Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches

Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches Slot

There aren't many slot games where defeating a monster is just as important as forming a winning combination. Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches takes that idea considerably further, turning its reels into a battlefield populated by elemental creatures with different health levels, weaknesses and rewards. Hacksaw partner Jinx Gaming has clearly drawn inspiration from Pokémon, but rather than simply borrowing the appearance of collectible monsters, the studio has built much of the gameplay around fighting them.

The fictional world of Asterra provides a colourful setting for the action. A tropical coastline stretches behind a chunky stone-framed grid, with seven elemental rune types representing fire, water, grass, electricity, earth, air and a special element. The creatures themselves are divided into matching elemental categories, giving the game a coherent visual identity that stands apart from the usual assortment of fantasy characters.

At the centre of the action is a 7x7 grid where clusters of at least seven matching symbols produce wins. Winning symbols disappear through Cascades, making room for replacements and potentially extending the sequence. The game has medium volatility, a default RTP of 96.29%, alternative settings of 94.29% and 92.31%, and stakes ranging from 0.10 to 200. Its maximum payout is 5,000x the bet.

What makes the regular gameplay unusual is the presence of 21 different beasts, each with its own health meter. Winning clusters of the corresponding elemental rune damage the active creature, while exploiting its elemental weakness deals three times the normal damage. Defeating a beast reveals a multiplier that applies to the total win for the round. Common beasts have five health points and award multipliers from x2 to x5, uncommon creatures have eight health points with rewards from x8 to x15, and rare beasts require ten damage but can award multipliers up to x50.

There's also a VS symbol that can appear in the central area of the grid. It expands into a 3x3 position and reveals two randomly selected beasts, each carrying a multiplier between x2 and x100. Following their confrontation, the victorious creature transforms the entire area into nine matching elemental runes with its multiplier attached. It's a clever way of integrating the monster-battle concept directly into the symbol mechanics.

The bonuses take three distinctly different approaches. Beast Master, triggered by 3 Scatters, awards 8 Free Spins and pits players against up to three creatures of the same elemental type, progressing from weaker to stronger opponents. Each defeated beast contributes a multiplier to a persistent meter that applies to subsequent wins. Three additional Scatters award another 4 spins.

Four Scatters instead activate Mythical Beast, also beginning with 8 Free Spins. Here, the opponent is a single creature with 25 health points. Its random attacks add multipliers between x1 and x20 to a meter that affects wins on the activated spin. Defeating the beast awards an additional multiplier between x10 and x100 and makes the meter persistent for the remaining bonus. Four Scatters retrigger 4 spins.

Perhaps the most unexpected feature is Mystery Pack, activated by 5 Scatters. Instead of another battle, players open six collectible cards, with their cash values added together for the final prize. There are 34 possible cards, ranging from ordinary Rune and Common Beast varieties to valuable Rare and Holographic versions. Holographic rare cards can pay up to 2,500x the bet, while the Secret Rare Beast Card carries the full 5,000x maximum.

Feature buys are available at 100x, 150x and 200x the bet for Beast Master, Mythical Beast and Mystery Pack, respectively. BonusHunt FeatureSpins cost 3x for five times the normal bonus frequency, while VS FeatureSpins cost 50x and guarantee a VS symbol.

Rune Beasts! Deep Trenches isn't without its drawbacks. The combat system introduces additional rules that take some getting used to, and defeating tougher creatures during ordinary spins can be difficult. The 5,000x ceiling also looks relatively modest alongside the elaborate collection of features. Nevertheless, Jinx Gaming deserves credit for doing something more ambitious than dressing up familiar mechanics with a new theme. Monster battles, elemental weaknesses and collectible cards all have a meaningful role, while the three bonuses offer genuinely different experiences. It's one of those rare slots where the underlying concept feels like it came before the mathematics, rather than the other way around.