Ushering in the new year with a bang and a flourish, independent studio Foxium has pulled the curtain aside and revealed its latest character-driven slot game: The Great Albini.

A celebration of the conjuror’s art, The Great Albini tells the story of the mysterious master of magic, Albini, and his beautiful assistant Lily, who appears on stage as the Aztec Lady. Together, Albini and his glamorous companion travel the world, packing theatres on every continent with their combination of intrigue and illusion.

Like all Foxium games, the magician and his leading lady are brought to life with high-fidelity 3D assets; Albini stands at the side of the stage in a majestic frock coat, twirling his sceptre in the air amongst other detailed animations, while Lily appears on in a striking outfit during the game’s free spins feature.

As well as the two lead characters, The Great Albini’s 5X3 base game reels are populated by other magician’s props, including a caged canary, a target studded with throwing knives, and a set of three lucky cups.

The audience holds their breath when special Mystery Box symbols stack in the centre reel, locking into place and awarding instant respins as Albini weaves his magic. Every further mystery box he conjures up will also remain in place and reset the respin counter to three, with all the boxes being flung open at once with a puff of purple smoke – either when respins run out or the stage is completely filled.  Each box will contain a randomly chosen symbol, with a single payout calculated across all 25 potential paylines at once.

The centrepiece of Albini’s act is the free spins feature, which takes places on a special 5X6 grid with the number of paylines doubled. Here, his assistant, Lily can appear on reel 2, 3, or 4 and expand to cover its full height, multiplying all wins by 2X and awarding additional respins that do not count against the player’s pool of free spins.

Using Foxium’s new trademarked feature-buy-in mechanic, players have the freedom to open a Bonus Box at any time, with a chance to instantly trigger 8, 10, or 12 free spins. And in the biggest flourish of all, The Great Albini can pay out up to 4,000X the player’s total bet when every element comes together.

“Our latest exclusive game release through Microgaming is set to enchant and entertain players, who will join us on the absorbing adventures of The Great Albini and Lily. We are confident that the combination of cinematic visuals and exciting gameplay packed with thrilling and innovative features will prove a hit with a wide variety of audiences.” Åke André, CEO of Foxium