The Magic Orb

It's only natural to associate orbs with magic, right? Over the years, it's fair to say that orbs have always been linked with extraordinary powers of some sort. And that's certainly the case again in The Magic Orb, a video slot courtesy of leading development team iSoftBet. However, instead of taking on their traditional role of being a vehicle for the paranormal, in this game, they're there to help punters win cash prizes, which could very well be how everyone wants to see orbs operate moving forward. It's worth noting that these orbs are described as magic too, so we're keen to see what else they can do.

On loading the game, it's immediately apparent this is a video slot but with a twist. There are seven reels of sorts, but also seven rows, creating a 7x7 grid. And, if you haven't played a game like this before, it means that the exciting Cluster Pays mechanic is going to be active. Instead of having to look for lines of identical symbols, it's a case of generating clusters to win prizes. Many will tell you it always leads to more fun. And, if truth be told, it moves games away from that traditional slot style, which many will appreciate.

We’ve talked about the look of the game a lot, and we’ll go into more detail shortly, but iSoftBet have done a lot of work to create an appeal around The Magic Orb, and it’s noticeable. For example, they haven’t only brought the Cluster Pays mechanic into the equation, but there is the Hold & Win respins system too, which players are always delighted to see. The top prize of 15,000x the bet is also an attractive proposition, alongside cascading reels, free drops, wilds, modifiers and a whole lot more.

The game’s design is an interesting one because the title of the slot is The Magic Orb, and we see orbs, but we’re not sure if we’d put the game in the magic genre. It’s not a negative. In fact, you could suggest it’s a positive. The orbs, which appear as gemstones, are very much the star of the show. So, the theme is really based around them and the sort of aura provided. In our opinion, it's a better take than just being a basic magic-themed game with some gemstones thrown in for good measure.

Players will be pleased that there are no royal icons of any sort on show in the game area. It's not that they're bad, especially when they fit with a theme, but it's a nice change of scenery to see something different. Of course, in this slot, what you're going to see is an array of gemstones. They come in all shapes, sizes and colours, and they're really gentle on the eye, which is another positive.

If you have played an iSoftBet title with the Hold & Win system in play, you will know that regular lines aren’t how things work. However, in The Magic Orb, iSoftBet go one step further by introducing the Cluster Pays mechanic. Five or more icons are needed to form a cluster, which will result in a payout.

And, with Cluster Pays comes Cascading Reels. So, when a cluster pays out, the icons involved will be removed, and new symbols will come into play. Ultimately, this can lead to chains of wins, and this can happen an infinite number of times.

There is a wild icon to watch out for too, which is going to help with clusters. For example, if it’s next to a cluster, it will improve the payout by including itself in the group of icons.

There's a magic orb that is in the centre of reel four, and it can trigger all manner of special features, which include multipliers, transforming symbols, extra wilds, access to free spins and much more.

Five or more scatters appearing simultaneously will trigger the Hold & Win feature. There will be three respins from the get-go, with more coins landing, resetting the respins counter. If you want to win a fixed jackpot, this is the feature you need to be playing.

iSoftBet have made some major strides in the last twelve months by introducing the Hold & Win mechanic. They have developed things further by bringing the Cluster Pays mechanic into play, which undoubtedly adds to the excitement. And, you can’t complain when you have Hold & Win on top of free spins and multiple fixed jackpots.