Power is something we inherently desire as humans. If you’re more powerful than your neighbor, odds are he can’t force you to do what you don’t like. Is it any surprise that the more power hungry among us would dabble in the forbidden arts, then? Demons, monsters and horrors from beyond all lurk in the shadows, offering a quick and easy path to success and wealth.If you choose to deal with them, you must remain vigilant. But if you’re crafty, smart and lucky, you’ll be able to make these hellish creatures part with their numerous special features. Gaze into the abyss to find Vortex reels, stacked Wilds and free spins. Alternatively, skip the grind by paying an upfront cost to win free spins with a pick-and-click bonus.
Yggdrasil slots never fail to impress when it comes to visuals! The biggest success there are the fluid, gorgeous animations the game employs. Each book is dangerous, coming in rows of sharp teeth or corrosive sludge. Triggering Vortex reels opens this swirling mass of void that tries to suck you in. And if you fully open the gateway, you’ll be treated with tentacle growths and maniacal laughter! Sure, you’ve won yourself a free spins round, but at what cost? This release is played on a 5x3 board with 243 ways to win, and plenty of room to expand! You can set your total bet between $0.10 and $50 on each spin. To win, simply collect three or more identical symbols in adjacent positions. Wins are granted both left to right and right to left in Dark Vortex.
Icon designs and animations are well done. They introduce the threat this summoning ritual poses, and blend perfectly with the dreary and dreadful altar. Each tome is used to summon a different beast, and you can see that by looking at the symbols themselves. The many mouthed dog’s book, for example, comes with sharp teeth of its own! There are many little details like these that help this slot’s world-building.
Land two or more Vortex icons in adjacent positions to trigger three extra turns on Vortex reels. These reels only appear where the original symbols were: if you want more Vortex reels, you’ll have to land a Vortex icon there. Each Vortex symbol after the first two grant two more turns.
The best part about Vortex reels is that they increase the size of the reels. While active, reels become five icons tall instead of the usual three. Furthermore, opening all five Vortex reels at once will trigger free spins. How many you get is determined by special orbs you collect while playing around with Vortex reels.
You start the special features with two pink orbs and five blue orbs. Each time a new orb lands, it is immediately collected. Blue orbs grant additional extra turns while pink orbs increase the Wild Stack size. Only to a point however – Wilds are still bound to reels two, three and four. Once free spins are active, you’re guaranteed to have the maximum 3,125 paylines active.
The Yggdrasil release has you bartering with demons and creatures for a shot at big wins! This isn’t the type of negotiation you can attend unprepared, either. Not with Dark Vortex’s high volatility, which will quickly burn through free spins. Despite some minor flaws, we still enjoyed this trip beneath the waves immensely. With an RTP of 96.5%, and a jackpot worth 7318x your total stake? We’d be seriously tempted. A temptation made even worse with the Buy Bonus special feature that lets you skip straight to free spins. That bonus even comes with a 97% RTP, slightly higher than what you usually get.
