Alchemist’s Gold Slot
We would all like to succeed where the alchemists of old failed, turning base metals into gold and becoming rich beyond our wildest dreams. While the Alchemist’s Gold video slot machine from SYNOT Games might not quite manage this, it’s got the potential to pay out some decent winnings when the symbols line up across this 5 reel, 10-line game.
It’s also got a Mystery Symbol feature that can create further winning combinations, while players who like to take a bit more risk and want to try and multiply wins over and over again, can choose to gamble each prize to magically turn a small payout into a golden opportunity to get a massive reward.
This is a very good-looking online casino slot game, where the reels are designed to look like the drawing board of the Alchemist, who has surrounded them with various colourful bottles of exotic chemicals and potions in his attempts to achieve fame and fortune. Alongside the high-card symbols, we see stylish depictions of the elements earth, air, fire and water, while a strange mechanical device transforms symbols whenever it appears.
Mixing up a Winning Formula
Free Alchemist’s Gold video slots can be played, while the least that can be wagered on a real cash spin is 0.20 and all lines are permanently activated. This stake can be raised to a high limit of 100.00 a spin and in a change from the standard format, winning lines are made by landing matching symbols across a line in an unbroken sequence from both the left and right sides. Symbols can be stacked several high on a reel, which makes the job of creating winning lines a little easier.
The playing card symbols will make up the lower value win-lines, and when either the J or Q symbols appear on 3, 4, or 5 reels of a line, players are awarded 1x, 2x or 10x the total bet per spin. The K and A are each valued at 2x, 5x or 15x when they land across a payline and the higher wins come from the unique picture symbols that give the Alchemist’s Gold video slot such a distinctive style.
Earth is represented by a tree on a hill, while air is a raging tornado, and each of these are worth 3x, 8x or 25x the bet amount when stopping on 3, 4, or 5 reels across a line. A giant wave is the water symbol, which washes up some wins of 5x, 10x or 30x, and the top value element is the volcanic fire, that’s worth 5x, 20x or 40x. A glowing vial of pink liquid will return winnings of 10x, 20x or 50x the stake when it stops on a line.
Mystery Symbol Transformations
The main bonus feature of this game occurs when the Mystery Symbol appears in any places. This can also be stacked, so spinners will usually see a number of examples of this intricately-designed golden device appear at once.
Whenever it lands, it will transform into any randomly selected symbol and if there’s already examples of that symbol on the reels, players stand a good chance of getting a high-value win out this feature.
While this is all done in a nicely-animated sequence, it isn’t guaranteed though and in practice, this is a bonus that’s a bit hit and miss, but when it pays out, it tends to pay out handsomely.
Gambling for Bigger Wins
Any winnings can be gambled, although it’s just an option and while the potential is there to double a win several times over, it’s a risky 50/50 bet that can just as easily lose a prize.
The aim is simply to predict if a playing card will be revealed as coming from a red or black suit, with correct guesses giving players the further option to go again, cash out, or bet half the prize, while any wrong picks along the way lose the gamble.
The Verdict
Despite the lack of some features that many players now expect, such as a wild symbol, or free spins bonus round, we liked the Alchemist’s Gold video slot. It looks great, with pin-sharp images and a nice colour scheme, while the Mystery Symbol turns up pretty frequently, so there’s still plenty of successful transformations that lead to extra payouts being awarded.
The little details that fill the game, such as control buttons set within the mechanical devices used in the experiments, and the way that the reels are presented against scientific drawings, really add a distinctive style that lifts this mobile-optimised slot game above the ordinary.
Maybe it won’t bring in riches from base materials, but it can certainly transform players days when the right symbols appear in the right combinations to create win-lines.