Skeleton Key Slot Review
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Skeleton Key Demo
Recommended Casino
3,000+
Up to 24 hours-
United Kingdom (UKGC)
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Skeleton Key Slot RTP, Details & Wager Limits
The Skeleton Key slot is played on a 5 reel machine. The number of ways to win varies from between 243 and 7,776 thanks to the MultiWay Xtra game engine where the number of symbols on a reel can change with each spin. Regardless of how many ways to win are active, to create a winner, you’ll need to land 3 or more matching symbols on adjoining reels, starting from reel 1.
Stake levels start at 10p per spin for the micro stake players, rising to a massive maximum of £300 for the high rollers. Use the arrows next to the Total Bet tab to adjust. It’s possible to set between 10 and 50 autospins, complete with win and loss stop limits.
The Skeleton Key RTP is 96.49% which is about average. The volatility is in the medium to high range.
With the top value symbol paying 10 x stake, you can win 2,430 x stake on each base game spin. With up to 7,776 ways to win from the Reel Expansion feature, you could win 77,760 x stake. Add in the multipliers in the free spins and the max win is capped at 83,333 x your total stake per free spin.
Theme – enter a cave full of riches
A cave full of gold and jewels is the setting for the Skeleton Key slot. There’s a colourful, cartoonish quality to the visuals here which are nicely done. The blocked symbols are covered in a greenish mist which adds to the air of mystery.
With a touch The Goonies movie about it, there’s an orchestral soundtrack pumping away in the background while you spin which is a good fit for the treasure hunting theme. We’ve sometimes been a bit disappointed with the design of IGT slots but this is a perfectly solid offering.
On the dark blue reels you’ll find gold-edged A to J royals alongside 3 different gemstones, a skull book and a chalice. The skull treasure chest tops the bill as far as payouts are concerned, awarding 0.2, 0.4, 10 or 50 x your total stake if you land 2, 3, 4 or 5 in combination.
There’s also a wild which substitutes for all mentioned symbols. Here are all symbols you’ll encounter on the reels:
| Symbol | Payouts/Info |
|---|---|
 J | 5 pays 0.6 x stake |
 Q | 5 pays 0.6 x stake |
 K | 5 pays 0.8 x stake |
 A | 5 pays 0.8 x stake |
 Green Gemstone | 5 pays 1 x stake |
 Red Gemstone | 5 pays 1 x stake |
 Purple Gemstone | 5 pays 1.2 x stake |
 Chalice | 5 pays 1.6 x stake |
 Skull Book | 5 pays 5 x stake |
 Skull Treasure Chest | 5 pays 50 x stake |
 Wild | Substitutes for symbols above |
 Skeleton Key | Triggers Reel Expansion feature |
 ? Mystery | Triggers Mystery Symbol feature |
 Padlock Bonus | 3+ triggers Free Spins Bonus feature |
Skeleton Key Mobile
The colourful, cartoon-style visuals work very nicely if you’re playing on a smartphone. Portrait mode is the best option here given the way the reels can expand. The Skeleton Key mobile slot is straightforward but playable.
Skeleton Key Bonus Features
There’s plenty going on in the Skeleton Key slot, starting with the game engine that comes with expanding reels. Other extras include mystery transforming symbols and a free spins round complete with expanding multipliers.
Reel Expansion feature
The action here starts on a 5 reel, 3 row machine that offers 243 ways to win. If you land a key symbol, the covered symbols at the top of that reel are fully opened, revealing 3 more symbols. The key is removed and the other symbols drop down with new ones filling any vacated position.
More symbols mean more ways to win. If all 5 reels show the maximum symbols, the reels will offer 7,776 ways to win. The opened positions close up one space at a time on spins when a key doesn’t land. This reduces the ways to win. You can keep track via the meter to the left of the reels.
Mystery Symbol feature
The ? is the game’s mystery symbol. All examples of these that appear on the same spin transform into the same symbol and a new payout consideration is made.
Free Spins Bonus feature
The turquoise padlock symbol is the Bonus. Land 3 or more of these on the same spin to trigger the Free Spins Bonus feature:
| 3 Bonus symbols | 10 free spins |
| 4 Bonus symbols | 20 free spins |
| 5 Bonus symbols | 30 free spins |
The feature starts with a standard 1x multiplier. Each time a skeleton key symbol lands, that multiplier increases by 1. During the free spins, the ? can transform into the skeleton key. This will in turn increase the multiplier.
Retriggers are possible too. Land 2 Bonus symbols for 2 extra free spins or 3, 4 or 5 for a full retrigger with 10, 20 or 30 more free spins. That’s 60 free spins in total.
Skeleton Key Review Summary – simple but potentially highly rewarding
There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about what’s on offer in the Skeleton Key slot. There’s a good combination of extras here though, starting with the MultiWay Xtra game mechanic which can ramp up the potential ways to win.
The rest is pretty standard fare: mystery symbols, free spins and multipliers. It’s not the most dazzling slot you’ll play but it’s a perfectly playable all-rounder from IGT. The key to winning big is from the multipliers in the free spins. Just hope plenty of key symbols land.
Couple that with good win potential and you have yourself a good IGT slot game. Plus, not many games offer you the chance to win up to 83,333 x your total stake per free spin.
If you want slots with huge win potential, the Dead or Alive 2 slot by NetEnt is a must. It’s also one of the most popular online games ever.
Skeleton Key FAQs
The Skeleton Key RTP rate is 96.49% which is above average. With the bigger wins coming from the Reel Expansions and the multipliers, the volatility is in the medium to high category.
The most you can win per base game spin is 2,430 x stake. If you play with 7,776 ways to win, the max win is a lot higher. In the free spins, the increasing multiplier can lead to 83,333 x stake wins on each free spin.
Yes, the $1 gives you up to 60 free spins. The free spins come with an increasing multiplier that increases by 1 each time you land a key symbol.
You’ll notice some symbols are blocked. Land a key symbol and you’ll trigger the $1. Everything on that reel is opened up, increasing the ways to win. If all 5 reels have the maximum 6 symbols on display, you’ll have 7,776 ways to create a winner.
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Chris is a slots expert that has reviewed and played over 10,000 slots online. Having being in the iGaming industry since 2004, he loves digging into the mechanics behind the slot games, playing the various bonus features and giving an honest verdict from a player’s perspective.
