About Frozen Gems Slot
Play n Go are one of the most prolific slots studios on the planet right now. They continue to churn out games of all shapes and sizes, from super-sequels like Reactoonz 2, to festive fun in Holiday Spirits. With Frozen Gems they are testing new ways to mix expanding reels and multipliers using a splitting modifiers format. They do this by using an additional horizontal reel that sits above the main reel set and triggers symbols to divide into two and reels to turn fully wild. More on that in a moment.
In essence what you have is a 5-reel slot that can expand from 243-win-ways right up to 8,748-win-ways per spin if the reels expand far enough for you. The game also has a cascading wins mechanic with an added unlimited progressive multiplier in the bonus round which can lead to some pretty exciting win sequences.
It all happens to the backdrop of another icy realm not too far from that of another winter 2020 Play n Go release, Ice Joker. The fun starts at 20p per spin.Â
RTP, Variance and Top Payout Â
So, we’re looking at a medium to high variance rating here. Not the off the scale volatility that some high-risk fanatics love so much, but it still packs a punch and can go from grinding, frustrating sessions to blockbuster payouts in the blink of an eye. Though be careful, because the big ones are a rarity. The RTP is set to a reasonable 96.36% and the top payout is 10,000x.
Symbols and PaytableÂ
The low value symbols here are represented by simple 10 to Ace playing cards. The premium icons are the gemstones in green, purple, red and orange. They are not high value though, with the top one offering just 1x for five on a line.
Look out as well for the W icon, which represents the Wild that substitutes for all regular symbols to form win lines. It will also deliver 2.5 times the bet for the maximum combination of five on a line. And finally, there is the Scatter, required to unlock the free spins round.
Gameplay and Features
Additional features here are unlocked by the horizontal reel at the top of the reel set, as well as scatters landing on the reels. To get anywhere near that top 10,000x payout you’ll need to be hitting a potent mix of free spins, expanding reels and multipliers. Here’s how it all works:
Cascading Reels Feature
Every winning spin will trigger Cascading Reels, so winning icons are removed, while new symbols come in to fill the blanks and hopefully create a new winning combination. When this happens, the process will repeat, until no more win lines are created.
Importantly, the Cascading Wins feature comes with an unlimited progressive multiplier that goes up by 1x with each consecutive win.
Bonus Wheel Feature
Above the regular reels is a frozen horizontal Bonus Wheel. Each symbol on here can impact the reel beneath it with a modifier. Symbols on the Bonus Wheel represent Bonus Wilds, which turn the reel beneath into a fully Wild reel, and 2x Splitting Scatters, and 3x Splitting Scatters, which split the symbols on the reels beneath into two or three.
Splitting Reels result in an increase in the number of symbols on the reels, and consequently in the number of paylines available. Basically, it’s an Expanding Reels feature. The game starts with 243 ways to win, but with enough splitting symbols, it that number can increase up to 8,748 ways to win.
To activate the Bonus Wheel modifiers, its first necessary to land three winning symbols or scatters on the reel below.
Frozen Spins Feature
Three Scatters are needed on the reels at the same time in order to trigger the Frozen Spins feature. Here you trigger a 5x bet win, as well as 9 free spins. Then, for every additional Scatter landed during the feature, you get another free spin.
If there is any multiplier active on the triggering spin, it will be carried to the Frozen Spins feature. The win multiplier during free spins will go up by 1x after every winning spin but does not re-set after a non-winning spin.
Our Verdict
Frozen Gems is a complex looking slot and part of a wave of games that attempt to find the best and most engaging format to rival Megaways™ that isn’t Megaways™! Yes, the whole slots world is entranced by high variance, expanding reel sets and free spins / multiplier combos right now. Which is exciting stuff if you are into this kind of slot. Here, Play n Go have given it their own twist, and whilst its engaging stuff, we can’t help but feel the Bonus Wheel and splitting scatters feels a bit too complicated. Maybe like many slots features it will all make sense after a few spins. That aside, the maths model is pretty decent here and there’s plenty to enjoy in the regular feature drops whilst chasing down those big wins.
