Introduction to Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches
Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches is a casino slot from Jinx Gaming set in the mystical world of Asterra, where the mighty Rune Beasts draw their power from the elements of fire, water, earth, air, grass, and electricity. Each beast also has their own unique force. You can use powerful rune symbols to cast magical spells and challenge these legendary creatures in elemental battles. As you’re spinning the reels, you’ll realize that the beasts also have their own weaknesses, which is a perfect opportunity for you to step in and take home the treasure.
In the game, you’re going to find special features such as battling Wild Beasts, Beast Master tournaments, mythical sea beast encounters, and collectible beast and rune cards. It’s time to head over to Asterra.
Theme, Gameplay, and Payouts
Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches is a video slot from Jinx Gaming featuring 7 reels with 7 rows. There are no regular paylines: instead, you score wins by landing 7 or more matching symbols in a cluster. The Min.bet is 0.1, and the Max.bet is 200. Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches has low-mid volatility, an RTP of 96.29%, and a max win capped at 5,000x the bet.
The game is set on a beach, which looks like a photo that someone has put a filter on to make it look like a painting. To the left are green palms and other vegetation, while white sand runs in the middle of the screen, and to the right is the ocean’s water. The 7 reels in the middle of the screen have a frame made of small gray stones, and to the right, soaring above the water, is a picture of one of the seven beasts. You make wins by landing 7 or more matching symbols connected in a cluster, and the game is available on mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers.
There aren’t lower- and higher paying symbols in Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches. Instead, you’ll find seven symbols with the same payouts. They are purple, yellow, orange, light blue, green, dark blue, and red runestones. They will give you 5x the bet for wins containing 21 or more symbols. The Wild Symbol substitutes all the mentioned symbols in making winning combinations.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches?
You can win up to 5,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches?
The features are Cascade, Wild Symbols, Scatter Symbol, Vs Symbol, Beasts, Runes, Beast Master Bonus, Mythical Beast Bonus, Multiplier Meter, Mystery Pack Bonus, and Feature Buy.
Cascade
When a winning cluster is removed from the reels, new symbols fall into the voids. This can, in turn, create further winning clusters and trigger further cascades.
Wild Symbols
Wilds can appear on any reel and will substitute for any symbol in the paytable. During a cascade, they can also drop onto any reel to help form further winning clusters.
Scatter Symbol
Scatter symbols can appear on any of the reels. Three or more Scatter symbols will award you a bonus round (one of the bonus rounds).
Vs Symbol
Vs symbols can land on reels 2 to 6 in rows 2 to 6. They initially occupy a single space and then expand to cover a 3x3 area. Until they have expanded, they remain sticky in their original space, whilst all the other symbols fall through them.
Once the grid has settled, the Vs will expand one at a time. A new win and/or cascade can happen between each expansion. When a Vs expands, it will reveal two random beasts, each with its own multiplier.
The two beasts fight it out, and the beast that wins determines which of the elemental rune symbols fills the entire 3x3 area. Any additional matching symbols (including Wilds) that touch the winning cluster will also be part of the cluster.
The winning beast's multiplier is then applied to the total value of the winning cluster. The possible Vs multipliers are x2, x3, x4, x5, x6, x7, x8, x9, x10, x15, x20, x25, x50 and x100.
Beasts
There are 21 beasts in the base game (three of each type: Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Earth, Air and Special), and they are shown adjacent to the reels rather than on the reels. Defeating a beast yields a multiplier which is applied to the total win for that round. Beasts are of three rarities (common, uncommon and rare) and each has different HP and different potential multipliers. Common beasts are 5hp and give x2, x3, x4 or x5 multipliers. Uncommon are 8hp and give x8, x10 or x15. Rare are 10hp and give x20, x25 or x50. Any beast that makes it until the end of the round gets away, and a new beast appears on the next spin.
Each elemental beast has a weakness which you can exploit by forming clusters of the relevant rune. Fire beasts are weak to Water runes, Water beasts to Grass runes and Grass beasts to Fire runes. Electric beasts are weak to Earth runes, Earth beasts to Air runes and Air beasts to Electric runes.
Special beasts have no weaknesses, and Special runes are not strong against any beast. The Mythical Beast is, of course, the beast that is exclusive to the Mythical Beast Bonus round.
Runes
Rune symbols damage beasts when they form winning clusters. A cluster normally inflicts 1 damage on a beast. If the beast is weak to that element, then the cluster deals 3 damage.
Beast Master Bonus
Landing 3 Scatter symbols in the base game activates the Beast Master Bonus, which commences with 8 spins. The bonus rounds operate on the same principles as the base game, allowing you to form clusters, trigger cascades and battle the beasts.
In this round, you can face up to three beasts of the same type, battling them from the weakest to the strongest. Each beast you defeat adds its multiplier to the Multiplier Meter, which then applies that accumulated multiplier to all of your wins.
