Oracle of Gold

Oracle of Gold: Slot Overview

Historically, an oracle could be a person through whom it was believed a deity could speak or someone who it was said could bestow prophetic advice. A classic example is ancient Greece's Oracle of Delphi, where the priestess would go into a trance and speak messages that were believed to be from the god Apollo. These messages were often ambiguous and cryptic, leaving space for interpretation. Less ambiguous is the Pragmatic Play title Oracle of Gold, a cluster pays slot which enriches its gameplay with wild multipliers, as well as a rising total multiplier available during its free spins bonus round.

Pragmatic Play has made a measure of effort to paint a mysterious oracle-y scene, but it didn't seem like the studio had completely lost itself in the subject. That being said, the free spins round does step up the mysticism, where a group of esoteric symbols rotate around a purple, cloudy sky as if players are soaring high above the ground. Till then, the base game makes do with a columned space like a Greek temple, lightning, and clouds, while a lady holding blue flames throws them into a brazier in an attempt to upgrade wild symbols.

Oracle of Gold is a cluster pays slot, played on a 6x6 matrix. Winning combinations are formed when 5 or more matching symbols are connected to each other in horizontal and/or vertical directions. Winning symbols explode off the reels, and the gaps they create are filled by symbols tumbling into them. Tumbles repeat as long as a new win appears. Mathematically, Oracle of Gold is a highly volatile slot that produces an RTP of 96.55% at the highest configuration, when betting $/€0.20 to $/€240 per spin.

Seven pay symbols land throughout the game. Three are gemstone symbols, four are symbols displaying animal heads. Clusters consisting of 5 matching symbols pay 0.2x to 1x the bet, and at the other end of the table, 15+ OAK clusters award 20x to 150x the bet. Wilds substitute for all symbols except the scatter. When wilds hit, they can have a random multiplier of x2 or x3.

Oracle of Gold: Slot Features

Oracle of Gold's prophetic advice, such as it is, comes in the form of an extra multiplier feature, free spins with a rising global multiplier, special bets, and feature buys.

Extra Multiplier Feature

Pay symbols may randomly land as golden versions. When golden version symbols are part of a winning cluster, after the explosion, they leave behind a wild in their place. These wilds may receive a random multiplier of x2 or x3, which is applied to the total win of the cluster. If more than one multiplier is part of the same cluster, they multiply together before being applied to the win.

Free Spins

Hitting 4, 5, or 6 scatters awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins and pays 3x, 5x, or 10x the bet, respectively. During the feature, a global win multiplier that applies to all wins increases by +1 after every tumble. Landing 4-6 scatters awards a further 10-20 free spins, the same way as initial triggers do, but scatters do not pay out on retriggers.

Special Bets

Players get two special bets they may activate. The ante bet makes the chance of triggering free spins 5 times higher, increasing the stake by 100% when activated, while super spins cost 10x each, causing the random multipliers on wilds to be either x5 or x10. Bear in mind, free spins cannot be triggered when super spins are active. There are two feature buys as well. 100x buys free spins triggered by 4-6 scatters, while 400x also buys free spins triggered by 4-6 scatters, but where wild multiplier values are x3 or x4.

Oracle of Gold: Slot Verdict

Oracle of Gold didn't exactly set the heart a-fluttering when it first shimmied up on the screen. Art is subjective, of course, but the base game graphics weren't the most exciting, though the symbols on the reels aren't bad-looking. At first, it didn't feel like the studio was hugely interested in the theme, but just sort of tacked an oracle thing onto a set of features and some maths and called it a day. The situation improved when free spins took over and Oracle of Gold opened up a more mystical side to match the expansion of its gameplay. Put simply, judged by the first look at the skin, Oracle of Gold didn't seem like it was going to end up being anything special.

To Oracle of Gold's credit, its gameplay and features are pretty decent. Simple, but decent - when they get going. The first super free spins bonus buy was a wake-up call, after the game charged its way to a near 1,500x (the base bet) result. It quickly became apparent how effective wild multipliers multiplying each other in the same win, coupled with a global win multiplier, could be. Obviously, not all bonus rounds are going to be magical, but there is potential here, held in check by a 10,000x the bet win cap. When the game is flowing nicely, its pace can escalate in a moment, should the right mix of tumbles and wild multiplier placements occur.

Oracle of Gold was a slot that initially hid its secrets behind a relatively mediocre skin. The theme might be a tad surface-level at times, but deciphering this oracle's prophecy means revealing gameplay which can be surprisingly potent and capable of unleashing serious wins for lucky players willing to dig into the mystery. Despite the underwhelming first impression, Pragmatic Play has designed a slot that may reward players who stick around to discover its finer points, and while it's not the most outstanding Prag release, it's a potential performer for those who like highly volatile cluster slots with a bit of mystery and sizeable payoff possibilities.