Night Queen

Night Queen: Overview

UK based developer iSoftBet reveal a mysterious side in their eerie slot Night Queen. It's not explicitly implied, but judging by the queen's glowing red eyes, there is a good chance she may be a vampire, while the gentleman is an acolyte or a vampire hunter? Unclear, but either way, Night Queen has a darker edge to it than you don't typically find in an iSoftBet release. Most mysteries have some sort of reward at their heart, don't they? Let's track down what Night Queen's might be.

The initial impression is ok, with a fair amount of intrigue inspired by the unusual setting. Around the 5-reel, 20-payline grid, a spooky house sits on the edge of a lake as the sun sets and night begins to fall. All the really bizarre stuff happens at night after all. There is a Victorian gents and ladies vibe going on, a little spooky, reminiscent of A Dark Matter, though not quite so dark.

Night Queen has a gothic New England touch, in a scene that looks like Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher recreated in slot form. Thickly atmospheric, it's all rather enticing at the start with a distinctively Novomatic feel to it. If you don't fall for the look right away though, there is a strong chance the gameplay is in danger of losing you.

So how do we play? It's pretty simple, three or more consecutive matching symbols on a payline constitute a winner. There are 20 paylines in total, and combinations must land from the first reel onwards. The symbols are a mixed batch, with low pays a bunch of flowing 10-A royals. Premiums are more in-theme such as a crow, a stallion, the mysterious gentleman, and the sultry Night Queen.

Values aren't particularly amazing with premiums varying from 3x to 5x the stake for five of a kind. The wild pops up to help in the form of a jewelled heart, substituting for any symbol except the scatter.

When it comes to the math model, volatility hovers in the high range, while RTP clocks in at 96.26%. Other key stats include a hit frequency of roughly 1 in 4 spins which keeps the wins rolling quite steadily - yet, you shouldn't expect to smash the bank too often. The biggest wins will occur during the free spins round which theoretically hits once every 140 spins or so. A couple of changes occur during free spins, let's check them out.

Night Queen: Features

Night Queen comes with several features which can trigger in both the base game and free spins. These are Switching Stacks, Super Stacks, and Colossal Multipliers. Switching Stacks means that after any spin, stacked symbols may switch with each other to help create or improve wins. Tying into Switching Stacks is the Super Stacks feature. On every spin, one regular symbol type may be randomly chosen to be super stacked. This increases the number of stacked symbols on the reels, improving the chance of actually landing some stacks.

Now, if 3 or more reels of stacked winning symbols land, they merge into one giant symbol which may trigger the random Colossal Multiplier. It is possible for a multiplier of up to x30 be applied to the win.

Night Queen reaches a climax during Free Spins which are triggered when 3 or more scatter symbols land. The number of free spins awarded is 10, 12, or 15 when 3, 4 or 5 scatter symbols are in view, respectively.

A new addition to free spins is that Mystery Symbols join the game. Mystery symbols always land stacked, meaning they can also get into the Switching Stack action. Their symbols are revealed after the spin, or when any switching occurs. The final benefit here is that Super Stacks are more abundant on the reels, increasing the frequency with which they land.

Night Queen: Verdict

Night Queen is a slot with its good and bad points, though there is a tendency for the latter to outweigh the former. Positives include the rich atmosphere and the physical feels that might appeal to those looking for a land-based style of slot but can't leave the house.

The Night Queen herself possesses a certain level of charisma - her running commentary could certainly be counted as a highlight. However, her cackle at the end of a round of free spins can be super annoying if the winning total doesn't amount to much.

The not so great part boils down to the gameplay and potential. The Colossal Multiplier is a potential game changer, but it wasn't exactly a common occurrence during test runs. Technically, it can be pretty spectacular. For instance, a full grid of Night Queens is worth a paltry 100x.

Popping on a decent multiplier drastically changes the situation, and wins of 3,723 times the stake become a prospect when the 30x is in play. Rare for sure, but it is technically possible to that land on any spin. Super stacks and switching stacks can also be nice, but on their own, they aren't going to win immense sacks of coins. Night Queen isn't really a game you'd choose for an enormous payday.

Aside from amassing stacks of symbols, preferably attached to multipliers, Night Queen is all about the unique theme iSoftBet has crafted. If you are deeply motivated to explore the game world's nooks and crannies things could turn out alright. If not, then it's unlikely the rest of the game will float your boat in any way.