Merlin’s Fortune Slot Review

Merlin’s Fortune RTP, Details & Wager Limits

Merlin’s Fortune slot features six reels, four rows and 4096 winning ways. One of the high points of the game’s layout is the expanding reels, which can expand the number of rows to eight (6×8) when you trigger Merlin’s Expansion bonus feature. This feature adds more symbols to the reels, increasing the winning ways to a maximum of 262,144. You can form a winning combination by landing three or more matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right. Although Merlin’s Fortune utilizes the Avalanche mechanic, it is only available in the Transform bonus feature, not in the base game.

Slotmill disappoints with the bet range, which is set at a minimum of 20p and a maximum of £30. This is a significant fall from sister slots, Fruit Smash and Drunken Sailors, with a stake range of 10p – £50 and 20p – £40, respectively. You can choose to bet max or adjust the bet value with the “+ and “-“icons. Also, non-UK players can access the Autoplay feature and bet on up to 1000 autospins. At the same time, you can activate the Quick Spin to speed up the play.

Merlin’s Fortune has an RTP of 96.27%, which is slightly above the average you will find at UK online slots. The slot’s high volatility promises high payouts but at a low frequency. This is fast becoming a trend for Slotmill, with the likes of Fruit Smash and Sands of Eternity also offering high variances.

Many would argue that the impressive 10,000x max win makes up for the low bet range. While this set of players might be right, it doesn’t validate having a bet range of 20p to £30. Theoretically, the maximum you can win is £300,000. However, the slot’s high volatility will make you wait longer to win the big prize.

Theme – Take a tour around Merlin’s castle to discover his fortunes

Stories of wizards and magic have long been adapted into online slots. You will find numerous magic-themed games across UK online casinos from Harry Potter to Merlin, Genie, and Gandalf. Merlin, The main character, invites you into his castle to behold his special powers and fortunes.

As I expected, the action takes place at night on a 6×4 grid hung on an isolated castle with a great view of twinkling stars and the woods. The reels contain colourful symbols that depict magic and dark desires designed in HD graphics. I found that every winning combination evoked a glowing visual effect on the reel before the symbols were replaced. Speaking of the soundtrack, it gave me a mystical effect that matches the theme, ensuring you have an engaging gaming experience.

By default, 14 symbols can randomly land on the reels during the base game. Merlin, the magician with a long hoary beard, blue eyes, and bushy eyebrows, is the highest-paying symbol. Other high-paying symbols include Rabbit, Frog, and Owl. The game features four-coloured gems as its medium-paying symbols and Royal cards as low-paying symbols.

Aside from these symbols, the slot has Wild and Scatter symbols. The wild replaces random symbols on the reel to form a winning combination, while the scatter or bonus symbol can trigger up to 18 free spins.

Symbol	Payouts/Info
J	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5x stake
Q	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5x stake
K	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5x stake
A	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5x stake
Blue gem	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.3, 0.45, 0.6, 0.9x stake
Green gem	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.3, 0.45, 0.6, 0.9x stake
Red gem	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.35, 0.5, 0.8, 1.2x stake
Purple gem	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.35, 0.5, 0.8, 1.2x stake
Merlin	3, 4, 5, 6 = 1.5, 3, 4, 6x stake
Frog	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.8, 1.25, 2.25, 3x stake
Owl	3, 4, 5, 6 = 1.25, 2, 2.5, 3.5x stake
Rabbit	3, 4, 5, 6 = 0.6, 1, 1.75, 2.5x stake
Wild	Substitutes for other symbols to help create winning combinations
Scatter (Bonus symbol)	Triggers up to 18 free spins when three or more bonus symbols land on the reels

Merlin’s Fortune Mobile

Slotmill’s commitment to seamless and convenient gambling is evident in its mobile-friendly slot games. Released in November 2021, Merlin’s Fortune mobile slot is compatible with iOS and Android devices.

It was developed with HTML5 technology, ensuring it runs smoothly on all mobile browsers without distorting the high-resolution graphics. Even more, the mobile version is lightweight, reducing load times and by so, increasing responsiveness.

Merlin’s Fortune Bonus Features

Merlin’s Fortune bonus features provide more than entertainment; they increase your chances of winning a big payout with each spin. My Merlin’s Fortune review analyses these impressive features.

