Elven Gold

Overview Elven Gold

Elven Gold is actually a co-creation between the Just For The Win and Microgaming studios. The game takes players deep into an enchanted forest wherein an ancient race of Elves dwell. However, these Elves are not like the simple forest folk of many a fantasy tale; no, these Elves are more like the sophisticated woodland inhabitants from the Lord of the Rings novel. As such, they have precious treasures of the finest craft, including golden artefacts worth a great deal. In this game, you will compete to attain a portion of this gold and return to your lands wealthier and wiser.

Regrading the bonus features for this game, there are 3 straightforward bonuses for players to engage in. The first of which is the scatter feature. To activate this feature, players must land 4 or more of the owl scatters on the reels simultaneously. Doing so will result in an instant cash prize. The size of this bonus payout is determined by the number of scatters that you managed to land. Next on the feature list is the free spins bonus. This feature is a little more complex and involves collecting the scatters for a more significant payout at the end. Finally, there is a bonus buy feature too.

Theme and Symbols

The main inspiration for this free slot game is the realm of the Silvan Elves found in JRR Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings fantasy novel. The Elves are described as tall, elegant, and considerate in their movements in the book. The main elf that we encounter in Elven Gold appears to be all of these things and strangely, if you look closely, has the face of Emma Watson, the actress who inhabited the role of Hermione in the Harry Potter franchise. Typical of Microgaming, the quality of visuals and game mechanics is excellent across the board, which helps you buy in more to the whole fantasy.

The background for this slot game is the forest in which these Elves reside. To the left of the reels, one can see the base of a towering oak; its roots spread thickly on the mossy green forest floor. To the right, players will observe an enormous civilisation, the gates of which are highlighted by glowing golden lamps. Scattered around the background are yellow fireflies, which add a pleasant fantastical element to the whole scene.

The playing board looks like it has been created by the Elves themselves, hewn from pure gold and onyx. Each reel shines thanks to the polished, gleaming metals they are made from. When you enter the free spins round, the number of free spins is displayed on the right-hand side of the screen inside an indicator encompassed by golden wings.

The symbols for Elven Gold are split like most online slot games into low paying, high-paying and special symbols. The low-paying symbols in this game are the 4 gemstones in blue and gold. Up from these are the double and treble bar symbols. The most valuable of the standard symbols is the Elf woman. Landing 5 of her on a pay line awards players with a payout of 30x their stake. The specials for this game are the wild (the golden w which also pays as well as the Elf woman) and the scatter symbol. The scatter in this game is the owl. Landing multiple owls is how you trigger both the scatter and free spins features.

Game Play

Elven Gold is played on a 5-reel, 4-row board with 40 fixed pay lines. To achieve wins on this slot, players must match a minimum of 3 of a kind on the pay line. Each combination made must start on reel 1. The betting range for Elven Gold is 20p to £15 per spin.
Players can toggle their stake up and down using the coin value adjuster tool located to the right of the reels. Information about the slot, including the paytable and the auto spins options, can be found via the menu button to the right-hand side of the reels also.
The volatility rating for Elven Gold is rated in the high end of the spectrum. The return to player percentage for Elven Gold is 96.1%, a touch above average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 15,000x your total stake.

Features

The first feature in this game is called the scatter feature. To activate this bonus, players must land 4 or more of the owl scatters anywhere on the reels at the same time. Doing so will guarantee an instant cash prize. The more owls that you land to trigger the feature, the bigger the payout. The number of scatters and their respective payouts are outlines below.

4 scatters 1 x stake
5 scatters 5 x stake
6 scatters 15 x stake
7 scatters 25 x stake
8 scatters 50 x stake
9 scatters 100 x stake
10 scatters 250 x stake
11 scatters 1,500 x stake
12 scatters 15,000 x stake

Next on the features list is the free spins feature. This bonus is a little more complex. To trigger this feature, players must land a free spin bonus symbol on reels, 2,3 and 4 on the same spin. The free spins round then begins with 3 free spins granted to the player. Every scatter that lands in the free spins round resets the free spins to 3 and is collected in a meter.
When you have exhausted all of your free spins, the number of scatters you have collected throughout the feature is totalled up. A cash prize is then awarded in line with the same table for the scatters feature. Any instant cash payout will be paid on top of any wins that you might have accrued in the game.

Finally, the bonus buys feature allows you to purchase access to the features in exchange for a multiple of your stake. However, this feature is not available in the UK.

Conclusion

If you love all things fantasy and instant cash payouts, this slot couldn’t be a better fit for you. Microgaming and Just For The Win have done an excellent job here, from the superb graphics to the simple and effective features. The max payout of 15,000x your stake is also a massive incentive to play a few rounds on this enticing game. If there is one downside to this slot, it is its high volatility.