Introduction to Arcanum
Arcanum is a casino slot from ELK Studios that is all about weaving arcane energy in your favour, casting powerful spells to help you create big wins. Set on a mysterious waygate, here you are met by the Wizard, who, in the game, will be teleporting across the reels on each spin, collecting spells hidden behind paying symbols. While the setting is ambiguous at best, the game’s core theme is very much centralised around magic and the arcane, which are supposed to be mysterious and otherworldly powers that we can’t fully grasp, so while being rather vague, we’ll let it slide. However, one thing we can grasp is the gameplay loop and volatility that come with Arcanum, as it features many elements that help maintain the Cascade win streak. This way, you’ll be getting even more Multipliers and Spells, with the latter helping you form even more wins and landing Feature Symbols such as Explosive Orbs and Transform Symbols. On top of all the features that are part of the gameplay loop, we also have the Bonus Games, which are Free Spin features that keep the Spell Inventory and Multipliers persistent, but will add extra Mirror Wizard Symbols to act as Wilds to help you chain even more wins and maybe reach the max win of 10,000X the bet.
If you want to learn how to sling spells, create Wilds out of nothing, cast explosives, and form Mirror Wizards copies out of thin air, then you’ve found the right game. If your interest has been piqued, then be sure to check out the Arcanum demo.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Arcanum is a video slot from ELK Studios with 6 Reels, 7 Rows, and utilizes Cluster Pay mechanics, needing a minimum of 5+ symbols in a cluster to form a win. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.2 and a Max.bet of 100. Arcanum comes with a low RTP of 94%, a hit frequency of 25.2%, and high volatility, where wins can feel a bit like a rollercoaster of big and small, but you’ll always have a chance of hitting the max win of 10,000X the bet.
As previously mentioned, the playing grid is built into an active waygate, filled with strange spells and crystals. Here, you also meet the Wizard and his many clones, who help him with his research. As you line up the wins, you’ll help him collect more and more spells for powerful effects on the playing grid. You can play the game on most desktops, notepads, and mobiles.
The lower-paying symbols are various gems in stones, ranging from blue stones, green stones, pink stones, and red stones. Creating a win with 36+ of the same symbols will pay out 75X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are larger crystals, ranging from blue, green, pink, and red crystals. Landing a win with 36+ of the same symbols will pay out 150X to 1,000X the bet. There are many Special Symbols as well, ranging from the Wilds, Scatters, Wizards, Spells, and more, of which we will go over in the next section.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Arcanum?
You can win up to 10,000X the bet.
What features are available in the slot Arcanum?
The features are Wild Symbols, Cascade, Wizard Symbols, Spell Inventory, Spells, Feature Symbols, Free Spin Bonus Games, and Feature Buy (X-iter).
Wild Symbols
Wild Symbols can come in various types, such as the standard Wild, the Wizard Symbol, and the Mirror Wizard Symbol. Wilds help form winning combinations by being able to substitute for all paying symbols.
Cascade
After creating a winning combination, the winning symbols are removed from the playing grid, and new symbols fall down from above with the possibility of creating additional winning combinations. This continues until no more wins have been made, thus ending the spin.
Wizard Symbols
The are two types of Wizard Symbols, one being the standard, and the other being the Mirror Wizard Symbol, with the latter only acting as a persistent Wild Symbol. The first Wizard Symbol is a persistent Wild Symbol that moves to a new empty position between each cascade and spin, as they’re guaranteed to be on each spin. Each time the Wizard Symbol is part of 3 Cluster Wins, you complete the Wizard Win Tracker, unleashing all the collected magical spells in your Spell Inventory.
Spell Inventory
Magical Spells and Multipliers can be found underneath paying symbols and will be collected in the Spell Inventory after creating a winning combination on top of the symbols. All collected Spells will be unleashed after completing the Wizard Win Tracker, with the Multipliers being active at all times as a Global Win Multiplier.
Spells
There are 5 types of spells that you can find underneath the playing grid and can be unleashed by the Wizard Symbol, and they are as follows:
Add Wild = Add 1 additional Wild Symbol to the grid for each collected Add Wild Spell.
Expanding = Replaces all symbols in a 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, or 6x6 area with a random paying symbol.
Wild Column = Replaces all paying symbols with Wild Symbols in the same reel that the Wizard Symbol is in.
Wild Cross = Replaces all paying symbols in an X-shape around the Wizard Symbol.
