Cloud Corsairs: Slot Overview
Corsairs being another word for pirates, and clouds being rather dreamy, the title Cloud Corsairs is an evocative one, conjuring up images of sailing the skies in a brass contraption, following the wind, watching the sunset from great heights, and maybe doing a bit of plundering. Fortunately, Swedish developer Fantasma Games is the brains behind Cloud Corsairs, a studio well versed in crafting online slots with a strong fantasy bent. This the team has brought to bear in Cloud Corsairs to create an atmospherically airborne slot with features such as Free Spins, Super Free Spins, Zeppelin Respins, a Lightning Mystery feature, and a Multiplier Reel.
To create the sensation of floating through the skies on a zany flying gadget, Fantasma Games has added an animation effect to the clouds behind the game panel. It gives Cloud Corsair an ever-present motion effect as if players are traveling towards the floating city in the distance, edging nearer when free spins trigger. Fantasma Games has flexed their world-building chops for Cloud Corsair, ramming it with fanciful characters, lush steampunk artwork, and a rousing soundtrack.
Cloud Corsairs is a medium/high volatile slot, producing a default return to player value of 95.58%. It can be played on mobile, tablet, or desktop devices by selecting a stake of 25 p/c to $/€100 for regular betting or by buying free spins where permitted. The game panel is constructed using 5-reels, 3-rows and supplies 27 fixed paylines to land winning combinations along. Just to the side of all that is the Multiplier Reel which is available in the base game and in free spins as you will see.
Hitting a regular win occurs when three or more symbols land on a payline from the first reel onwards in adjacent reels. On the low side are four gemstone encrusted symbols, paying 1.6-5 times the stake for five of a kind, while four character symbols and a Zeppelin carrying a chest are the high pays. Scoring a five of a kind high pay win awards 6-8 times the stake. There's quite a lot going on in Cloud Corsairs, but no use of a wild symbol.
Cloud Corsairs: Slot Features
Symbol values aren't what you'd call enormous, yet several extras are on hand to help build a more impressive total. One of them is the Multiplier Reel which is present in the base game and in free spins. On each spin, the Multiplier Reel displays values of x1 to x10. When a winning line forms, the active values on the Multiplier Reel are applied to it. In the base game, only one multiplier value can be active, but in free spins, up to three are possible. In the latter case, multipliers are added together before they are used on a winning line.
Zeppelin Respins Feature
Any line win with the top paying Zeppelin symbol activates the Zeppelin Respin feature. Non-Zeppelin wins are paid first; then, the Zeppelin symbols are locked to the reels. Any active multiplier values are added to an accumulated multiplier, and a respin takes place. New Zeppelin symbols are locked, and active multipliers are again added to the accumulated multiplier. Respins continue until no new Zeppelins land, then winning lines are boosted by the accumulated multiplier for a win evaluation. The accumulated multiplier has an upper limit of x50.
Lightning Mystery Feature
The Lightning Mystery feature can trigger on any base game spin. When it does, a random pattern of 6 symbols is placed on the grid, displaying any pay symbol except the Zeppelin. The remaining reel positions land pay symbols - not Zeppelins and not the Bonus symbol.
Free Spins
Landing 3 bonus symbols in the base game awards 12 free spins. In free spins, the game pays both ways and all Bonus symbols that land are collected by a meter which starts at zero. Collecting 4 Bonus symbols awards +4 free spins and activates the top position on the Multiplier Reel. When 9 Bonus symbols are collected, the bottom multiplier position is activated, and +4 free spins are added. Lastly, collecting 15 Bonus symbols moves the game to Super Free Spins, which take place when the Free Spins end.
Super Free Spins
At the start of Super Free Spins, 3 Zeppelin symbols are placed on the reels and locked into position. Here, 5 spins are awarded where only blank tiles or Zeppelins may land. All Zeppelins that hit lock in place and active values from the Multiplier Reel are added to the accumulated multiplier. When the 5 spins are complete, the value of the Zeppelins in view has the accumulated multiplier applied. Once again, the accumulated multiplier has a maximum value of x50.
Buy Free Spins
If possible, players can buy Free Spins from the base game for the cost of 100x the bet. Buying the bonus round increases the RTP to 97.12%.
Cloud Corsairs: Slot Verdict
There are a few of these steampunk/Zeppelin games kicking around, and Fantasma Games has nailed the fantasy aspect of Cloud Corsairs. In this regard it's on par with slots like Casino Zeppelin Reloaded and Riders of the Storm, or Land of Zenith due to the flamboyant visuals and the constant floating through the ether sensation. Layered over the top is a bulging sack of effects such as bouncing symbols when they land, lightning, and all manner of ocular fireworks. The ship itself is a tad plain, but the shifting clouds and pacey activity on the reels make up for that.
There can be quite a flurry of activity as well. Base game wins receive benefits from the Multiplier Reel, and side features like the Lightning Mystery and Zeppelin Respins wedge their way in, so it's not all smooth event-free sailing. After tapping away on the calculator for a bit, Zeppelin Respins and, by extension, Super Free Spins could be quite lucrative when everything comes together. Accumulating an x50 multiplier with the pay both ways mechanic in Super Free Spins and a screen of Zeppelin symbols would technically pay out 21,600x the bet on its own. Punching at this level would put Cloud Corsairs up there alongside competitors like Land of Zenith and striking distance-ish of Cazino Zeppelin Reloaded. Alas, Fantasma Games has restricted what Cloud Corsairs can do, where the max win comes in at a decent, though more down-to-earth capped number of 7,690x the bet.
That's not necessarily a deal-breaker if you dig the theme, but an astronomical win figure would have helped push Cloud Corsairs into a higher orbit. As it is, Cloud Corsairs was a delightful game to play and the progressive element during free spins adds plenty of excitement. Picking the Zeppelin topic gives developers the chance to get all wildly fanciful, and for the most part, Fantasma Games has capitalised on the opportunity.
Picking the Zeppelin topic gives developers the chance to get all wildly fanciful, and for the most part, Fantasma Games has capitalised on the opportunity.
