Introduction to Cathedral 9
Cathedral 9 is a casino slot from ELK Studios, permeated by a solemn atmosphere of an abandoned sanctuary, where great treasures have lain undiscovered for centuries. Once you step inside, you'll feel the power of ancient spirits guarding this place, combined with a religious aura that shields it from any undesired visitors. This spiritual journey will guide you through dark halls reverberating with choral chanting to multiple features that keep the gameplay engaging on every spin. The studio has packed this setup with a solid line-up, using familiar mechanics known from previous productions, empowered by some new twists. In the base game, you'll see the return of a Feature Reel, which contributed greatly to the Tropicool series' success, as well as the scatter-pays system so highly regarded by players worldwide. The majority of action will emanate from ornate coffins that act as Mystery Symbols while nudging down the grid on every cascade. 9 legendary artifacts await in the Bonus Game, where unlocking them leads to an enhanced mode, bringing the highest chance of reaching the max win of 25,000x the bet.
Follow the religious chants softly echoing between the cathedral walls to reach the Cathedral 9 demo we've nested at the top of this article, where you can test the game risk-free.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Cathedral 9 is a video slot from ELK Studios with 6 reels, 5 rows, and a scatter-pays win evaluation system, where 8 or more matching symbols anywhere on the grid award a win. You can choose your stake from a range of options, starting from a Min.bet of 0.2 up to a Max.bet of 100. The game offers a default RTP of 94.00%, which is significantly lower than the industry standards, which oscillate around 96%-96.5%. The math model combines medium-high volatility, which prioritizes the size of the wins above their frequency, with a max win capped at 25,000x the bet. The base game hit frequency is 24.9%.
Inside the ominous cathedral, you'll be overwhelmed by the feeling of solitude and abandonment while standing in the middle of a spacious hall. Massive stone statues lined against the walls on platforms only intensify that feeling, confirming that they're the only company you'll have throughout this journey. Faint moonlight sips through the glassless windows at the top, illuminating the smoldering rubble scattered across the floor. The entire spine-chilling scene is dressed with super-crisp, detailed artwork that made us instantly fully involved in the narrative during the testing session. If you'd like to give it a go as well, you can do so by using any device, like a desktop, a smartphone, or a tablet, thanks to the game's responsive design.
The paytable carries two sets of distinct symbols responsible for delivering standard wins whenever at least 8 matching instances land simultaneously anywhere on the grid. Low-paying ones take the form of four emblems containing 1, 2, 3, or 4 tear-shaped bits in colors of blue, green, purple, and red, awarding between 2x and 5x the bet for sets of 25 or more matching instances. High-paying symbols are represented by a candle, a pendant, a censer, a chalice, and a golden owl statue, offering a payout range of 10x to 50x the bet for 25 or more identical units on the grid. Alongside regular symbols, reels are also populated with special ones like Mystery Coffins adorned with an ornate figure, and Bonus symbols depicting a golden lion head. Wilds appear as a golden letter 'W', although they can only land on the grid when dropping from the Feature Reel.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Cathedral 9?
You can win up to 25,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Cathedral 9?
The features are Cascading & Big Symbols, Feature Reel, Mystery Coffin & Super Mystery Coffin, Entombed & Super Entombed, Holy Collect, Bonus Game, Super Bonus Game, and Feature Buy (X-iter).
Cascading & Big Symbols
Within the cascading mechanism, you'll have a chance to score multiple consecutive wins. Every initial combination is removed from the grid, causing the remaining symbols to drop and new ones to populate the board. This can potentially lead to more hits, thus extending the sequence until no new combinations can be formed.
Every paying symbol can land in a larger size of 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4. Whenever there are single spaces underneath the Big Symbol, they are filled with instances matching its type.
Feature Reel
Cascading is also crucial when it comes to triggering boosters from the Feature Reel. Two extra rows above the main grid are randomly filled with blanks and special symbols. Whenever there's a space for them to drop in, they'll tumble down and award their corresponding modifier.
Wild = functions as a traditional Wild, substituting for other regular symbols to help create winning combos.
Collect = selects one standard paying symbol and gathers all its instances into a single position.
Explosion = removes all symbols on the column it lands on and any adjacent ones.
