Spirit of the River

Spirit of the River: Slot Overview

Developer SG Digital The game transitions from depicting Native American culture to a theme based south of the border. Yanaha's Rite The game 'Spirit of the River' essentially mirrors the previous version 'Yanaha's Rite' but with a new Aztec-themed appearance. Despite a facelift, the core gaming mechanics and features remain unchanged, offering players Dual Ways Pays, a Spin Tower for scatter symbols, and bonus spins inclusive of a four-reel enhancement.

The structure and ambiance of 'Spirit of the River' closely resemble 'Yanaha's Rite'. A mystical character, in this case, a mystical priestess wielding a magical energy orb is on the left. The central part of the display is taken up by a four-reel, six-row matrix, and the Spin Tower lies on the right, with representations of four different creatures. Although the visuals aren’t as vibrant as in 'Yanaha’s Rite', the game still delivers an enchanting feel for those looking for an otherworldly gaming experience.

To start playing 'Spirit of the River', players need to choose a betting value ranging from 20 pence/cents up to 50 dollars/euros per spin. It uses a medium to high volatility math model with an appealing return rate of 96.7%. Living up to its name, the Dual Ways mechanic rewards both horizontal and vertical combinations. Horizontal wins require three matching icons from the leftmost, while vertical combinations are initiated with three matching symbols from the topmost row.

Whether symbols appear horizontally or vertically, their value remains consistent. The game boasts ten regular paying symbols. The lower seven consist of basic and intermediate designs, while the higher tier includes a trio of characters: a warrior, a tribal leader, and the priestess in the stream. Thanks to reel enhancements available in free spins, there's a chance to widen the gaming grid. Achieving eight symbols in a premium win during an expanded play can multiply your stake by 10 to 20 times, while at a standard size, six symbols vertically yield 2.5 to 5 times the wager. During free spins, a wild symbol might appear, substituting for any pay symbol to form a win.

Spirit of the River: Slot Features

In 'Spirit of the River', players encounter two additional symbols. One is the scatter, which activates free spins where wilds can appear. With each scatter icon appearing on the grid, a part of the Spirit Tower fills up, which is visually tracked by a spin counter. You'll have 20 attempts to fully charge the four segments of the Spirit Tower. Failing to collect four scatter symbols within these spins results in the removal of two tower sections. If any sections survive, the spin count restarts. Otherwise, the spin indicator disappears.

Successfully filling the Spirit Tower in time awards players with eight free spins. If more than four scatter symbols are collected, the excess carries over into the bonus game, featuring a randomly selected spirit modifier for each free spin.

• With the Turtle feature, grid rows expand to a width of eight, lasting until all free spins end. Additional scatter symbols don't appear on these extended rows.
• Under the Frog modifier, mysterious symbols get randomly placed on the grid, each transforming into identical matching pay symbols.
• During the Dolphin feature, players may find wild symbols appearing randomly across the grid.
• The Octopus feature applies a random multiplier to the spin win, with options ranging from x2 up to x10.

Every collection of four scatter symbols during the bonus round grants five more free spins. The bonus game concludes when all spins are used or the win limit is achieved.

Spirit of the River: Slot Verdict

Much like 'Yanaha's Rite', the pace of 'Spirit of the River' isn't exactly thrilling, to say the least. The less energetic feel is exacerbated by symbols oscillating onto the grid rather than spinning normally, inducing a drowsy atmosphere. This extends to the behavior of the Spirit Tower scatters, the serene waterfall animation, and the subtle highlighting of wins.

Perhaps 'Spirit of the River' was crafted with a specific audience in mind - those who appreciate a relaxed approach, taking time to soak in the environment. Both this game and 'Yanaha's Rite' prioritize thematic exploration over intense gameplay. Yet, SG Digital uniquely experiments with different features and mechanics. However, this time 'Spirit of the River' doesn’t age well given its similarity to 'Yanaha's Rite'.

After extended play, 'Spirit of the River' might feel a bit monotonous. The subdued excitement is partly because standard payouts feel underwhelming unless the reels expand in the bonus spin mode. Additionally, the Dual Ways Pays mechanism has somewhat lost its initial allure. Pragmatic Play came out with Yum Yum Powerways In the base format, the game offers four winning directions. Yet, 'Spirit of the River' can converge when free spin modifiers are synergized effectively for a satisfactory outcome. The maximum potential payout is set at 250,000 dollars/euros, or 5,000 times the bet when maxed.

For those intrigued by the idea of lounging by a Central American stream and playing with mystical orbs, 'Spirit of the River' might provide entertainment. Still, for those not captivated by the theme, the magic illusions become apparent, and the slow pacing may quickly become tiresome.