Gold Volcano Free Play in Demo Mode by Play'n GO

Gold Volcano review

Theme and Story Line

Gold Volcano is set on the harrowing sides of an almighty volcano. Above the mountain, the sky is red with the infernal glow of lava, while the way ahead is studded with precious stones thrown up by the eruption (the symbols on the reels are gems).

Below the reels, the player can see the boiling magma swirling through a cross-section of the mountain.

Players must struggle their way towards the peak, or risk being swallowed up in fire.

Graphics, Sounds and Animations

Gold Volcano sports some fun graphics. The grid of jewels is pretty basic, but it is animated well and the symbols are good enough for the job.

The design elements that shine are the simple but effective use of the background. This is an atmospheric depiction of a volcano, and as cascades occur, the lava is animated to rise, filling the cone with magma, getting closer and closer to eruption.

The music is a tense movie style soundtrack. The spin sounds have a weighty feel and sound like rocks being moved about by the rumbling earth.

The design elements are simple but effective and all come together to make a thrilling atmosphere for the game.

Gameplay

Volcano Gold uses a grid style system. In this system, winning combinations are formed by groups of four or more identical symbols which are in contact vertically or horizontally.

Symbols rise up from the bottom. When a winning combination lands, it is removed from the reels and new symbols rise to take their place. The cascade system also serves to trigger the free spin bonus after six cascades.

The base game has three randomly triggered features that mix things up for the player. These are: Rumble, in which symbols are shaken into new position and a Scatter is added to the reels; Lava, in which in which an additional layer is added to the reel, all of the same symbol; and Excavate, which adds three to five random Wilds to the reels.

There are a couple of other bonus features, described in fuller detail below, that keep the slot’s gameplay interesting, varied, and fast paced.

Wilds, Bonuses and Free Spins

The Wild symbol substitutes for all symbols except the Scatter symbol. Wilds appear at random when a winning combination is removed. They can come with a multiplier that is applied to any win that involves that particular Wild.

If the player gets six cascades on one spin, they trigger the Free Spin bonus. This begins at five free spins.

During the free spins, the grid is enlarged to an eight by eight grid. If the player gets another six cascades during the free spins, they receive an additional spin.

Hitting three Scatter symbols in a spin will result in one of the Amethyst symbols on the board being turned into Gold symbols, the highest value symbol. Three more on the same spin will do the same for the Ruby symbols. Three more and the Emerald symbols follow suit. This can result in huge payouts.

During Free Spins, the Scatter meter does not reset between spins.

Bet Sizes, RTP and Variance

The return to player of this game is 96.20%, a little over our yardstick for average of roughly 96%.

The range of bets on the site we tested ran from a minimum bet per spin of $/£/€0.10 up to a maximum of $/£/€100.00 per spin.

The volatility of this game is high, which makes it a good match for our preferred slot machine strategies. Our slot strategies target the highest possible volatility.

Conclusion

Gold Volcano is a great Play'n GO slot. The visuals are pleasant, easy to read, and represent a clever twist on a familiar format.

The gameplay is rich and varied with random features, meters, and multiple bonuses all of which keep things interesting. This is coupled with high volatility and a slightly above average RTP, both of which work well with our slot strategies.

Overall, this slot gets a strong recommendation from us.