Dark Vortex Review
Dark Vortex was released for the first time in late 2018. The game takes place in a somewhat creepy, dark atmosphere. Some will like this, and some will not. Furthermore, this slot machine scores very well and is therefore definitely recommended. Read below why this is so!
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Videoslots will match your deposit up to €200 on your first deposit. €10 minimum deposit required. You are required to wager the bonus amount 35 times before you can withdraw the bonus funds. You can forfeit the bonus and take the winnings and paid out bonus funds. Only the remaining balance of the bonus which has not yet been released will be forfeited. Bonus will be paid out in 10% increments to your cash account. Jackpot games do not contribute to the conversion. Maximum bet per spin is either 50% of your deposit up to €20. You must be 18 or over to play and 21 in countries where that is the minimum age by law. Play Responsibly.
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Maximum standard first deposit bonus amount is 150 EUR / 150 USD / 225 CAD / 1500 NOK / 225 NZD / 600 PLN / 11,250 RUB / 18,750 JPY; maximum standard second/third deposit bonus amount is 100 EUR / 100 USD / 150 CAD / 1000 NOK / 150 NZD / 400 PLN / 7,500 RUB / 12,500 JPY. Maximum highroller first/second/third deposit bonus is 1,000 EUR / 1,000 USD / 1500 CAD / 10,000 NOK / 1,500 NZD / 4,000 PLN / 75,000 RUB / 125,000 JPY.
To wager the bonus, you need to make bets for an amount 45 times the bonus amount - for standard bonuses; 50 times the bonus amount - for highroller bonuses.
RTP en Variance
The RTP, or return to player, for this game is between 96,50% en 97,0%. This means that the casino returns this percentage of all bets back to the players. This is quite high! The volatility or variance is high. A high volatility means that you win less frequently, but large amounts.
The Design
Dark Vortex is a 5 reel, 3 row slot. As mentioned before, the theme is quite dark and you can hear that in the music. You will find all kind of settings at the bottom of your screen. From left to right: The number of possible paylines (243 in the beginning), the coin value, your bet (depending on the coin value you choose), the ‘max bet’ function, the ‘spin’ button, the amount you win, and your balance. Above the number of possible paylines you’ll find the ‘Buy a Bonus’ feature, which is also added to this game.
How does Dark Vortex work?
Above it says that there are 243 paylines. These are not actually paylines, to be precise. This mechanism is called the 243-ways-to-win mechanism. This comes from Microgaming slots, but is nowadays adopted by many game providers. The idea is as follows: You win if you have a certain symbol on the first three, four, or five reels. This gives you 3x3x3x3x3 = 243 options! Hope for nice combinations, features, or to unlock the bonus round.
How do you play Dark Vortex?
The game starts with choosing the coin value, and with it your bet. The minimum bet is 0.10 euros (coin value 0.01) and the maximum bet per spin is 50 euros (coin value 5). After this, the game can begin by pressing spin every turn. Above is how you can form combinations, and that you therefore start with 243 ways to win. However, the number of possible ways to win may increase throughout the game. You do this by collecting ‘Vortex’ symbols in the playing field. This will unlock the Vortex reels, but you can read more about that below. You also try to reach the bonus round.
Vortex Reels
You unlock ‘Vortex Reels’ by spinning a Vortex symbol on two adjacent reels. Of course, more is also possible. 2 of these symbols give you 3 ‘Vortex spins’. For each additional adjacent reel with a vortex symbol, you will receive an additional 2 of these Vortex spins. This continues up to a maximum of 9 spins, when you spin a Vortex symbol on all reels.
Vortex Spins
The reels on which you spin a Vortex symbol (so-called Vortex reel) are expanded to 5 rows. This gives you greater chances of winning and more chance of multipliers. For example, with this expansion you can get 5x5x3x3x3 = 625 possible ways to win when you spin 2 Vortex symbols. Hence, the maximum number of possible ways to win can be up to 5x5x5x5x5 = 3125! Additional symbols are added during the Vortex spins: The pink Orb and the blue Orb. The pink Orb provides for larger wild stacks, or more winning combinations. The blue Orb provides free spins!
The Symbols
The symbols are fairly easy to remember. There are 5 ‘creeps’ (high win symbols) and 5 books (low win symbols). In addition, you also have the Vortex symbol with which you can unlock the associated reels and spins.
The Prices
The symbols represent a certain number of credits in value. For example, for 1 ‘red creep’ on 5 reels you get 60 credits. You can earn a multiplier by getting several of these on 1 reel. Suppose you have 2x red creep on reels 3 and 5, this means a multiplier of 1x1x2x1x2 = 4. The number of credits you earn then is 4x 60 = 240! You can see that it can suddenly go very fast! The value of a credit is the aforementioned coin value. You determine this yourself and can assume a minimum of 0.01 euros and a maximum of 5 euros.
Bonus Rounds
You get the bonus round by getting a Vortex symbol on each reel. Of course you will get 9 spins with the Vortex reels, as indicated above. But after that you get some free spins. You are guaranteed to get 5 free spins, and this can add up because you get an extra spin for every blue Orb! You also play the free spin bonus with the Vortex reels, or 3125 ways to win.
Buy a bonus feature
Dark Vortex also features a ‘Buy a Bonus’ feature! This costs you 80x your bet in this game, which is a considerable amount. Because you go directly to the free spin bonus you have not been able to collect blue Orbs. Something else was made up on that. By means of a game of chance you determine how many free spins you get and what the multiplier is. You can get a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 20 free spins this way. The multiplier is a minimum of 2x and a maximum of 10x. When you use this feature, the RTP will increase from 96.5% to 97%, which in principle makes you better off.
Max win & Rating
You can win up to 7000x your own bet. A huge amount! The maximum amount you can grab is 350,000 euros! Dark Vortex scores 4/5 stars, which is also very meritorious!
Conclusion
The game is well and carefully developed and also offers many nice features. In addition, there is a high RTP and variance, so you can grab big prices. Definitely a good choice!