Mystic Orbs

Elk Studios take players on a journey to the east in Mystic Orbs, but you'll need to be feeling brave to join the quest. A mighty dragon known as Ying Longs stands guard over the treasure chamber of Yu the Great, but if you manage to get past their defences, real rewards await. Intrepid adventurers could claim up to x10,000 if they manage to slip past the dragon's traps. 

There's no shortage of eastern and dragon-themed slots on the reels, with every studio taking a tour of the Orient at one time or another. However, this slot does more than the basics as it leans on a cluster pays mechanic. This is a very popular way to play, but it's still relatively uncommon. Therefore, if you're looking for an eastern slot that includes cluster pays, your options are pretty limited. Mystic Orbs is one such game, while others that also tick the boxes include Butterfly Lovers and Fa Cai Shen Deluxe.  

Mystic Orbs is spread over a 5x5 board, a typical configuration in cluster pays slots. There are no traditional paylines, so in order to win, you need to land a cluster of at least five symbols that touch either horizontally or vertically. Betting starts from 0.20 and increases up to 100.00, and comes with a medium to high volatility. 

The story behind this slot is immersive, drawing players in to tackle the dragon for the chance to discover the gold awaiting in its lair. However, the visuals are pretty uninspiring, with a set of reels embedded in a wall of rock. The idea of being buried deep inside a stone cave may sound good in practice, but in reality, it just leads to a slot that is reasonably simple and devoid of colour.  

The reels are filled with symbols that are in keeping with the theme, so they may not be instantly familiar. Together with Chinese writing, some of the symbols also include a turtle, a bird, the yin yang symbol and a golden man.

There are also many wilds on the reels, and these can help you to create more prizes by creating clusters. This is because the wilds can stand in for any of the regular symbols, a tangible asset that players will love.  

If you've played any cluster pays slots before, you're probably familiar with the Avalanche mechanism. The winning symbols are blown off the reels every time you win, allowing everything to shuffle into new positions and replacement symbols to fall down from above. This provides extra chances to win and will keep on repeating until you can't find any more clusters. This type of mechanism is also known as cascading or tumbling reels.  

However, the main feature of Mystic Orbs are the orbs, a symbol that can appear on the reels and take various actions. They land on the heels in two forms, regular or charged, and this determines their actions. Above the main reels, there is an additional row; if you land an ordinary orb in the same row, you'll be awarded the corresponding action. If you land a charged orb on the same reel, you'll win the entire row of actions. These actions include a whole range of things from cash payouts to extra avalanches and entry to the bonus game.  

You can also reach the bonus game by landing five orbs on the reels.This will give you five free drops with the chance to win more if you collect additional orbs.  

Finally, there's the chance to play Mystic Orbs in either normal or X-iter mode. The latter provides the opportunity to buy certain beneficial functions, but each comes with a price. You'll have to judge for yourself whether you think it's worth paying the fee and getting the corresponding reward.

Mystic Orbs from Elk Studios is a slot that looks fairly uninspiring visually but packs a lot into the gameplay. The orbs are an integral part of the game and carry a massive range of features and contribute to the main bonus feature. Mystic Orbs should be one on your list for fast-paced fun with something to delight every player.