Play’n Go delves into Arthurian Lore with Rise of Merlin Slot

The tale of Merlin unravels in new medieval online slots from Play’n Go.

Invoking what is undoubtedly one of the most popular online slot machine themes to date, Play’n Go takes gamers back in time to the medieval era, when legends tell of brave knights, mystical sorcerers and fire breathing dragons. I’m talking, of course, about the Court of Camelot – in particular, the tale of Merlin, the great wizard who served as advisor to King Arthur.

Most of us know at least a little something of Arthurian lore. Merlin is the most famous wizard throughout history. The tales of his sorcery are so fantastic, it leads some to question whether his abilities were more than legend. After all, the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table have been told for more than 1,000 years; first in Welsh poetry, then again in the 12^th century in the literary stylings of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Later, French poet Chrétien de Troyes gave birth to the story of the fabled King’s quest for the Holy Grail, romanticizing the tale into one of the most commonly recounted legends of all time.

Now, Play’n Go is spinning the old folk tale into a new game they call the Rise of Merlin Online Slot. It features the fearless magician as the main character, appearing on 5×3 reels with 10 paylines. The game has what its creators describe as a “very high” volatility, capable of paying out half a million coins in a single spin. Released a week ago today, you’ll find the new Rise of Merlin Slot available now at all Play’n Go casinos.

Rise of Merlin – New Medieval Online Slots

If you happen to be a fan of the saga, as I am, you’ll no doubt appreciate the Dungeons & Dragons feeling this game gives off. Rise of Merlin’s ambiance reflects its magical theme, while the intense musical score is akin to something straight out of a Hollywood-produced symphony

The great wizard is the main character, and the highest paying symbol, along with the fire dragon, the ice dragon and Merlin’s familiar, the wise owl. It takes just 2 high-paying symbols on a payline, starting left to right, to initiate a payout; or 3+ aligned for low-paying symbols.

The magical orb is the Wild, the Scatter, and also the highest paying symbol, matching the value of Merlin himself. However, being such a special symbol, the wild is not capable of expanding during free games (see below). Instead, it acts as the scatter that triggers free spins.

When 3+ orbs appear anywhere on the reels, it grants 8 free games. One random symbol – it can be a high or low one – is chosen to be the special Expanding Symbol during free games. If the chosen symbol appears in a winning combination during the feature, it will expand to cover all of the reels it won on.

If more free games are re-triggered while the current feature is running, an additional 8 free spins are awarded with another symbol gaining expansion rights. Re-trigger the feature consecutively 9 times, and all standard symbols can become expandable.

My Take on Rise of Merlin Online Slot

The free games feature is obviously where this new medieval online slots game draws its supremely high volatility from. It can take what seems like forever to trigger the free games. Once you do, you’ll need to get lucky enough to hit a high-paying symbol as the expandable – I got the red dragon on the first try – then line up at least one win with that symbol to strike any decent kind of payout. If that sounds easy, it’s not!

The game does carry an average RTP of 96%, but the odds of winning anything are akin to winning a small progressive jackpot. Most players are going to contribute to the RTP, while a few will get lucky enough to strike a massive payout. Good luck landing on the tail-end of that spectrum!