Merlin’s Grimoire is the latest video slot from Play’n GO, and it’s based around the incredibly popular Arthurian legends. The game was released on the 7th July, 2022, and you can play from as little as 0.10 credits per spin, and as many as 100 credits per spin.
Like we’ve become used to seeing from the game developer’s video slots, Merlin’s Grimoire is available in a number of different RTP settings. To make sure you have the best chance of winning – and to minimize the chance of losing – we’d recommend playing at new UK bingo sites that offer Merlin’s Grimoire in the highest RTP setting. At the time of writing this Merlin’s Grimoire review, it’s not clear what RTP settings are offered.
In this Merlin’s Grimoire slot review, we will be taking a look at what the game has to offer. To begin with, we will take a look at the game’s theme, design, and layout.
Merlin’s Grimoire Slot: Theme, Design, and Layout
Merlin’s Grimoire – as the name suggests – follows the life of Merlin. One of the most well-known Arthurian legends of all time, Merlin is one of the most famous magicians in history – and you’ll see this magic theme deeply ingrained into the game’s gameplay, just like you did with Merlin and the Ice Queen Morgana. Graphically, Merlin’s Grimoire looks great. Like most modern Play’n GO video slots, the graphics render in full HD, and an audio soundtrack accompanies each and every spin.
Merlin’s Grimoire is built around a standard 5-reel, 3-row format. However, it’s possible to increase the number of rows during the bonuses and features. There is also not a conventional payline system in play. Instead, players can expand the number of “ways-to-win” all the way up to 7,776 “ways-to-win”.
While most Play’n GO video slots have a maximum win of 5,000x, the game developer has started to produce more volatile machines in the last couple of years. Merlin’s Grimoire is a great example of this, and players can win up to 30,000x their stake while playing! This puts the game up there with titles from other very volatile game developers like Nolimit City and Hacksaw Gaming.
Special Symbols, Bonus Features, and Gameplay
Merlin’s Grimoire pays left-to-right; this means a win is formed by simply matching a 3-of-a-kind, 4-of-a-kind, or 5-of-a-kind combo from the left-hand-side or the screen.
When it comes to the game’s low-value symbols, you will see six unique tokens on the reels. These are colored red, green, purple, orange, yellow, and blue. These tokens don’t pay a great deal; the highest 5-of-a-kind payout is just 1x your stake – so you’ll want to be trying to land many ways of these symbols to get a decent win.
The higher-paying symbols in Merlin’s Grimoire are all theme-specific symbols. They include potion bottles, scrolls, gems – and, unsurprisingly, Merlin is the highest-value symbol you’ll find in Merlin’s Grimoire. He pays 4x for a 5-of-a-kind combo. That may not sound like much, but if you manage to land multiple ways, the value can show itself right away!
The final symbol to be found in Merlin’s Grimoire is the Grimoire symbol. This acts as the game’s wild symbol AND scatter symbol. It’s key to triggering the bonuses and features, details of which we will take a look at below.
Merlin’s Grimoire Slot: Bonus Features
There’s a great selection of bonuses and features to be found in Merlin’s Grimoire. Firstly, you will notice the splitting symbols. During any spin in the bonus funds, there is a chance that either one, two, or three of the middle three reels will ‘activate’. When they do, any symbols that land on this reel will “split” into two. This increases the number of ways to win – and, if you manage to get two or three reels “splitting” – it can produce some really decent-sized hits.
The main bonus round in Merlin’s Grimoire is the free spins feature. This is triggered by landing 3, 4, or 5 of the scatter symbols anywhere in view. Doing so will award you with 10 free spins, and a small cash payout. Before the free spins begin, one symbol is randomly chosen to become the special expanding symbol.
If, during the free spins, the special expanding symbol manages to create a win, all instances of the symbol on the screen will expand to cover all of the positions on their reel. They pay from any position. This is a pretty similar mechanic to what you’d see in other “book of” games like Book of Dead.
However, what makes Merlin’s Grimoire really different is the fact that the splitting symbols mechanic can also activate during the free spins. However, the splitting symbols are no longer limited to just the middle three reels; now, all five reels can expand! This means that there can be up to 7,776 “ways-to-win” – which, when symbols start to expand, means there’s some massive win potential on offer.
Conclusion
While Merlin’s Grimoire slot doesn’t offer anything we haven’t seen before (splitting symbols and special expanding symbols are both mechanics Play’n GO love to use in their video slots), the combination of both is something quite unusual. We really like how you can split symbols during the base game. This ensures there’s win potential in the base game, and that it offers something different to many of the games you would see out there today.
We also like that Merlin’s Grimoire is more than just another “book of” game. There are some big differences, and it’s quite a unique concept looking for your special symbol and the symbols to split. However, be warned that it’s REALLY frustrating when all five reels activate into splitting mode but you don’t land any of your special symbols in view! If you like
On the whole, Merlin’s Grimoire is a great slot. We expect it to do well among players, and if you’d like to try it out for yourself, make sure you visit one of our trusted websites!
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