Prepare to travel back in time, a hundred million years or so, to the Jurassic era, when dinosaurs roamed the planet and volcanoes were their only major threat. Lava Gold from Betsoft is a thrilling video slot that captures this historical period and is loaded with heart-stopping action.
Lava Gold is a5x5 slotthat uses a cluster pays engine. The reels are filled with symbols that include dinosaurs, dinosaur eggs, exotic flowers, volcanos, and the familiar 10, J, Q, K, A symbols. In the background is a lush jungle and a massive volcano that is ready to erupt. Lava Gold is rated as a low variance slot with an RTP of96.02%. It’s very evident as the game loads that in true Betsoft style, they have invested a substantial amount in the artwork and it is really impressive.
Let’s take a closer look at what Lava Gold has to offer…
Cluster Wins
Cluster Winsare the basic aim of the game. Unlike regular slots, where you need to land symbols on a payline or winning way (specific pattern), the aim here is to get5 or more matching symbolsadjacent to each other to form a winning cluster. The symbols must be vertically or horizontally adjacent and not diagonal. The symbols in the cluster pay out accordingly and are then removed and other symbols that are still in the grid, replicate at random to fill the empty spaces, with the potential of forming new clusters. The process continues until no more clusters can be formed or until all 25 positions on the grid are the same symbol and then the round ends.
Free Spins
To trigger the Free Spins, you need to form clusters with each of the various symbols, in order, from the lowest to highest paying. Located on the right of the reels is theLava Meterwith the various symbols on it. Each time you get a relevant cluster, the meter fills up. Once the meter is full, you are awarded10 Free Spins. There is no need to get all the clusters in a single round, so as you play, you can see your progress on the Lava Meter. It is worth noting that if you change the bet amount, it resets the Lava Meter, however, if you revert to your original bet amount, it will restore the progress associated with that bet.
These are no regular Free Spins and they have some interesting characteristics. During the Free Spins, before each spin,the middle reel reveals 5 matching symbols, so you are guaranteed your first cluster and payout. To add to the action, with each spin there is a multiplier that increases by 1x, which means by the tenth spin you will get a10x multiplierfor that spin. Where things are also a little different to the base game, is when clusters form and are removed, in the Free Spins, no new symbols fill the empty spaces.
Taking Lava Gold for a test drive was an interesting experience. The low volatility of this slot was immediately evident as the Cluster Wins kicked into gear very quickly and the Lava Meter started filling up. However, in some instances, a single “spin” (round), from the first time we clicked the spin button until the whole Cluster Wins process concluded, continued for more than a minute or two, depending on how many Cluster Wins took place. Within a short space of time, the Lava Meter was full and the 10 Free Spins were awarded. The animations at the start of each Free Spin are impressive and certainly added to the anticipation of what the middle cluster would reveal. Spin after spin, the game kept us glued to the screen as we watched the winnings increase incrementally, especially thanks to the multiplier. By the end of the Free Spins feature, the total payout was a somewhat reasonable ~64x our bet amount.
In true Betsoft style, the graphics, animations, and attention to detail are nothing less than superb. The small effects, like the pterodactyl flying in the background and smoke billowing from the volcano, also add to the atmosphere. Playing this slot is super easy – set your bet and start spinning. Within a very short space of time, it’s really simple to grasp the concepts and there is nothing complex or a need to study the help file. The features all work well and are entertaining. The payouts are not very impressive, so for example, every time a cluster of the highest paying symbol (Tyrannosaurus rex) lands, don’t get too excited. However, when you factor in that multiple Cluster Wins can occur in a single round, those small amounts begin to add up. On the slightly less positive side, each round can take a substantial amount of time to play out because there are lengthy animations for each Cluster Win and even more so during the Free Spins feature. To counter this, there is an option for Turbo mode, which speeds things up nicely. The other small criticism is the sound effects which also become somewhat overbearing as they are extremely repetitive, so you will more than likely mute the sound after a short while. Besides these small drawbacks, Lava Gold is a great slot game that is fun and rewarding.
Pros
Cons
Wild Lava is a creation from Playtech Origins and is also a “Lava / Volcano” inspired game that takes place on a 5×5 grid. The flagship feature of this game is the Wild Eruption Respins, which is both entertaining and potentially very rewarding. You certainly want to give this “hot” game a spin.
Lava Loot, from the studios of Greentube, is another dinosaur and volcano themed slot, although, this slot is a lot more cartoony and has some cavemen and cavewomen in it. While not as polished as Lava Gold, the max win amount of 25,000 is a great reason to give it a try.
