Rise of Merlin

When it comes to online slots, icons from fantasy are frequently used; however, all of these beings tend to originate from Ancient Greek mythology. The Rise of Merlin slot breaks this trend, focusing on an Arthurian wizard. As the game loads, players will be greeted with an immersive cutscene before appearing in his secret lair. Different orbs can be seen floating around the room as a heroic soundtrack plays in the background. 

Rise of Merlin was created by Play'n GO, one of the largest providers in the online casino space. Since 2005, they have been releasing games with innovative aspects, including unique themes and mechanics. The Paying Piano Club, Canine Carnage, and Dawn of Egypt are just a few examples of previous titles by Play'n GO, all of which have been successful in their own right. 

Before touching on the different symbols in Rise of Merlin, it's important to mention that potential winnings are in reference to the stake per line. Players can adjust the coin value, coins per line, and total lines when spinning this slot. The total bet size can be calculated by multiplying the coin value by the coins per line, and then by the total number of lines covered. This means that the minimum stake size for Rise of Merlin sits at 0.01. 

First are the standard 10, J, Q, K, and A symbols that are often found in online slots. Premium icons consist of an owl, a blue dragon, a red dragon, and Merlin himself, which can award players with up to 600x, 600x, 1,600x, or 5,000x their bet per line, respectively. There is also one special symbol in Rise of Merlin, shown as a crystal ball, which acts as both a wild and scatter. It can replace any icon along a payline, or trigger the free spins bonus mode, as covered below. 

Punters that have played 'Book Of' slots in the past may already be familiar with the bonus in Rise of Merlin. However, there is a slight twist in this release. Landing three or more scatter symbols will trigger the round, awarding players with a total of 8 free spins. Before the mode begins, the crystal ball will randomly select one of the icons, which will become the expanding symbol for the round. 

Should this special icon appear across three or more reels, they will expand and award players with the corresponding potential winnings. It's worth noting that these icons do not need to land on adjacent reels either, as expanding symbols ignore paylines altogether.

So, what exactly makes this slot stand out from the crowd? The answer lies in the retrigger mechanic. Landing three or more scatter symbols during the bonus mode will award eight more spins, alongside another expanding symbol. This can be repeated until all nine icons in the game have been selected. 

In summary, Rise of Merlin is a visually appealing slot that revolves around an exciting theme. Although the primary bonus mode has been seen before, it does contain a unique aspect, with the ability for all symbols to expand if enough scatter icons are accumulated!