Introduction to Lava Balls
Lava Balls is a casino slot from Wild Streak Gaming, descending into the mythological Greek underworld, where fiery orbs spilling out of a volcano can grace you with legendary wins reaching 4,800x the bet. In the company of Hades and Persephone, you'll traverse the blazing realm, trying to avoid the bottomless pits consumed by flames and hoping to stand before the magnificent natural wonder. Like some Earth's personal cannon, it shoots out balls of lava, which bounce off obstacles along their way down, to end up in pots awarding lucrative cash prizes. As you may have already guessed, the game incorporates the popular Plinko mechanics into a traditional slot machine, creating gameplay that benefits from both playstyles. Every win you score with the use of the Wild symbol will trigger a drop with prizes like extra multipliers or free spins. If the glowing orb happens to land on the latter, the bonus round will have you collect as many balls as possible to use in the final stage for a potential massive blazing stream of cash!
If you start feeling a warm glow from above, gradually transforming into scorching heat, it may be a sign that the volcano is close to erupting in the demo we've placed at the top of the article. Don't miss out on the fiery spectacle and check it out!
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Lava Balls is a video slot from Wild Streak Gaming with 5 reels, 3 rows, and 243 ways to win. In the bet selection panel, you can choose your active stake from multiple options, starting from a Min.bet of 0.25 up to a Max.bet of 250. With the game's default RTP of 96.50%, you can expect steady long-term returns, although two lower variants of 95.50% and 94.50% have also been released, so be sure to confirm your version before playing. Wins might be less frequent but more valuable due to high volatility, while the top prize from a single spin may reach 4,800x the bet. The probability of hitting max win is, on average, 1 in 45,045,045 spins, while the bonus game triggers at a rate of 1 in 135 spins. The base frequency of 32.25% should deliver a hit every 3.1 spins, on average.
The Greek underworld is undoubtedly an intimidating place by definition, but in Lava Balls, it's presented in a welcoming way, if you're willing to overlook the blazing crevices and sparks flying up into the air from the glowing pits. However, all those dangers are further in the background, so there's no need to worry about getting burned. What's equally hot is the action coming from the grid located in the middle of the screen. The panel sits on an ornate platform of gold and black stone, held by gigantic hands carved in rock, making the entire scene feel immersive and full of awe for the godly realm. Once you're ready, you can descend to the land of the dead from any modern device, whether you're using a desktop, a smartphone, or a tablet.
The paytable is divided into two groups of symbols responsible for delivering payouts. Matching between 3 and 5 on neighboring reels, starting from the leftmost one, will result in a successful combination. The low-paying ones come in the form of royal icons from playing cards, including 10, J, Q, K, and A. They award from 0.2x to 0.8x the bet for matching 5 on a winning way. A pomegranate, an arrowhead, a boat, Persephone, and Hades represent the high-paying symbols. Those pay from 1x to 4x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit. In addition, there are Wilds in the form of a lava ball and Scatters appearing as an image of a golden temple.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Lava Balls?
You can win up to 4,800x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Lava Balls?
The features are Lava Balls Wild Multiplier, Free Spins, and Feature Buy.
Lava Balls Wild Multiplier
In the base game, underneath the grid, you'll notice 7 pots that randomize their prizes on every spin. They can hold a multiplier of between x1 and x1,000 or a Free Spins icon. When a Wild symbol participates in a winning combination, the screen will change into a Plinko board, and one lava ball will drop from the top. Depending on which pot it lands in, that prize will be awarded. If it's a multiplier, the value will be applied to the Wild and multiply any qualifying wins created with its use. If it's the Free Spins icon, the bonus round will be triggered.
Free Spins
Aside from dropping the lava ball into the correct pot, Free Spins can also be activated by landing 3 or more Scatters anywhere on the grid during a base game spin. To begin with, you'll receive 12 free spins, although more can be achieved by scoring the Additional Free Spins symbol, which grants between 1 and 5 extra spins. The round begins with random cash values assigned to the 7 pots below the grid, ranging from 0.2x to 200x the bet. The leftmost and the rightmost pot increase their values automatically after every free spin by 0.2x - 120x the bet. All others will require the Extra Pot Values symbol to land on a respective reel to increase its value by 0.2 - 200x the bet.
Throughout the bonus game, a Lava Balls symbol may land on reel 1 and a Ball Drop symbol on reel 5. The latter will contain a number equal to 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, 42, 77, 88, or 100. When both symbols appear on the same free spin, the value carried by the Ball Drop symbol is added to the total counter. Once all free spins are used, the round transforms into the Plinko board and drops the number of balls collected. Each ball will drop into a random pot, awarding its displayed cash value.
Feature Buy
If you can't wait for the volcano to erupt and start spewing the valuable lava balls, you can make use of the Feature Buy option to trigger Free Spins instantly by paying a buy-in of 100x the bet.
Final Thoughts on Lava Balls
Plinko, as a standalone game, is quite a popular gambling entity, so it's no wonder that online slot providers try to incorporate it into their products in some way. Although we haven't seen many such hybrids gracing the industry, there are some noteworthy examples we recommend checking out, like the Pine of Plinko series by Print Studios or Prospector's Plinko from Gaming Corps. While these games focus on splitting the slot gameplay from the Plinko format, incorporating the latter as a separate bonus round, Wild Streak Gaming tried something slightly different in Lava Balls. To blur the border between the two formats, Lava Balls cleverly weaved the peg-studded board into all game stages. The base game's multipliers applied to Wilds can often help you boost regular winning combinations, plus there's an additional way of triggering free spins coming from the pots as well. During free spins, the anticipation levels are constantly running high, making you hope for as many pot increases as possible and growing your collection of balls.
On top of the mechanical setup, we appreciated that the studio went the extra mile to design the theme in such a way as to blend the Plinko element naturally into the Greek mythological narrative. While the plot itself may not be utterly original and innovative, the fiery realm with a mythical volcano spitting out lava balls makes everything feel concise. The animations of the orbs bouncing off the pegs are crucial in this type of game, but again, the creators showed their prowess, handling the gravitational pull quite well. All in all, the whole thing may feel a tad generic, but the execution itself is very well done. If you think so as well, don't let the lava balls go cold and ignite their potential in your favorite casino!
Lava Balls skillfully combines Plinko playstyle with traditional slot mechanics in a fiery mythological environment.
