Gold Volcano (Play’n GO) slot review

Gold Volcano is a fantastic grid slot, and that’s what Play’n GO does best

Once a year does Play’n GO come up with a tremendous grid slot.

After slots like Troll Hunters 2, Twisted Sister, and Honey Rush, we could hardly wait for the next cluster pays slot. Here it is! And what great news!

Gold Volcano is innovative and original in all aspects. The theme, an unprecedented volcano, is one you won’t forget easily.

The number of features is impressive, and if you haven’t had geography lessons or don’t know how a volcano works, well, this is the perfect opportunity to catch up!

Just like the other Play’n GO grid slots, this slot also has the Avalanche (Cascading) Mechanism and a kind of savings system.

Gold Volcano offers a tasty maximum win of 10,000x the bet

When you climb a volcano, it’s not without risk.

It’s good to know you can be rewarded for taking a risk with this slot!

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Software: Play’n GO

Number of paylines: cluster pays, grid up to 8×8

RTP and variance: 96.2%, Medium variance

Maximum win: 10,000 x the total bet, or $€1.0 million

Betting range: $€0.10 – $€100

Bonus features: Free spins and various boosters

Pasadena Pinot Fest Casinos verdict: Scorching!

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Gold Volcano slot – Gameplay and Features

In the main game, the playing field is in the shape of a volcano. It has eight reels, and the size is 3+4+5+6+6+5+4+3, leading to 36 symbols in total.

The aim is to spin clusters of at least four identical and adjacent symbols (need to touch each other horizontally or vertically).

You get a free respin, after a winning cluster. The winning symbols disappear and make way for new symbols (which appear from the bottom of the volcano).

It allows you to make new winning combos, and if all goes well, you will get a kind of chain reaction. It’s also called the Avalanche (Cascading) Mechanism.

What’s convenient is that now and then, a wild (with possibly an x2 multiplier) appears on the screen (the Pressure Feature).

The premium symbols are the gems (the gold-coloured one is the best paying), and the low-paying symbols are the card suits.

Dormant Feature – extra boosters

When the Gold Volcano threatens to fall asleep, the Dormant Feature can shake it up. In 3 ways:

Rumble Feature: All the symbols scramble. Furthermore, one scatter appears.

Lava Feature: The volcano spits lava, and this generates an extra row of symbols. The playing field is extended to 4+5+6+7+7+6+5+4 and is 44 symbols large.

Excavate Feature: at least 3 and at most 5 wilds, symbols are randomly added to the grid.

Crystallisation feature: symbol upgrade via the scatters

If you collect enough scatters, symbols will upgrade to the best paying symbol (Golden Jewel). It’s the recipe for enormous payouts.

It’s tracked with the Crystallisation meter. Unfortunately, it resets when you start a new spin. With the free spins, though, it won’t reset.

How do you activate the free spins?

What’s so great with this grid slot, is that you also have the free spins. You activate these after you have succeeded in making 6 consecutive cascades, 7 successive winning combos.

It gets you 5 free spins. If you manage to spin another 6 consecutive cascades during the free spins, you get another one extra free spin.

The free spins: the playing field expands to 8×8

Now the playing field expands to no less than 8×8, and there are 64 symbols in the game. Yes, now it is much easier to spin clusters, as all the features continue to do their job.

Moreover, the Crystallisation meter is not reset. That improves your odds to get the so wanted symbol upgrades.

Payout Rate (RTP)

Gold Volcano has a default RTP of 96.2%.

However, there are online casinos that offer the same slot with a lower RTP. Before you play with real money, it’s worth checking what the RTP is.

Gold Volcano slot – the variance (volatility) is medium

The variance is medium, as the score is 7 out of 10, according to Play’n GO.

I expect that the top wins will be around 500x the bet. It’s a miracle if you get a win topping 1,000x the stake.

Forget about bagging 10,000x, unless you’re prepared to spin tens of millions of times.

Other popular Play’n GO slots with similar volatility are Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness, Sweet Alchemy and Twisted Sister.

Pros and Cons

Advantages:

• Original and innovative.
• Fun is guaranteed thanks to the many features and boosters.
• A lot of depth, thanks to the free spins.

Disadvantages:

• You’d expect the volatility to be higher with this theme.
• Volcanoes are often associated with dangerous and brutal, not in this slot.

So, who’ll like this slot? And who won’t?

This slot offers a perfect variety because it has very original features. Fans of grid slots are sure to get their money’s worth here.

If you’re looking for a mega big win, you’re not going to find it here.

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