Introduction to Coven Rising
Coven Rising is a casino slot by Pragmatic Play that straight away takes you to a dark and magical setting, in which four witches encircle a shining spell circle. These ladies seem to be very interested in what happens on the reels, and they can help you out in different ways. The game features a rather unorthodox layout of 9 reels with 1-4-7-6-7-6-7-4-1 rows, with each symbol spinning independently and wins being awarded for clusters of five or more symbols matching symbols. The situation becomes more exciting when the middle position begins to activate various modifiers, such as coin collection, symbol upgrades, additional symbols and Wild Symbols.
You can also come across a Free Spins feature, along with enhanced modifiers. The witches may have been working long hours, but they can still help you out in some remarkable ways.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Coven Rising is a video slot from Pragmatic Play with 9 reels and the somewhat curious set of 1-4-7-6-7-6-7-4-1 rows. There are no regular paylines, wins are instead made by landing 5 or more matching symbols in a cluster. The game’s Min.bet is 0.2, and the Max.bet of 240 can be increased to 720, using the Ante Bet.
Coven Rising has a default RTP of 96.42%, but versions of 95.49% and 94.49% are also available. The max win is capped at 5,000x the bet, and the probability of scoring it is 1 in 1,024,194. The game has medium volatility, and the hit frequency is 35.34%, which means that about every third spin is a winner, on average. The Free Spins feature triggers once in 337 spins.
Coven Rising has an almost haunted look that boosts the game’s mystic atmosphere. The game is set in a big circular grid seen from above, surrounded by a dark and magical forest. Four vibrant witches in red, yellow, green, and blue are placed around the reels which contain 1-4-7-6-7-6-7-4-1 rows, and a special symbol that can activate various modifiers takes up the central spot.
A win is achieved when five or more identical symbols line up in a cluster, connected either horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Each symbol also has a level of its own, beginning at level 1 and possibly rising to level 5 during spins, respins and features. The game is available for use on desktop computers, mobile phones and notepads, so your coven can stay with you almost anywhere.
The lower-paying symbols in Coven Rising are the white, yellow, and green stones, which can award between 5x and 10x the bet for a 5+ win at level 5. The higher-paying symbols are the blue, purple, and red stones. They will give you between 15x and 50x the bet for a win at level 5. There are also several special symbols that can shake things up, including the Wild Symbol which substitutes all symbols except the Scatter, Coin or Witch Symbols.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Coven Rising?
You can win up to 5,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Coven Rising?
The features are Blank Symbol, Coin Symbols, Wild Symbol, Green Witch, Red Witch, Yellow Witch, Blue Witch, Free Spins, Ante Bet, and Feature Buy.
Blank Symbol
The Blank Symbol has no value and cannot be part of a winning combination. Yet blank spaces are important since some of the witches are able to turn them into paying symbols. Therefore, although a blank may at first appear to be empty space, it can later prove to be quite useful when one of the modifiers decides to intervene.
Coin Symbols
There are five different Coin Symbols, and when they land each one is assigned a random value from 1x to 500x the bet. The coins become particularly important when the Green Witch appears since her modifier can gather the values of the Coin Symbols shown on the screen.
Wild Symbol
The Wild Symbol can be used in place of all the other paying symbols and is therefore useful for completing clusters. There are, however, some exceptions: it cannot be used in place of the Scatter, Coin or Witch symbols.
Green Witch
The Green Witch may appear in either her standard or improved form. If the standard Green Witch shows up, all the Coin Symbols that are currently on the screen are gathered and paid. After this has taken place, the Coin Symbols which have been collected then spin again to become random paying symbols.
The improved version of the Green Witch is slightly more greedy, which is a positive change for you. Before gathering the Coins, she can insert between one and five additional Coin Symbols with random values into the positions that are currently occupied by Blank Symbols, provided that there are suitable positions available. The game then collects all the Coin Symbols that are on the screen and makes the corresponding payment.
Moreover, during Free Spins, the total amount collected can stay on the Coin with the highest value, enabling that Coin to continue to be in play until it is replaced by a new Coin of higher value or until the Free Spins round finishes.
Red Witch
The Red Witch is concerned with raising symbol levels; her standard form causes one random paying symbol to have its level increased by one, and the upgrade applies to the current outcome and carries over into subsequent outcomes after a win has triggered a symbol respin.
Her improved version takes this a great deal further by raising the level of each paying symbol by one. The increase in level stays in effect during the Free Spins until the feature finishes, which can make the symbols much more valuable as the round goes on.
Yellow Witch
The Yellow Witch looks after all those Blank Symbols which are cluttering the grid. In her normal form she turns up to five Blank Symbols into random symbols, on the condition that there are enough Blank Symbols available.
The Yellow Witch with the updated version ignores the five-symbol limit, and turns each Blank Symbol on the screen into a random symbol.
Blue Witch
The Blue Witch has a preference for Wild Symbols. In her standard form she changes the middle square of the grid into a Wild Symbol and in her upgraded form she also does this but additionally includes two more Wild Symbols in random positions on the screen.
Because the middle position is the one in which the Witch modifiers are placed, it is possible for that position to become a Wild after the modifier has carried out its function and this can result in some useful combinations.
Free Spins
If 3, 4, 5, or 6 Scatter Symbols land, you trigger the Free Spins feature with 12, 16, 20 or 24 free spins. While the feature is in progress, Witch symbols and the modifiers linked to them can appear at random.
You can also trigger extra spins landing 2 or more Scatters, which will give you 2 spins per Scatter Symbol. Special reels are employed during the feature, and some of the modifier effects can become persistent.
Ante Bet
Activating the Ante Bet costs 3x your base bet and increases the chances of triggering the Free Spins by 7 times.
Feature Buy
If it seems as though you're waiting a long time for the Free Spins feature to appear, there is a shortcut available. You can start the Free Spins round from the base for 100x the bet. There’s also a Super Free Spins option that sets you back 200x the bet. During the Super Free Spins round, Blank Symbols are not allowed to appear in the middle position of the grid.
Final Thoughts on Coven Rising
Even if you’re an experienced slot player, you may need some spins to get the grasp of Coven Rising. The layout is unusual, the symbols have different levels, the centre of the screen is constantly active, and there are four witches who appear to be determined to interfere with almost everything. Initially it might seem as if someone had thrown a slot machine, a magic circle and a rather complicated board game into a blender, but the game becomes easier to understand when you get used to it.
We liked the concept of having the central position. It adds a certain amount of suspense since you don't simply wait to see if a cluster appears; you also start to wonder which modifier might appear. The Green Witch has the ability to turn Coins into cash, the Red Witch can make the symbols more valuable, the Yellow Witch can bring dead spaces back to life, and the Blue Witch introduces Wilds. That is a fair range of features.
It is in the Free Spins round that the game becomes more exciting. The fact that there are continuous upgrades and coin values that can remain means that the bonus has a sense of progression instead of just spinning the button a few dozen times and hoping for the best.
Players who favour classic reels and simple paylines might have to exercise a bit of patience with this game, but players who like mysticism will feel just at home. However, the odd layout, which contributes greatly to the game's appeal, can also make it seem cluttered.
Coven by Pragmatic Play is a creative and enjoyable slot machine with an odd grid, a lot of modifiers, and a strong witchcraft theme.
