Dark Vortex

Halloween- or horror-themed slots are not anything new. Offhand, we could think of at least a dozen games, created by various studios, that are based in some way on the scariest time of the year. Still, Yggdrasil has not let us down yet and Dark Vortex is primed to keep us on our toes all year round.

At first glance, this slot is hardly controversial, utilising a familiar reel layout and some features we have seen before. Where this slot really excels is in creating a truly terrifying atmosphere thanks to the horrible creatures acting as symbols and a soundtrack that makes us shudder.

Let’s take a look at what Dark Vortex has in store and where that Vortex will take us.

• 5 reels, 3 rows, 243 to 3,125 ways to win
• Default bet levels 1-10
• Bet minimum of £0.10; maximum bet £50
• Maximum win 350,000 coins
• Special features include Scatter, Wilds, Stacked Symbols, Free Spins, Vortex Reels, Bonus feature
• Return to Player of 96.5%
• Variance is high

Dark Vortex bonus features

This game is a masterpiece of visual design and some incredible sound magic. We highly recommend you turn the sound up while playing so you too can enjoy the array of truly scary, disgusting and creepy noises Yggdrasil has built into this game.

All manner of creatures inhabit this game, including a book with a set of sharp teeth and several fearsome beasts, all seemingly intent on taking a bite out of you. There are five differently coloured books in total – the aforementioned bitey one, one with tentacles, one with an eyeball, one with spikes and one that appears to be oozing green slime.

In addition, there are 5 monster symbols too, with the red, horned creature rewarding the most by multiplying the initial bet 6 times when 5 land on the same payline.
There are also some special symbols to watch out for – the Wild, the Vortex symbol and a few others. We will be taking a look at what those do next.

Wilds

The Wild symbol is pretty straightforward in Dark Vortex. It’s the big gold symbol that says ‘Wild’. It can appear on the three central reels and substitutes for any other symbol except the Orbs and the Vortex symbol.

Vortex Reels

When two or more Vortex symbols land adjacent to one another, the Vortex is opened! This portal to another realm will transport players to the Vortex Reels, where the 3 rows of the base game can become 5 rows, creating a 5×5 square game screen. It is on these reels that stacked symbols can occur, including Wilds and the high-value creature symbols.

Each adjacent Vortex symbol beyond the initial two required to trigger the feature will award an additional Vortex reel and 2 more Vortex spins. The more reels you’re playing on, the more ways to win become available, up to a maximum of 3,125.

During the Vortex Reels feature, players will notice Orb symbols. These come in pink and blue. Orbs make the player’s free spins rounds better. The pink Orbs add Wilds to the 3 middle reels – these will only appear on reels 1 and 5 of the Vortex Reels. Blue orbs, landing on the remaining reels, will award an additional free spin for every symbol appearing. Each time the Vortex opens, players are automatically awarded 5 blue Orbs.

Dark Vortex Free Spins

When all 5 Vortex Reels are active, this triggers the Vortex Free Spins. This feature is played on the full 5×5 reel set, with the potential for stacked Wilds appearing on the three middle reels. In total, there are 3,125 ways to win, both left-to-right and right-to-left.

Each spin is boosted thanks to any Orbs the player has collected, with additional stacked Wilds awarded by the pink Orbs and extra spins determined by the blue Orbs.

Dark Vortex Bonus feature

Yggdrasil has come up with a truly memorable feature in Dark Vortex, which allows the player to buy Vortex Free Spins whenever they like! Each turn costs 80 times the current stake.

Once purchased via a button on the bottom-left of the game screen, the feature begins by displaying two pick-and-click games consecutively. The player chooses from 5 options each time. The first round determines how many Wilds will appear in the free spins round, represented by pink Orbs that are then displayed on one side of the screen. Next, the player chooses another option from a different set of 5 cards, revealing how many blue Orbs (i.e. free spins rounds) they have won. Players can win up to 20 free spins rounds with up to 10 Stacked Wilds units in this way!

Dark Vortex jackpot

There is no jackpot on Dark Vortex. The maximum possible coin win is 350,000 coins, thanks to that generous set of bonus features working together.

RTP

Dark Vortex has a Return to Player value of 96.5%, which sets it at about average for slot games today. It does have a high variance, which means that players can expect fewer wins that are quite generous when they do land.

Dark Vortex on Mobile

All of Yggdrasil’s slot games are fully optimised for mobile, including Dark Vortex. Fire up this exciting slot on any mobile device, including iPad, iPhone or Android devices, to take it with you wherever you go.

Top casinos to play Dark Vortex

Play Dark Vortex today at your favourite quality casino. Stuck on which one to choose? Not to worry. The following are Yggdrasil casinos that has proven themselves reputable, secure and professional. Take your pick from some of the top UK casinos that offer this and other Yggdrasil games.