Everest

Everest: Slot Overview

If rising from the couch to get the tv remote which someone has left on the opposite side of the room to change channels sometimes feels like a Herculean task, spare a thought for those brave souls who gear up to take on the elements by scaling the biggest mountains on the planet. Of them all, none is taller than Mount Everest, which, at 8,848.86 metres, is the highest point on the planet. At its peak, you are literally standing above the rest of the world. An intoxicating thought for a lot of mountaineers. If you like the idea of scaling the great peak but are not too keen on the practical reality, here is an online slot that might give you a taste called Everest from provider Four Leaf Gaming.

The first thought to enter one's mind when Everest loaded wasn't, 'wow, Everest' it was ', wow, this looks like Katmandu Gold.' And by extension Katmandu X to a lesser degree, as well as 4ThePLayers' 90K Yeti Gigablox. Fair enough, all 4 games are set in roughly the same part of the world, a realm of massively rising peaks and snow. Hit spin, though, and some of Everest's gameplay also mirrors some of what can be found in Katmandu Gold. What's neat is when free spins are activated, play shifts to the top of Mount Everest, where with a healthy dose of imagination, players can pretend they've trekked up to through countless dangers. On a side note, imagine getting all that way and finding the battery on your camera has gone flat – no Insta glory, but we digress.

At the start of each base game spin, 4 rows of symbols are active on the 5-reel grid. Using a ways-to-win pay system means at this size, players are provided with 1,024 ways to win. The grid can expand through, and when reaching its maximum of 10 rows high, a total of 100,000 ways to win are activated. Other important numbers are the 6 out of 10 volatility rating given by Four Leaf Gaming, and a theoretical return to player of 96.45%. The return value stays the same, whether wagering 10 p/c to $/€30 per spin or buying the free spins round.

When identical pay symbols land on adjacent reels from the left side onwards, a winning way is created. Winning symbols are removed from the reels and are replaced by symbols above them. In addition, an extra row is added to the grid – up to 10 rows high. Avalanching wins continue like this until no new win hits, then the grid resets in the base game. 10-through-Ace card symbols make up the low pays, worth 0.4 to 1.2 times the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit, while the high pays are 5 mask-type symbols awarding 2 to 10 times the bet for 5 OAK. Climbing Wilds assist by substituting for all pay symbols. Wins involving a Climbing Wild increase the reel height by 2 or 3 rows.

Everest: Slot Features

Other features in Everest are Avalanche Wilds, free spins, the Bonus Booster, the Fortune Maker, Bonus Replay, Super Spinner, Nitro Spins, and the feature buy.

Avalanche Wilds

Avalanche Wilds can appear at the top of any of the reels. Avalanche Wilds substitute for regular pay symbols and multiply the win by the multiplier they display. When there is a win, the Avalanche Wild cascades down and increases its multiplier depending on the number of steps it drops. If there are no winning symbols below, the whole reel moves down one step, increasing the Avalanche Multiplier by +1.

Free Spins

Hitting 3, 4, or 5 free spin symbols awards 10, 12, or 14 free spins, respectively. Alternatively, if the reels reach 10 rows in height, free spins are also awarded, and any win after reaching 10 rows high awards an additional free spin. Free spins are played on the full 5x10 grid size, and an Avalanche Wild is added to the top of a reel on each spin. Avalanche Wilds increase their multiplier as they do in the base game, but they also change the Avalanche Wild Multiplier for the whole reel, which does not reset between free spins. Falling Avalanche Wilds start at the current value of the reel's multiplier.

Bonus Booster

The Bonus Booster lets players gamble some or all of the free spins they have won to win 1, 2, or 3 more spins. The maximum number of spins it is possible to have is 22.

Fortune Maker

A free spins win over a certain threshold triggers the Fortune Maker when free spins end. It provides a way of gambling some or all of the winning total in a Plinko-style ball drop feature.

Bonus Replay

The Bonus Replay lets players gamble their free spins winnings for the chance to replay the feature. Winning spins repeat free spins, losing spins return players to the base game.

Super Spinner

When coin overlays are collected in the base game, there is a chance the Super Spinner is activated. The Super Spinner can award cash prizes, free spins, the Fortune Maker, or award Nitro Spins.

Nitro Spins

Activating Nitro Spins means Climbing Wilds and Avalanche Wilds appear more often, free spins scatter frequency is increased, coins are collected more often, and the Super Spinner triggers more often. Nitro Spins increase the bet by 50% or cost 4 coins each.

Game & Fortune

Clicking the Game & Fortune button is where players can activate Nitro Spins, buy free spins for 60x the bet or trigger the Super Spinner for 60x the bet. Collected coins can help bring down the latter two's cost.

Everest: Slot Verdict

Phew, kind of like gearing up for a Mount Everest ascent and gathering together all the equipment that entails; Everest the slot has a lot of features. However, many of them are Four Leaf Gaming staples which have shown up in one form or another in previous online slots like Wild Buccaneers Megaways, Clover Fortunes, and Dueling Jokers Dream Drop. Four Leaf Gaming likes to arm players with a ton of extra betting options, from Nitro Spins, post-feature gambles, free spins retrigger gambles, and pre-feature free spins gambles. All of these are completely optional, so punters are able to pick and choose where they would like to push their luck, like some sort of gambling salad bar.

The features more unique to Everest have just as much chance of thrilling, if not more, as the extras really. Some may question how unique the whole setup is since there are links here between Everest and Katmandu Gold which aren't just thematic. The Avalanche to growing reel dynamic and the overall feel of the expansion process is very ELK Studios. However, there are extras here that are more original Four Leaf Gaming contributions; it should be said. Climbing Wilds and Avalanche Wilds specifically, which can be useful for growing and/or stringing together wins, and when combined with everything else Everest has to offer, contribute to sizable winning potential of 28,600x the bet - almost the same height as Mount Everest in feet at 29,031.7.

In Summation, Everest wasn't as sensorially arresting or captivating as Katmandu Gold was, though the mountain views are very nice. However, when factoring in the impressive potential, a solid default RTP and a long list of features, you've got a slot that pulls its own when it comes to games set in this part of the world.