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Game supplier: Elk
Release date:05/2020
RTP:96.1%
Volatility:High
Max. win:bet x 5000
Mobile version:Support all devices
Max. lines
Bonus symbols
Colossal symbols
Cascading reels
Expanding reels
Wild west
Adventure & action
Heroes & villains
Riches & luxury
Game design:
Gameplay:
Features:
Game sounds:
Mobile gaming:
Originality:
Slot tested
Black River Gold brings to life the gold rush of the 19th century when masses of adventurers headed west to America, in search of untold riches. As inspiration for a slot, this 2020 Elk Studios game also features colossal symbols and cascading reels for the player.
One of the first things that struck me with this game was the excellent graphics. Everything is hand-drawn and although not all the symbols are unique, they are all in the style of the setting. The background shows us the rural American Rockies with the playing field flanked by a train bridge. The 6-reel, 4-row playing field itself can grow with consecutive wins, going up as high as 8 rows.
Because of this, Black River Gold has a maximum of 262,144 paylines if the playing field is fully extended. This obviously means there are also quite a lot of different symbols to fill this space, almost automatically resulting in High Volatility. Still, the game felt like it rewarded wins semi-frequently even if they weren’t very high most of the time. This is definitely a game for those that enjoy rare big wins instead of a steady supply of small ones.
The music is pretty subtle, mostly consisting of a slow harmonica song playing in the background. Reels come down with a familiar thump and wins have a brief, generic jingle. Bigger wins come with a Western-sounding clip, reminiscent of some famous movies without being a direct copy. In general, the sound design of the slot is very toned down.
Symbols
All the symbols in the game are hand-drawn, most of them with a high amount of detail. The high-paying symbols draw inspiration from the setting they’re based on as well as the general Western theme. The low-paying symbols are card letters but this time literally put on playing cards, again fitting the setting. I thought this was a clever way to integrate them.
The symbols are, from highest to lowest:
As you can, it has a lot of different symbols and these pay back very little, even with six-of-a-kind on a win line. This is because most of the gameplay revolves around expanding and cascading reels, assuming that one win will trigger additional wins and helping the player get more back.
If the prospect of low payouts concerns people, they can pick a bet somewhere between £0.20 and £100 per spin to mitigate this. The max. win of 5,000x your bet is something to keep in mind, as it will allow players to go home with quite a jackpot. However, I felt this would require a series of wins that is unlikely to happen.
Features
The main portion of Black River Gold revolves around the base game, where the size of the reels plays a major part in getting a win. Occasionally, players are able to trigger the free spins mode where they will use some additional features.
The game comes with the following features:
Even though this seems like a lot, the features work together quite well. The main gameplay consists of getting a win, having the tiles cascade and a new row added and seeing if another win is created. This continues for as long as there are additional wins before it starts over.
The Free Spins mode was very rare but when it did activate it was pretty lucrative thanks to the Sticky Wilds and the fact that anytime an extra row is added, that row is saved for the next spin. So getting 5 rows in the first spin means that every spin after that will have a minimum of 5 rows available. This can go up to 8 for every spin.
I thought the features were a good way to spice up the game. If you don’t mind a slot that throws a lot of different symbols and effects at you, this might be the right game for you too.
In Conclusion
Black River Gold is a beautiful game. I really liked the graphics and the way everything was presented. There aren’t a lot of animations but I feel like that would have become very confusing, considering a large number of features as well as the expanding playing field.
Instead, the game keeps your attention with its game loop as well as the possibility of activating some interesting effects. Players that enjoy a game that largely resembles a standard slot but introduces some less-popular features in combination with that will get a kick out of this slot.
I would recommend this game to people who are looking for something a bit different. Don’t let a large number of features dissuade you as they do work together well and they are pretty obvious in how they operate.
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RTP (Return to Player):96.1%
Volatility:High
Max. win:bet x 5000
Min. bet:£0.2
Max. bet:£100
Progressive jackpot:
Reels:5
Rows:4
Non-standard layout:
Max. lines:262144
Min. lines:4096
Win both ways:
Multipliers:
Expanding reels:
Stacked symbols:
Colossal symbols
Auto play:
Turbo play:
Quick play:
Virtual reality:
Bonus game:
Random bonus:
Progressive bonus:
Buy bonus:
Free spins:
Scatter symbols:
Bonus game symbols:
Standard wilds:
Sticky wilds:
Walking wilds:
Stacked wilds:
Random wilds:
Multiplier wilds:
Re-spins:
Walking re-spins:
Sticky re-spins:
Cascading reels:
Sticky wins:
You can play Black River Gold in English, Finnish, Swedish, German and 18 other languages.
Black River Gold supports GBP, EUR, USD, CAD
Trystan Michielsen is a Dutch native who started his career as a content writer for various small businesses who were interested in creating an online presence.
When the opportunity arose to move to Malta and work in the iGaming sector, Trystan didn't hesitate to make the plunge. Here he worked as a Content and SEO specialist for different companies before moving back home.
Now acting as a freelancer he maintains his connection with the online slot community by playing and reviewing the wide variety of videoslots that are released.
Trystan enjoys playing the slots that offer a full experience, focusing on more than just the technical details but keeping an eye on its presentation. Graphics, music and style can create a game that's more than the sum of its parts.
A writer at heart, putting thoughts to paper is something he's done for as long as he remembers. In his free time, he enjoys writing fiction as well as watching and reviewing movies.