Both the beasts' remaining health and the Multiplier Meter carry over between spins, so you can keep going at them and keep building up that multiplier. Three Scatter symbols in the Beast Master Bonus will get you four extra spins.
Mythical Beast Bonus
Landing 4 Scatter symbols in the base game will trigger the Mythical Beast Bonus, which kicks in with 8 spins. It's essentially the base game mechanics with the addition of the very powerful Mythical Beast, which can attack at any time during the course of the round.
Each time the Mythical Beast attacks, it adds a multiplier to the Multiplier Meter. If it is defeated, it reveals a single large multiplier which is then added to the meter.
The Mythical Beast has 25 health points, and both its health and the Multiplier Meter carry over between spins. The meter operates differently from the one in the Beast Master Bonus, though. It is only active during a spin in which the Mythical Beast attacks (i.e. it's not active during a spin where the beast is simply standing around). Once the beast is defeated, the meter remains active for the remainder of the bonus round.
When the Mythical Beast attacks, it can apply multipliers of x1, x2, x3, x5, x8, x10, x15 or x20 to the meter. On defeat, it will reveal a larger multiplier of x10, x15, x20, x25, x50 or x100.
Whenever the Multiplier Meter is active, its accumulated value is applied to that round's total win. Four Scatter symbols in the Mythical Beast Bonus will award you four additional spins.
Multiplier Meter
The Multiplier Meter is available in both the Beast Master Bonus and the Mythical Beast Bonus (though it functions in a different way in each round).
During the Beast Master bonus, each beast you defeat adds its multiplier to the meter. That accumulated multiplier is then applied to every win for the rest of the bonus.
During the Mythical Beast Bonus, the meter is inactive unless the Mythical Beast attacks or is defeated. Each attack adds its multiplier to the meter, and the meter stays active until the end of that spin. If the Mythical Beast is defeated, then its revealed multiplier is added to the total accumulated, and the meter remains active for the rest of the bonus.
Mystery Pack Bonus
Landing 5 Scatters triggers the Mystery Pack Bonus, which takes place on a single reel with one row. A pack of cards opens to reveal 6 cards, each showing a value which is the total payout. You win the sum of the values of the 6 cards revealed.
The cards are always in the same order. The first card is a Rune card, then two Low Level Beast cards and two Medium Level Beast cards. The last card is a Rare Beast, Holographic Rare Beast or Super Rare Beast.
The full set comprises 34 possible cards, broken down into 6 categories: 8 Rune cards, 7 Common Beast cards, 7 Uncommon Beast cards, 8 Rare Beast cards, 3 Holo Rare Beast cards and 1 Secret Rare Beast card.
Each card type has its own range of values. Rune cards are worth x0.1, x0.2, x0.3, x0.4, x0.5, x0.7, x0.8 or x1. Common Beast cards are worth x0.3, x0.4, x0.5, x0.6, x0.7, x0.8 or x1.
Uncommon Beast cards are worth x0.3, x0.5, x0.8, x1, x1.5, x2 or x2.5. Rare Beast cards are worth x5, x10, x25, x50, x80, x100, x250 or x500.
The Holo Rare Beast cards are worth x1,000, x2,000 or x2,500, and the one Secret Rare Beast is the most valuable card in the collection at x5,000 on the base bet.
Feature Buy
For 3x the bet, you get the Bonus Hunt Feature Spins, which increases the chances of triggering a bonus game 5 times. You can also pay 50x the bet for a spin with a guaranteed Vs Symbol. The Beast Master Bonus costs 100x the bet, while the Mythical Beast Bonus costs 150x the bet. For the Mystery Pack Bonus, you’ll have to pay 200x the bet.
Final Thoughts on Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches
Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches definitely deserves some credit for attempting something different in a market full of games that are very similar to each other. The mix of cluster pays, elemental weaknesses, monster battles and multipliers is a genuinely inventive set of ideas. We really like the concept of the runes being able to damage the beasts, with additional damage inflicted when you use their elemental weaknesses. The monster battles, which are used to build up your multipliers, also give the bonus rounds a real sense of progression.
There are 21 beasts in the base game (each with different HP, rarities and potential multipliers) plus 6 elemental types, special beasts, various runes and a number of bonus rounds with different rules. It’s more than enough to make the gameplay rather confusing for some players, and it's not always easy to keep track of which beast is which and what beats what. You could quite easily find yourself wanting a field guide, a colour-coded chart, and a wizard standing next to you to explain what's going on.
We’re not impressed by the graphics either. Jinx Gaming has made some retro games, such as Jumpasaurs!, which remind us of old-school video games such as Super Mario Bros. However, the backdrop beach in this release looks more like something any AI tool can produce in two seconds. A sharper graphic style would go a long way in making the gameplay more attractive and easier to follow.
Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches from Jinx Gaming is worth a look if you enjoy complex slots with plenty of features. Players who prefer straightforward gameplay may find this adventure more confusing than captivating.
