Casino Bonuses
| Provider | Bullshark Games |
| Reels | 6 |
| Rows | 5 |
| Paylines | Scatter Pays |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.10 - 100 |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Max Win | 10,000x |
| Bonus Buy | Yes |
| RTP | 96.25% |
| Our Rating | 6.5 |
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Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Game Overview
Provider Hacksaw Gaming has recently made a move to expand its business model by offering up its OpenRGS platform to game developers. This service provides an established frontend framework to build games on without the need to worry about backend complexities such as mathematic models and functionality, leaving designers free to focus on the creative side of things. It sounds like a great idea to me, and Bullshark Games clearly agrees, as they have grasped this opportunity to create the game I’ll be reviewing today. It’s called Merlin’s Alchemy, and it’s a medium volatility, six-reel, five-row video slot featuring a maximum win of 10,000x and an RTP of 94.28%.
As you may have gathered from the title, the theme of this game focuses on a world of witchcraft and wizardry, and once you’ve got the slot fired up, you’ll find our magic mate Merlin lurking in his dimly lit lair. At the centre of this scene, you’ll see the game’s 6×5 grid, where you’ll need to match a minimum of eight symbols in scatter pays style to achieve a win. The mystery symbol also plays a prominent role in the game mechanics; up to 30 can land on the grid on any one spin and provide power-ups such as multipliers and wild symbols. There is also a bonus feature to play for, where up to 12 free spins can be won, and a sticky multiplier is introduced along with a higher drop rate of special symbols.
I’d imagine that casting a spooky spell, brewing a curious concoction in a cauldron, or bombing around on a broomstick would take a lot of practice to pull off successfully. With that in mind, it might be worth blowing off some cobwebs on the Merlin’s Alchemy demo slot before you get stuck in with your own money. Check it out; it’s available to play for free below!
Merlin’s Alchemy Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
By my count, this is the second time that Bullshark has created a game through the Hacksaws OpenRGS platform, with the first one being Mafia Clash, a 5×3 grid slot with an RTP of 96.35% and a potential maximum win of 10,000x. If you like what you’ve seen so far in Merlin’s Alchemy, why not go and try this previous creation? It’s packed with shootouts, wild action, and a free spins bonus. Or maybe you just really enjoy games with a wizard theme? There are plenty that fall into this category, and one of my favourites was originally a land-based classic before being brought to the online world by Blueprint Gaming. It’s called The Pig Wizard, and it’s packed with features and has a magical maximum win of 50,000x. Right then, let’s give our wands a whirl and whizz off to the paytable, where we’ll begin exploring the features of Merlin’s Alchemy in further detail.
To receive the highest payout value for each symbol, you are required to match 15 or more of them, half of the grid’s 30 positions, which seems quite achievable on the face of it. The most valuable symbol is the Gold Bar, which will return a prize of 150x your total stake for a cluster of 15+. Next, it’s the Red Bar and the Bronze Bar, which are both worth 100x, followed by the final two premium symbols, the Green Bar and the Silver Bar, which will both pay 50x. The non-premium symbols featured are the A, K, Q, J, and 10, which will return 15x, 10x, 10x, 5x, and 5x, respectively, for 15 or more symbols.
Next, let’s investigate the stake possibilities in Merlin’s Alchemy. These start from a low of €0.10 and rise to a high of €100.00, with plenty of well placed options between, allowing low, mid, and high rollers the opportunity to find a stake comparable to their starting bankroll.
Merlin’s Alchemy Slot Base Game
There is no need to worry about paylines on Merlin’s Alchemy, as all that’s required to achieve a win is for 8 or more matching symbols to land anywhere on the 6×5 reel configuration. These symbols do not need to be touching in any way, and any involved in a win will be removed from the grid via the cascading reels engine allowing new ones room to drop into play from the top of the reels.
Mystery Symbols
Up to 30 mystery symbols can land in any grid position, on any spin, and will each reveal random paytable symbols or special symbols.
Special Symbols
Mystery symbols may reveal special symbols, and these will perform the functions detailed below:
- Wild: Replaces any other standard pay table symbol. If all grid positions are wild, the pay value will be based on the highest value symbol on the paytable.
- Activator Wild: Applies the multiplier value displayed at the top of the reels to any wins it is part of. If more than one features within the same win, each will adopt the value of this multiplier, and these values will be added together to form the total multiplier value for that win.
- Sticky Activator Wild: Only appears during the free spins bonus. It has all of the features of the Activator Wild and will remain on the reels for the duration of the bonus.
- Green Potion: Adds a value of x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, x25, x50, or x100 to the multiplier displayed above the reels.
- Red Potion: Multiplies the value of the current multiplier by x2, x3, x4, x5, x6, x7, x8, x9, or x10.
Merlin’s Alchemy Slot Bonus Features
Landing three scatter symbols on the screen during a single game round will award 8 free spins, whilst four scatters will trigger 10 free spins, and five scatters will activate 12 free spins.
Free Spins Feature
During the free spins bonus round, the odds of mystery symbols landing are increased, and the win multiplier will not reset between spins.
Bonus Buy
Players located in areas where feature buys are permitted will have access to the following features via the Buy Bonus button:
- Bonus Hunt FeatureSpins: Each spin is 3 times more likely to trigger the bonus, Cost: 2x, RTP: 94.23%.
- Spell Book Free Spins: Triggers the free spins bonus with either 8, 10, or 12 free spins, Cost: 100x, RTP: 94.30%.
- Enhanced Spell Book Free Spins: Triggers the free spins bonus with either 10 or 12 free spins, multiplier value starts at x10, Cost: 200x, RTP: 94.30%.
Pros
- Only 15 symbols are required for the top symbol value payout.
- Mystery symbols can result in good base game hits.
- Growing multiplier value in bonus adds potential.
Cons
- Unimaginative theme.
Merlin's Alchemy Slot Review Final Thoughts
I wouldn’t say I’ve had a magical experience playing Merlin’s Alchemy, but it just about scrapes into the reasonable bracket on our scoring system. On the plus side, it's good to see that only 15 symbols, just half of the game's grid positions, are required to hit the top-value payouts. The mystery symbols that can transform into special symbols are also not shy to land and provide some good entertainment in the base game, and if you’re lucky, the multiplier value can really rocket in the bonus round.
Reasonable
- Game Types:
- Bonus Buy Slots
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