Mystery Coffin & Super Mystery Coffin
Stacked 5x1 symbols adorned with elaborate sculptures are Mystery Coffins. When dropping partially visible, they remain dormant, and you'll need to lead them to the bottom of the grid by achieving wins to activate their power. Once enabled, Mystery Coffins reveal matching paying symbols or Wilds on every spin while nudging one position down until they disappear from the board. There's also a Super Mystery Coffin variant that will add its carried multiplier (ranging between x2 and x1,000) to the global multiplier meter, which will boost any payouts on the given spin.
Entombed & Super Entombed
A 6x2 symbol may land on the Feature Reel, covering it entirely. That's when the Entombed feature kicks in and transforms all symbols on the grid into a matching type, guaranteeing a big win. There's also a Super Entombed variant that will select one of the high-paying symbols for the transformation.
Holy Collect
The Feature Reel may occasionally contain a Holy Blocker, marked by a golden glow visible in the tile's cracks. When that symbol drops onto the grid, it adds its energy to the collection pot under the main panel. The Holy Collect feature may trigger randomly and add between 3 and 6 Mystery Coffins to the grid.
Bonus Game
Landing 3 or more Bonus symbols during the same spin activates the Bonus Game. Each of the triggering icons will spin a mini-reel that will award several free spins, 6 being the maximum per symbol. During the round, the total multiplier is persistent and does not reset between spins. Any Bonus Symbol scored will add extra spins, just like during the triggering sequence.
Super Bonus Game
During the regular Bonus Game, you'll notice an additional bar with all 9 regular symbol icons displayed. Whenever you score a combination on the respective symbol, its position will be highlighted. Activating all 9 triggers the Super Bonus Game with 2, 3, or 4 extra drops, during which you're guaranteed to get between 1 and 6 Super Mystery Coffins each time.
Feature Buy (X-iter)
Like many other games from ELK Studios, Cathedral 9 comes with the X-iter menu that contains several options for triggering features and bonuses for a set price.
2.5x = Bonus Hunt with three-times higher likelihood of triggering the Bonus Game.
10x = Mega Hunt with ten-times higher likelihood of triggering the Bonus Game.
50x = Coffin Drop with guaranteed Mystery Coffins.
100x = Regular Bonus Game.
500x = Super Bonus Game.
Final Thoughts on Cathedral 9
ELK Studios is well known for its expertise in creating visually stunning slots, and there's a multitude of examples we could summon to fortify that statement. Let's have Ashoka, Cygnus 4, and Phoenix Graveyard 2 do the talking for us. Cathedral 9 once again elicits the studio's darker and more emotional side, brushing against spirituality, religion, and death. And while the ELK team is capable of pulling off pretty much any narrative in a spectacular style, we feel like this is one of the most flattering colors on them. The combination of elaborate ancient motifs embellishing the scene, somber surroundings that gradually gain luminosity when features and bonuses come into play, and an absolutely stunning soundtrack in the form of Gregorian chants is simply irresistible if you have a taste for dark fantasy vibes. And even if you don't, it's a genuinely awe-inspiring package that's massively enjoyable to admire in all game stages.
Cathedral 9 fuses together a rich collection of mechanics, resulting in a concise and comprehensive config. Singularly, you can undoubtedly place any one of them in some other game, and even not necessarily ELK's, but combined, they form a unique whole that competently leads the gameplay. Three elements coming from the Feature Reel (not counting the elusive Entombed hit that transforms the entire grid into a matching symbol) can help you keep the cascading sequences going by exploding symbols, collecting them into a single spot, or awarding classic Wilds. However, you'll quickly find out that the main source of power is locked in the ornate coffins. At their core, they may be the familiar Mystery Symbols, but their stickiness and nudging, combined with the scatter-pays system, transform them into an exceptionally engaging and rewarding feature. They feel a bit like the seaweed stacks in Razor Shark by Push Gaming, but with more opportunities for wins, thanks to the different win evaluation technique. Once they're enabled by reaching the bottom of the grid, that is. The 'super' variant boosts this mechanism further by awarding additional multipliers that stay persistent during the Bonus Game. And once the Super Bonus Game opens its gates before you, after scoring at least 1 win on every one of the 9 symbols, you're in for a mighty spectacle of multipliers and mysteries that may end up in a max win of 25,000x the bet. To witness that thrilling display of spiritual energy, head out to your favorite casino and look for the golden '9' between the thumbnails.
Cathedral 9 is a visually striking, dark fantasy production loaded with an extensive line-up of rewarding features.
