear on reel 1 and 5 of the vortex reels. The blue orb increases the number of free spins and five of these are granted when the vortex opens on reels 2, 3 and 4.Â
Opening the Dark Vortex
The Vortex symbols are the ones you should be focusing on in the base game. Five of these vortex symbols will need to appear on each reel to trigger the Free Spins, but that’s just the start. When two vortex symbols appear on the reels adjacent to each other, it initiates three Vortex spins, where a dark portal swallows the reels in and increases the ways to win significantly. This is where the dramatic music intensifies, signaling a change in the base game.Â
Each additional Vortex symbol rewards players with an extra Vortex reel and additional free spins. Vortex reels remain open until all Vortex Spins have been played. The more Vortex Reels that are active or open, the more possible winning combinations can be made, up to a maximum of 3,125 ways to win.Â
Orbs symbols have the potential to appear in the Vortex Reels feature and both the pink and blue orbs will increase the number of free spins when triggered. Every pink orb which appears adds an additional wild to the three middle reels during the free spins feature and they can only appear on Vortex reels one and five. The blue orbs will bring with them extra free spins in the Vortex Free Spins feature and these appear on reels two, three and four. Five blue orbs are granted as soon as the vortex feature opens, also known as the Orbs Collection feature.
The following feature is almost never available in any online slot as entering would be a privilege but in Dark Vortex slot, you can buy your ways into the Vortex Free Spins feature. All you need to do is pay 80 times your stake and you will be granted access to the most lucrative area of the Dark Vortex. You will then proceed to choose how many free spins and wilds you’ll play with. You can play with up to 20 free spins and up to 10 high wild stacks!
Overall Impression of Dark Vortex Slot
Dark Vortex Slot could very well be one of Yggdrasil’s most successful releases of the year. It’s got a lot going on for it, starting with the impressive visuals and the elaborate graphics of the Vortex free spins feature. The background music does a fantastic job in bringing the game to life and it with it’s high RTP, it has great winning potential. The only thing you need to be aware of is the fact that players might need to wait for a while before getting a hefty payout due to Dark Vortex slot being a high variance one.Â
Fact-checked by Julia Attard
Senior Author & Online Casino Expert