Ya look like Gelfling.. SMELL like Gelfling…maybe y’ARE Gelfling!

 

Okay so that’s a quote from The Dark Crystal which to be clear has nothing to do with this game, unfortunately. Although that said, Labyrinth, would be a fantastic theme for a slot – dark fantasy with some Bowie-esque 80’s styling, what’s more to want?

I digress, and so onto Play ‘n GO’s magical offering – Enchanted Crystals. With it’s fairies, butterflies, mystical harps and its all-round ‘cuteness’, Enchanted Crystals is definitely aimed at a particular demographic. That’s not to say that it cannot be enjoyed by everybody, but you may want to pass on this one during a boy’s slot battle night.

Enchanted Crystals is a standard, five column slot with 243 winning lines and minimally animated 2D symbols. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, there are a lot of slots out there that overdo the 3D, but it’s simplicity does make it feel a little dated. I’m not sure if it was a configuration error on the casino I tested upon, but my bet limits and auto play options were severely capped. I can’t imagine this is standard offering from the game given Play’n GO has a modern RGS, but still, it was annoying! Accessing pay tables and settings is straightforward and all the information you’d expect to see is there. Play’n GO is another developer who promotes a standardised UI interface framing their game portfolio which is well received.

Apart from the standard section, which, as I implied, is not much beyond a pretty, fairy-filled slot game, there are three extra elements to this game that kept my interest beyond those first few spins:

Wild Crystals

These occasionally appeared in the middle three columns, turning the whole reel into an expanded wild (except for butterflies and Goblin Kings – see below). Nothing new here then until you realise that the expanded reel locks and respins the rest providing another chance to win some coins. I found that, when I received more than one crystal, I got additional spins (up to three – one for each crystal). This feature was quite cool and definitely a bit novel, and feels like it provides a decent amount of the RTP given the frequency of its drop.

Butterfly Bonus Spins

Getting three butterflies in any position gave me 10 free spins. During these spins, additional butterflies flit around the screen and may land on the symbols, turning them wild. This unexpected extra, certainly added a few coins to the pot. The free spins feature can also be re-triggered (by hitting three butterfly symbols) for up to a total of 50 free spins. I did manage to get another 10 free spins on one occasion, and very welcome it was too.

Goblin King’s Chamber

This is the main bonus of the game. Match any three Goblin King symbols and you unlock the game’s main bonus. The Goblin King steals a crystal and you must find it. It’s a ‘pick one’ feature, where you must choose one of several doors. There are rewards behind some, nothing behind others, (except progress to next level) and the Goblin King lurking behind the fourth. Choose the King and the bonus game is over – choose correctly, and you’re rewarded with a flurry of coins and progression deeper into the caves where you encounter less and less doors each round, and an ever increasing chance of bumping into the ugly King. The final level is in the King’s room, full of gold and chests. You must choose a chest to retrieve the stolen crystal or, if you fair, release a jack-in-the-box, waking the King and his guards.

*Be warned – when playing in autoplay mode, your fairy will make your decisions for you, unless you click in first. If you do jump in, that also cancels your remaining autoplay spins, so, if you are recording the number of spins you are playing it can make life a little harder. This is actually quite a cool feature from a slot developer’s point of view as it promotes aggressive gambling and also gives the player the option to use true autoplay without interruption. But if you don’t know how it works, and it runs without your knowledge it leaves a sour taste if you get a bad pick.

It’s a very pretty game. The graphics are detailed and crisp, the animations subtle and the music – flutes, harps and ‘mystical’ sounds – blends in perfectly with the theme.

It’s pretty, it’s cute, it’s easy to watch – but, even if the fairy theme doesn’t work for you, there are still a few good bonus elements that should keep you playing longer than that 5 minute TV commercial…possibly.

I had no problem with the theme, and the bonus elements came around often enough to keep me playing.

For a game that looks like a pretty standard affair, this has a lot of hidden extras – Wild symbols that give you extra spins, free spins with an extra ‘wild’ element and a simple, but fun bonus game that, with a 415 x your bet chance, could have you winning big. This game’s not going to win any awards or be listed in many people’s top ten, but it’s a solid, standard slot game, whose uniqueness lies in those little bonus twists. For me, they managed to pull this game out of the ‘also-ran’ category, although if you like Play’n GO games, there are much better options out there… ” Pearls of ” India.