Amazing Production with Fire, Wind, Ice and Earth: Elements, the Awakening Slot
When you hit one of the 4 bonus games on the Elements slot, you’ll understand what all the fuss is about. Don’t get me wrong, the base game is excellent. It features spectacular graphics, smooth production and unique symbols. Its just that when you hit the game play, things suddenly turn amazing – from a game-play and a design view point at the same time.
Each of the elements in this game is recreated as an ethereal character. They are not quite human, though have human characteristics. They are almost alien, though that does not fit either. There are a lot of explosions involved in this game, and the effects (as well as the background) are excellent.
Right from the start, your wins will explode (don’t worry, you get paid first). The gaps are then filled, cascading reels style. Filling up 4 crystals under the reels takes you to a free-drops game, where the big money can be found. The dominant element from the triggering wins determines which of 4 bonus games (one for each element) you get to play.
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How the Elements Slot Works (my dear Watson)
If you are a fan of NetEnt slots, then seeing a 5-reel slot with 3 rows and 20-win lines will not come as any surprise. You can bet as little as 20c per spin if you wish. Adjusting your coin size and bet level will increase this significantly. The ‘Bex Max’ puts you at level 10, which is a 10x multiplier on your current spin – be careful not to mis click this. I found Elements a perfect game for auto-play. You can sit back and enjoy the spectacular production without needing to press spin each time.
Winning Falls and Exploding Wins
Instead of spins, Net Entertainment uses the word ‘falls’ for this game. The symbols disappear from the bottom of the screen. 15 more will then literally fall into place.
There are 4 main character symbols, 4 supporting symbols and wilds.
The main symbols are fire, which has a red / orange glow and a creature with a demonic look. Next comes the green Earth symbol, made of rocks. Air looks like a purple dragon, with big glowing white eyes. Finally, water, who looks the most alien of them all. These are backed by an explosion (fire), green cracked glowing rock, jagged crystals and ball / blob of water.
If you have any problems identifying which element is which – the colours are a big clue.
Wild symbols are shown as a mystical stone cube. This will substitute for any of the other symbols to create wins.
When you win, the symbols involved will explode, and new ones replace them from above. This is a classic ‘cascading wins’ system.
4 Crystals Spin Button with Energy Meter
To trigger the bonus games, you need to have 4 cascading wins in a row. Each one will light up a crystal, with 4 of them above and either side of the spin button. They switch colour depending on the last winning element.
On the spin button, you will see complex patterns of colours and lines. This shows which of the elements is currently dominant. This is more of an interesting quirk than a gaming factor. When you hit that 4th cascade, the dominant element does determine which bonus game you get. Since you really don’t have any control over this – you may as well just wait and see which game starts!
Elements: The Awakening Bonus Games
When a bonus kicks in, the graphics go from very good to amazing. You will get a short animated sequence, involving the element chosen, which will almost take your breath away. I’m going to roll out the old cliché that it is worth playing this slot just to see these… though of course, it is the free spins game which follows that is the real key factor.
Water: Here the water element spins around the reels, which are now in an underwater cave setting. If you hit any wilds during your 10 free ‘falls’, then the creature swoops up, tuning them into columns of water. These are wild reels.
Fire: This demonic element and his fiery lair is my favourite (I know, I know). Again, there are special wilds, which are aided and abetted by the element. This time there are fire storm wilds, these can spread in any direction, and can give you some serious coverage on the reels.
Air: You might think that the purple dragon is the weaker element, though this free spins game will prove otherwise. Set in a magical setting, this game involves sticky wilds. These are special air storm wilds, and when you get one (on reels 2, 3 or 4) they stay in place for the remainder of your free spins.
Earth: This game is as solid as a rock. Like the air storm bonus game, sticky wilds are involved. These are more frequent than the air ones, though they do disappear after being involved in 3 avalanches or directly involved in a winning line.
Beautiful Atmospheric Design
From the classical music to the somewhat inhuman look and feel to the elements, the production of the Elements slot is top class. I love the explosions, crystals and complex meter than forms on the spin button. You should also experience a big win. Here plasma comes from every direction as your winning count up in the middle of the screen.
NetEnt has done an amazing job on the preview videos, background and game-play for the 4 different bonus games. This alone will make Elements a slot you’ll enjoy returning to.
Will Elements Put the Fire in Your Bankroll?
I’m going to stick my neck out and call this a personal favourite from the NetEnt slots portfolio. For me the balance is just right. The game is solid, beautiful and has big win potential from the cascading wins. The bonus games are varied enough to keep things interesting and take you to some exotic settings which are (almost) beyond the imagination.
Check out the Elements slot for yourself soon!
Planet Mark's Slots Rec: The latest slot titles, from a solid licensed brand. Unibet are my go-to for all the biggest slot brands. Enjoy MegaWays, MicroGaming jackpots, NetEnt, BetSoft and more all in one giant casino.
Unibet look after their regulars brilliantly, with jackpot cash-back deals, weekly live casino cash and £10k lucky spin tournaments. You get £40 in bonuses to start you off, for a tiny £10 deposit. See www.unibet.com now for the latest specials!
More Detailed Reviews of Net Entertainment Slots
- Starburst from NetEnt (this is the one you can get 200 free spins on!)
- Main NetEnt Slots Page (many more listed!)