The 5×3 matrix lets you activate up to 10 pay-lines which happens in numerical order from the menu below. You can place your bets and spin the reels for as little as €0.10 up to €100 on all kinds of devices. Rise of Merlin is highly volatile with an RTP of 96.58%.
Central part in the game takes the Free Spins. You are eligible to win up to 16 of these in two steps. By triggering the mode with the scatter you will win 8 bonus rounds and repeat it. Before each of these, at random a symbol will be chosen to be the special expanding. The best case is Merlin to be the Expanding symbol. If this happens and you land Merlin on each reel, he will expand to make a screen full of this symbol. Thus, you can win up to 5000 times the amount of your bet.
The playing grid is in front of the wizard’s chamber. The background is purple-blueish looking a bit like it’s underwater. The design is simple, clean with the menu of the game below the reels. It shows the coin value, the coin number, the total bet amount, and the number of lines, which you can select. You will also see your balance sum and the Gamble feature button.
The colour of the slot is in the purple, blue, and grey tones. The card suit letters have a lot of ornaments and curlicues. The pay-lines stand out in phosphorescent blue-purple colour. The game’s menu information shows in the form of scrolls. It is highly volatile and suitable for rollers who like larger stakes.
Here you will find the lower-value card suits: A, K, Q, J, and 10. Other than them, there are owls, two dragons, and of course Merlin. The wizard is the most rewarding symbol. It pays 1, 10, 100 and 500 times your bet if you arrange respectively 2, 3, 4, or 5 of it. You have a scatter which is the wild at the same time – this is the mysterious crystal ball. Five of it pay 500 times your bet like Merlin.
The crystal ball substitutes all symbols and triggers the bonus round. You have to land 3 or more to activate the latter. You will then receive 8 free spins. Before they start off, one special symbol will be randomly chosen. It will be Expanding during Free Spins. You can retrigger this round.
To relish in Free Spins you must activate the feature. Land at least 3 wilds/scatters (mysterious crystal balls) to do so. You then, get 8 bonus rounds. Before they run a symbol will be selected at random to be the Special Expanding. This can be any of the 9 symbols except for the scatter/wild. The free spins will start. When enough number of the special symbols land to cover all reels during them, you will get larger wins. The Expanding Symbols don’t need to be next to each other to result in extra prizes.
If you land 3 or more scatters during the bonus round, you can retrigger it and receive 8 more for free. Before them, you will receive another Special Expanding Symbol for the second time. You would prefer for it to be Merlin, which can get you up to 5000 times your stake. The game also includes a Gamble Feature which allows you to put at stake your winnings. Thus, you can test your luck and either win more or lose some of your spins’ coins.
Rise of Merlin has superb animations and great potential, though the slot isn’t very unique. Book of Dead by Play ‘N Go also has an expanding symbol in the Bonus Round. But, the difference is that here you have two such if you re-trigger the Free Spins. Rise of Dead is another title from the same developer with similarities in the gameplay. If Magic Merlin Megaways and Merlin’s Moneyburst are two of your favourites, you will love Rise of Merlin.
About the Author
| Name: | Rise of Merlin | The Cursed King | Joker Hot Reels | Boomshakalaka | Gustav Minebuster | Elixir of Wealth |
| Provider: | Play'N Go | Backseat Gaming | Playtech | Booming Games | Red Rake | Jelly |
| Paylines: | 10 | 19 | 5 | 25 | no paylines | 243 |
| Bonus: | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Free spins: | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wild Symbol: | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Jackpot: | 500.000 | 12,500 | 6,000x bet / 2 progressive jackpots | £500,000 | £200.000 | 5,000 |
