In their slot game Cauldron, developers Peter & Sons continue to veer toward the fantastic by assembling a cast of regents. Cauldron is a video slot game with 5 reels and 20 paylines, and it’s another chapter in the book of Algroth (no, it’s not a ‘book of’ game), which recounts the exploits of heroes and villains alike on a single epic quest. We take a trip to the Algroth caverns, where a blue wizard offers players the chance to earn free spins and super free spins almost exclusively.
Cauldron, like prior editions, proudly displays the Peter & Sons logo on the packaging. Each one up to this point has had its own unique style, and Cauldron is no exception. One notable feature is the presence of a wizard who, from a distance, resembles the man who waves his hands as a bonus sign in Johnan Legendarian. The group has settled on a visually striking cartoonish pop-up book style. No matter the outcome of the gameplay, the fresh design will be welcomed if you’re tired of the same old slot machines.
Cauldron’s betting system requires some forethought if you don’t have a defined limit. This is due to the game’s scatter collecting mechanism, which resets to zero whenever a new bet level is selected. Your saved progress will be waiting for you when you return. You may wager as little as 10 cents per spin all the way up to £/€100 per spin, and you can play on any device. Cauldron’s extremely unpredictable mathematical model results in a return to player (RTP) value of 96%, with hits occurring at a rate of around 1 in 5. Normal free spins occur about once every 232 spins, which is low compared to games with additional features. Some players may need the scatter collection technique to provide a meaningful distraction.
The 10 regular rewards are separated into two categories, which will become significant when discussing the free spins feature. Apple cores, ginseng, mushrooms, Venus flytraps, and a certain kind of blueberry are all low-paying commodities. Next, wasps, spiders, bats, frogs, and rats are all highs, with a line of 5 of a kind paying 9-50 times your bet. The part concludes with a gold coin wild appearing on reels 2, 3, or 4, which may substitute for any normal pay symbol to complete a winning line.
Slot Machine Features, Cauldron
You’ll be spending most of your time in a feature-free basic game, so take in the sights while you can. When free spins or, even better, super free spins are activated, however, the action really heats up.
If you get three or more scatter symbols, you’ll receive 10 bonus spins. Getting more than three is not rewarded in any way. For any victory with high-value symbols during free spins, the symbol involved will be upgraded and one additional free spin will be awarded. There is a one-time limit on symbol upgrades. Additionally, all future wins involving that enhanced symbol type will be multiplied by a factor of x2. Low-paying symbols that contribute to a win are removed from the reels until the next time they can contribute to a win.
Next, when 1 or more scatters appear anywhere on the reels during the main game, they are gathered and 1 point is added to the meter. After amassing 668 scatter symbols, a round of super free spins will be awarded. Players with keen eyes may have noticed a trend in recent Peter & Sons games: the prevalence of collection systems. All low-paying symbols are replaced with nothing in super free spins, and all high-paying symbols get a multiplier of x2 to start the round. It is estimated that 1,936 spins of the regular game is required to trigger the super free spins bonus.
Slot Judgment in the Cauldron
If you’re a fan of Peter & Son’s slot machines, you’ll love what they’ve conjured up visually and sonically for Cauldron. The graphic quality is outstanding once again, with unique illustrations and Peter & Son’s signature style. When winnings occur, the symbols transform into a zany assortment of magical substances that sing and dance.
It’s for the best, too, as the gameplay is rarely tense or exciting. Once you get over the unusual visuals, the core gameplay is really unremarkable. Okay, line wins are conceivable, which helps you stay in the game, but it becomes a matter of powering on hoping to land scatters, or if you’re patient, super free spins when the collection meter is full. However, the mood shifts as you enter the bonus, and the symbol deletion/upgrade function works like a charm to rapidly improve your standing. Helpful, too, is the fact that bonus spins keep getting added to the pot as this is going on.
Don’t get your expectations up, because, after all, mice and cored apples are part of the game. If you get a whole grid of rats with the x2 upgrade multiplier, you may win a good 2,000x your stake in a single spin. However, this is perhaps the peak of Cauldron’s success. After simulating a billion spins, we saw 2,000x occur just once.
When put together, it’s clear that Peter & Sons have created yet another original-looking game with some clever additions. Once activated, the features can do their jobs rather well, although they have limited potential. Perhaps if the multipliers could have been increased with each free spin, more people might have been motivated to play.