Wild Transform = Selects one, two, or three paying symbol types on the playing grid and transforms all selected symbols to Wild Symbols.
Feature Symbols
There are two Feature Symbols that will trigger if they’re on the playing grid, and they are as follows:
Explosive Orb = Removes all paying symbols in a 3x3, 5x5, or 6x7 area, collecting all Magical Spells and Multipliers in the process.
Transform Orb = Selects one type of paying symbol on the playing grid and transforms it to a symbol with equal or higher value.
Free Spin Bonus Games
There are 3 types of Free Spins Bonus Games, however, they each come with the same bonuses and only small differences. But, during all Free Spins features, the Global Multiplier, Spell Inventory, Mirror Wizard Symbols, and the Wizard Win Tracker are persistent when entering the bonus game and between spins.
3 Scatter Symbols = Triggers the standard Free Spins feature.
4 Scatter Symbols = Triggers the Mirage Free Spins that start with +1 Mirror Wizard Symbol.
5 Scatter Symbols = Triggers the Arcanum Free Spins that start with +2 Mirror Wizard Symbol.
During the Free Spins Bonus Games, there are also new Extra Spin Symbols hiding behind the playing grid, which will award +1 spin when revealed.
Feature Buy (X-iter)
The Feature Buy comes with 5 options that allow you to experience more of the game’s fun features and bonuses, but for a price based on the current bet.
2.5X = Activates the Bonus Hunt, making each spin more than 4 times likely to trigger a Bonus Game.
5X = Activates the Mega Hunt, making each spin more than 8 times likely to trigger a Bonus Game.
10X = Activates the Spellstorm, which guarantees a magical spell collection before the spin.
100X = Triggers the standard Free Spins bonus game.
250X = Triggers the Mirage Free Spins bonus game.
Final Thoughts on Arcanum
Arcanum is a fresh release from ELK Studios, which feels like a nice breath of fresh air from the recently released sequels to beloved series such as Tropicool 5, Ice Wolf 2, and Toro 911. Not to say all their recent releases have been sequels, but Arcanum stands out as quite a nice take on the magic-theme, especially incorporating spells into the game with the Spell Inventory, which somehow just makes perfect sense, and we’re a bit surprised we haven’t seen something similar. Just about every feature in the game comes with a nice layer of magic to it, and the mystic soundtrack and graphics make for quite a show that pulled us in quite quickly when we started the game. However, while the game is unlikely to set any records for being the best-looking game, graphically, it’s still very impressive, and its vibes and magical effects are top-tier. Gameplay-wise, the game is packed with features and bonuses to keep the Cascading streaks interesting. However, before we dive too deep into the game, let’s move on to discuss its features.
As usual, we’re gonna quickly run over the game’s stats, and as we usually see with ELK Studios, they got quite a low RTP sitting at 94%, an okay hit frequency of 25.2%, but with a solid max win of 10,000X the bet. At the core of the game is the Cascade mechanic, and this works perfectly in tandem with the Wizard Symbol, which is always present on the playing grid, teleporting around with each new Cascade and spin. The Cascades will reveal Spells and Multipliers that will be added to the Spell Inventory system, and while the Multipliers are always active, the Spells will have to be activated by the Wizard Symbol after filling the Wizard Win Tracker. These Spells are mostly confined to creating Wilds in different ways, but can also create large 6x6 blocks of paying symbols, guaranteeing some pretty impressive wins. But it doesn’t stop there, as we also have the Feature Symbols, those being the Explosive Orbs and Transform Orbs, which either help with continuing the Cascade streak or create wins for even more Spells and Multipliers. Just about every feature in the game is there to keep the current spin going for as long as possible with a stacked up Multiplier and many Spells that are ready to be unleashed, and that’s made a bit easier in the Free Spins bonus games. While there are 3 types of Free Spins, the only difference is that you get extra Mirror Wizard Symbols, which will stay around for the entire feature, but it’s the fact that they make the Spell Inventory and Wizard Win Tracker persistent between spins that can quickly go out of control.
Arcanum can feel quite chaotic, and maybe even a bit messy when reading through its features, but it really encapsulates the feeling of a masterful Wizard slinging spells all over the place, and those spells leading to wins are just a bonus, especially if it helps you hit the max win of 10,000X the bet. If you want to check out the game for yourself, then be sure not to miss out on the Arcanum demo.
Arcanum is a slot that lets you fulfill your dream of becoming a mage with knowledge of the arcane, filled with Spells, Cascades, Bonus Games, and more.