Merlin’s Expansion

The Merlin’s expansion can be triggered on any random spin in the base game. By default, the game has a 6×4 grid layout; however, this feature adds up to four extra rows to the grid. As a result, the winning ways increase from the default 4029 to up to 262,144. Here is a breakdown of this feature:

• 5 reels (4×5) – 15,625 winning ways
• 6 reels (4×6) – 46,656 winning ways
• 7 reels (4×7) – 117,649 winning ways
• 8 reels (4×8) – 262,144 winning ways

Merlin’s expansion is a typical expanding reel feature which is popular across UK online slots. It works like xNudge Wild, and xWays features in the Crypt slot by Nolimit City.

Transform Bonus Feature

You can activate the Transform bonus feature by landing two bonus symbols on the reels. The low-paying symbols (Royal cards) on the reels are transformed into their corresponding medium-paying symbols (Gems).

However, this exciting feature will only be activated if winning combinations are on the reel alongside the two bonus features. Here are the low-paying symbols and what they transform into:

• J – Blue Gem
• Q – Green Gem
• K – Red Gem
• A – Purple Gem

During the transform feature, symbols that are part of a winning combination will explode and trigger the Avalanche feature. This is the only time the Avalanche mechanic is used in the game.

Free Spins

Every player wants a free spin, and Merlin’s Fortune slot game offers up to 18 of them. You can activate the free spins by landing three or more bonus symbols on the reels.

This is an upturn from the maximum of 10 free spins offered by sister slots Drunken Sailors and Fruit Smash.

Below is a breakdown of how they are awarded:

• 3 Bonus symbols – 12 free spins
• 4 Bonus symbols – 14 free spins
• 5 Bonus symbols – 16 free spins
• 6 Bonus symbols– 18 free spins

The exciting thing about this feature is that you can claim additional free spins and unlock extra symbol rows during an existing free spin by collecting the Royal card symbols on the reel.
Here is a breakdown of how this works:

• 14 J symbols give 1 free spin + 1 symbol row
• 17 Q symbols give 1 free spin + 1 symbol row
• 23 K symbols give 1 free spin + 1 symbol row
• 30 A symbols give 1 free spin + 1 symbol row

Fast Tracker Feature

The Fast Tracker feature is exclusive to Slotmill slots and operates similarly to the Buy Bonus feature. It allows you to bypass the base game and move directly to the bonus features, allowing you to win more. During the Fast Tracker feature, the RTP is reduced from the default 96.27%.

Here are the costs of the bonus features:

• Free spins collector costs 80x (92.28% RTP)
• Merlin’s Expansion costs 15x (92.74 RTP)
• 100% win cost 5x (92.66 RTP)

Burst Mode

Like the Autoplay feature, Burst Mode allows you to play several game rounds without having to tap the spin button. It is faster and more focused than the traditional Autoplay feature, giving a play-through of two game rounds per second. Burst mode is an integrated feature in Slotmill slots, adding an extra layer of excitement.

Merlin’s Fortune Verdict: Exciting bonus features with HD graphics

3.3/5

Based on our expert’s review. Reviewed by Emilija Cvijanović

Emilija Cvijanović

Play Merlin's Fortune

Merlin's Fortune Slot

Merlin’s Fortune slot game features a perfect blend of rewarding bonus features, HD graphics, and brilliant animations. These, paired with the game’s interesting theme, drives an ultimate gaming experience.

Pros

• Rewarding bonus features
• HD graphics
• x10,000 max win
• Avalanche feature

Cons

• High volatility
• Low betting range
• No multipliers

In many ways, Merlin’s Fortune slot’s layout is similar to the Dead Man’s Gold by ELK Studios. Both slots have a 6×4 grid layout, 4,096 – 262,144 betways, and expanding reels with up to eight rows. I particularly appreciate the idea of creating a magical-themed slot with colourful and scary symbols in HD graphics.

In addition to the high-quality visuals, I enjoyed spinning the reels and unlocking the game’s bonus features. From Merlin’s Expansion to Transform and Free spins, every spin offered a chance of a great payout. Also, the 100,00x max win is a great improvement from other slots by Slotsmill.

However, the game’s high volatility will make payouts less frequent, making you dig into your bankroll. I would have preferred a medium-high variance, which strikes the perfect balance between frequent small wins and sustained losses. Also, I am puzzled as to why the Slotmill slot’s bet range is 20p—£30. This neither favours the high rollers nor the low stakes.

Overall, Merlin’s Fortune is a great game with interesting bonus features and high-quality visuals. Play the demo on this page to see how the game works.