Ways of the Phoenix

Prepare for a mystical experience on the slot from industry giant Playtech where the Phoenix will clash with the Dragon as they expand the game window from 45 to 3,125 ways. Wild substitutions and a free spins round will provide the potential for staggering wins of up to 62,500 times your stake.

Slot Details

Ways of the Phoenix is a video slot with five reels, five rows and up to 3,125 ways to win. Pays are awarded for adjacent symbols from left to right. Play the game on desktop or mobile from 0.25 to 100 coins. The RTP of this high variance slot is slightly lower than usual at 95.98%. You can use the Autoplay function to set up 10 to 99 consecutive spins without interruption.

We had to rub our eyes when we opened the game for the first time. Expecting a Greek theme due to the Phoenix being associated with the sun in Greek mythology, we were surprised to see that it was actually a Chinese-themed game. Admittedly, the blue Dragon is deeply rooted in Chinese culture, so Playtech might have decided to mix the two together. The two creatures flank the intricate game window, building a stunning contrast between the fire of the Phoenix and the water of the Dragon. A typical Chinese soundtrack and traditional pay symbols complete an otherwise well-designed game.

You will find at the low end five gemstones in different geometrical shapes and colours – green, mint, turquoise, blue and purple. They are followed by a set of gold coins, a scroll, a Chines drum as well as the Dragon and the Phoenix at the high end. Only the latter two appear in super stacks at all times, while all other pay symbols can land in maximum two-symbol high stacks. Pays for a single five of a kind range from 1.6x to 20x your bet. A dragon claw holding a golden ball is the wild symbol and the scatters appear as a Yin-Yang tile.

Reel Expansion Explained

The default game window has a 1-3-5-3-1 format with 45 ways to win. The remaining positions are covered by translucent ice blocks. Hitting consecutive wins will trigger the Rising Kingdom feature, which will gradually open up the game window to the full 5×5 format with 3,125 ways to win.

The first winning spin will increase the number of ways from 45 to 135 ways, the second then to 405 ways and the third to 675 ways. The fourth consecutive win is taking the number to 1,125 and finally the fifth to the maximum 3,125 ways to win. The game window will stay at the maximum until a losing spin occurs.

However, a losing spin will not reset the game directly to the default setting, instead it will reduce the ways gradually with the same steps as the number of ways was increased. Hitting in between a winning spin will start increasing the number of ways again. Changing bets will save the current stage of the game window and will reload it once players return to the same bet size.

Phoenix & Dragon Free Spins

Three, four or five scatters will trigger 8, 20 and 50 free spins respectively. Additionally, a coin win of 3x, 20x and 50x is awarded. Two to five scatters during the feature will get you two to 50 extra free spins for each instance, no limits.

The round will start with the number of ways from the triggering spin. Every win will now further increase the game window up to the maximum 3,125 ways to win. Contrary to the base game, the number of ways will not decrease on a losing spin. Instead, the game window will stay on the maximum 5-5-5-5-5 format for the remaining free spins once it has been fully expanded. This dramatically increases your chances of landing more and bigger wins. A full screen of the red Phoenix symbol will award the maximum win on the game.

Once the free spins feature concludes, the slot transfers the 3,125 ways to the base game. Any further win will keep it at the maximum ways, while consecutive losing spins will reduce the number of ways to win down to the default setting of 45 ways. Any win in between will start the increase again.

Final Verdict

Who is the winner on this slot, the Phoenix or the Dragon? Hitting a full screen of the Phoenix pays 62,500x your stake, while the same with the Dragon awards 37,500x the bet. Naturally, we would side with the Phoenix, but hitting any of the two wins would be reason for big win celebrations. The slot might be rather simple, but plays well and the win potential provides the suspense.

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