Spellcast slot review

Welcome to Spellcast and the castle of the mad wizard! This slot from NetEnt was originally released in 2006, which probably makes it one of the oldest NetEnt production still in use.

The slot has been revamped along the way, so nowadays it also works on mobile phones. But the art, features and sounds are still the same as back in the day when Spellcast was first played/released. For some, it’s a blast from the past, but for others, it’s just another game in dire need of serious update. I’m somewhere in between.

Despite being as old as it is, Spellcast is a charming slot with nostalgic vibes. It also has low volatility, meaning the payouts are more stable. Even the RTP is good enough, even if it can’t compete to classics like Blood Suckers.

Graphics & sound

A witch cackling over her brew, a mysterious fortune-teller gazing into the crystal ball and a mad wizard holding his staff. The castle of Spellcast accommodates many things and beings which, by the way, look exactly like the old Clipart pictures.

The 2D-graphics and the background art remind me of old pinball machines and 80’s fantasy books’ covers. So yeah, they’re poorly made, but still so endearing!

The game has no music, other than short jingles when there’s a winning spin. Instead, the ambience is created by low rumbles, drops of water falling and the sound echoing from the stone walls. Otherwise, the sounds of reels and all that is very generic.

Symbols & wins

The slot has five reels, three rows and 20 paylines. The bets and wins are announced as coins, and the minimum wager is 20 coins with 2p value. This makes the minimum bet 40p.

The paylines run from left to right, and symbols need to be on adjacent reels except for the Scatter.

High-value symbols:

• 5 x castle pay 37,5x your bet
• 5 x witch pay 25x your bet
• 5 x potion pay 25x your bet
• 5 x book pay 12,5x your bet
• 5 x wand pay 12,5x your bet

Low-value symbols:

• 5 x A pay 10x your bet
• 5 x K pay 7,5x your bet
• 5 x Q, J or 10 pay 6,25x your bet
• 5 x 9 pay 5x your bet

Special symbols:

• Wild / Wizard: Substitutes any other symbol but Scatter. Also triples the payout if it appears on a winning combination. 5 x wizard pay 500x your bet.
• Scatter / Fortune-teller: Three or more fortune-tellers activate 15 free spins with 3x multiplier. Five fortune-tellers pay 25x your bet.

Features

• Multiplier Wilds: The wizard acts as a wild, and multiplies any wins by three.

The only time the wizard does not apply the multiplier is when it appears as the only symbol on a single payline.

• Free spins: Collect three or more fortune-tellers to get 15 free spins.

The amount of free spins is always 15, even if you manage to get four or even five Scatters. The fortune-teller also pays as its own, so for two Scatters, you get 2x your bet.

All winnings are tripled during the free spins.

My experiences

I don’t think that Spellcast would nowadays interest me as much if it wouldn’t have the perks of a low volatile game. By any means, it can’t compete with modern slots with the graphics or music, but it can still hit the right notes of nostalgia.

However, I think it would be fun to see NetEnt doing a re-make of this classic. It wouldn’t even be the first time - in 2017 NetEnt released a new and polished version of their 2009 slot Blood Suckers. The Blood Suckers II wasn’t that different from the first one, but it was still a great success.

For me, the magic of Spellcast can wear off quickly, and I suspect most seasoned players feel the same. If I would want to play a fantasy-themed slot, then I’d rather choose Golden Grimoire, Warlords - Crystals of Power or Witchcraft Academy.