Arctic Enchantress

Arctic Enchantress Overview

Created by the innovative studio Microgaming, this slot has a lot to offer in its exciting theme and game mechanics, not to mention the broad range of available features. Regarding the theme, although this slot might seem like a straightforward ice queen kind of aesthetic, many magic elements add a more fantastical dimension than just some poor frozen women in the snow. Mechanically, this game runs Microgaming's version of Hold and Win– Link & Win, meaning that players will be able to win a jackpot if they are lucky. As slots go, it is one of the more complex on the market and should be a lot of fun to play.

The features mentioned are extensive in this game. They start with a stacked wild bonus, which helps form more wins by stepping in for other symbols. Then there are the wild nudges triggered at random that will push wilds to cover whole reels. Landing scatters will grant you access to a fun free spins round, with up to 20 free spins available. Finally, there is the Link &Win bonus, triggered by landing 6 to 14 ice orbs on the reels at the same time. This is a re-spin bonus in which you must land multiple special symbols. All features will be explained in greater detail later on in the review.

Theme and Symbols

Microgaming welcomes you to the frigid and magical world of The Artic Enchantress. Here everything you will see is adapted to the cold, from the arctic fox to the polar bear to the snowy owl. Everything that is apart from the enchantress herself who is wearing some sort of sarong, then again maybe she is used to the cold. Her wintery kingdom is a magical and snow-filled wonderland that combines Frozen's Disney world with the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to produce a dark yet enticing environment.

The background for this game is the exterior of the enchantress' castle which stands hauntingly to the right-hand side of the reels. Its towers and chambers appropriately are all made of ice. Outside the glassy-looking structure is a vast expanse of snow and ice, with conifer trees laden with thick layers of a recent blizzard's wrath. The castle being the abode of the fair enchantress, is where the glowing magic emanates from, which comes and goes in sync with some of the action that might be taking place on the reels.
The playing window is a golden mirror with an icy frame. Atop this mirror is various slots for icy orbs.

The symbols for this game are split into low-value, high-value and special symbols. The low-value symbols for this game are the J, Q, K, and A in playing card royals, these payout at a maximum of 2x the stake. However, the more valuable symbols are the pinecone, rose, owl, fox, and polar bear. The polar bear is the most valuable, worth 20x the stake for the top combination. Finally, the specials are the golden castle scatter, the special icy orb, and the Artic Enchantress wild.

Game Play

Arctic Enchantress is played on a 5-reel, 3-row machine with 243 fixed pay lines. To win combinations, players must land three or more matching symbols on pay lines moving from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.

The betting range for Arctic Enchantress is 20p to £50 per spin. To adjust their bet levels, players can toggle their stake up and down using the tool located at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

Further information, including a short tutorial and a display of the paytable, can be found via the menu button in the right-hand corner of the screen. The spin and auto spin buttons are located in the centre of the screen.
Volatility for this slot is rated in the high range. The return to player percentage for Arctic Enchantress is 96.1%, which is about average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 5,416x your stake.

Features

The first feature for this game is the wild bonus, which can come in a stacked formation and land in one to three positions depending on how much the wild is visible. However, at random wild nudges can be activated, which nudge the wild to become fully visible and take up the entire reel on which it is on. This helps players score more wins.

The second feature is the free spins round, triggered when players land three to five scatters on the reels at the same time. The more scatters that you land, the more free spins you are granted. The most you can win is 20. This feature can also be retriggered by landing additional scatters.

The final feature for this game is the Link & Win feature. You have to land between six and fourteen ice orbs on the reels to trigger this bonus. However, if you turn on the win booster option, the required number is reduced. The feature begins with a new board and three re-spins.

All the orbs that you landed to trigger the bonus remain sticky for the duration of the feature, and any more that you land also become stuck too. Every time you land a new orb, your re-spins are reset to three. Each of these orbs has a value.
When the feature ends, either when you run out of re-spins or when the board becomes full of symbols, all the orbs' values will be added up and paid out to you in one sum. However, special jackpot orbs that are landed in certain multiples will reward jackpot amounts.
The largest one available in this game is worth 5,000x your stake.

Conclusion

Link & Win, like Hold and Win, is becoming a popular game mechanic and one that Microgaming are not likely to stop using for some time now. If you like this bonus, then you'll probably really enjoy the game. However, even if you don't, there are plenty of other features to get involved with and a fun and well-executed theme. RTP and volatility hint at a decent winning potential too.