Ryze 2

Ryze 2: Slot Overview

Attempting to nab treasure while a sleeping dragon is guarding it is something we'll leave to the brave, foolhardy, or those with magical rings of invisibility. Doing the same virtually in an online slot version? Yeah, sure, why not? It sounds physically safer, and we've reviewed stuff like that before. One example is ELK Studios' slot Ryze, and the reason we're all here, actually, is to take its sequel for a test drive. The follow-up is Ryze 2, and it takes much of what the original had, while adding bits such as a new Orb Overload feature.

The original release took place beneath a temple, full of riches, while Ryze 2 occurs in an ancient mint deep within a mountain, also full of riches. That is, the screen is covered in gold coins, though there's no telling whether Ryze is actually going to share any of them with people. If you were wondering, Ryze is the name of the dragon guarding the loot. He, or she, is kind of cute, kind of serious, too, so it's unclear whether Ryze is on the players' side or wants to melt their faces off for even thinking about looking at the treasure pile, let alone getting their mitts on a single coin. Ryze does add character, though, on what is a classic dragon guarding a hoard scenario, which is a popular trope in fantasy, and neatly rendered in Ryze 2, the slot.

Symbols drop into a 7-row, 5 to 6 column game grid, which is out of alignment, causing symbols to fall left or right rather than straight down when they Avalanche. As a cluster plays slot, at least 5 connected matching symbols or more are needed to create a winning combination, which then triggers the Avalanche mechanic. Highly volatile, players may stake from $/€0.20 to $/€100 and can expect a theoretical RTP of 94% when doing so. Or when buying features from the X-iter.

Seven pay symbols land in Ryze 2. They are bronze, silver, and gold coins, then blue, green, purple, and red gems. The largest clusters are 15+ OAK in size and pay 1.5x to 10x the stake. Wilds are a main feature, able to substitute for regular pay symbols and Coins.

Ryze 2: Slot Features

Ryze 2 rehashes many of the features found in part one, such as Avalanches, Multiplier Wilds, Burst symbols, Coins, bonus games, and feature buys, but it also adds in a new Orb Overload feature.

Avalanche & Multiplier Wild

All instances of the symbol types in wins are removed from the reels. After symbols have been removed, remaining symbols drop down, and new ones fall in to fill the gaps. Avalanches continue till no new winning combinations hit. A winning combination of pay symbols, though not Coins, creates an x1 Multiplier Wild in one of the spaces after a win.

Each Multiplier Wild part of a win increases its multiplier by +1 for each winning Coin or pay symbol in the cluster. It then moves to one of the empty positions when winning symbols are removed. If more than one Multiplier Wild is part of the same win, their values are added together, and the sum is applied. Following this, they merge into a single Multiplier Wild with the multiplier values combined.

Coins

Coins have an xbet value. A winning cluster of Coins pays out its total value, then the total value is given to a new Coin that is left in one of the empty spaces. A cluster of only Coins does not create a Multiplier Wild. However, Multiplier Wilds in a Coin win add their values together before applying them to the total Coin win.

Burst Symbol

The Burst symbol is a blocker that activates at the end of the spin. It transforms itself and adjacent pay symbols into matching symbols or Coins. If a Burst symbol activates next to a dormant Orb, the Orb is powered.

Orb Overload

Winning clusters next to a dormant Orb activate it. If all 6 Orbs are powered in a spin, an Orb Overload triggers at the end of the spin. Powered Orbs activate one by one, triggering a random Orb power, though some Orbs may have no effect. After an Orb Overload, they reset and can be powered again in the same spin.

• Spawn Coin - Selects an empty space or a payout symbol not part of a win and converts it to a Coin.
• Symbol Shift - Selects a pay symbol type and upgrades all symbols of that type to a higher value symbol.
• Spawn Burst - Selects an empty space or a payout symbol not part of a win and converts it to a Burst symbol.
• Spawn Wild - Selects an empty space or a payout symbol not part of a win and converts it to a Multiplier Wild.
• Empower Wild - Selects a Multiplier Wild and doubles its value.
• Spawn Great Wild - Selects an empty space or a payout symbol not part of a win and converts it to a Multiplier Wild with a higher than normal value.

Bonus Game

If a bonus scatter reaches the bottom row, players win 7 free spins, where Multiplier Wilds are sticky between spins. Players win an extra +3 spins if a scatter reaches the bottom row. Or the bonus round is upgraded to the super bonus if a super bonus scatter reaches the bottom. If the super bonus scatter reaches the bottom row in the base game, 7 super bonus free spins are awarded. What changes in super free spins is that each spin starts with an Orb Overload.

X-iter Feature Buys

At the X-iter, it is possible to activate the Bonus Hunt for 2.5x, which buys a spin with 4 times the chance of triggering a bonus game or Mega Bonus Hunt for 5x to give 8x the chance of triggering. Orb Overload costs 50x to trigger, while the regular bonus can be bought for 100x, or 500x buys the super bonus.

Ryze 2: Slot Verdict

After reviewing Ryze, it didn't immediately seem like a game destined for a sequel. It was a fun, nice-sounding, nice-looking game that tied everything up with a neat bow, job done. Clearly not where ELK Studios was concerned, though. The team has returned to the treasure chamber in Ryze 2 and brought with it some new ideas. By and large, the gameplay is quite similar to what it was before, as in, the combination of winning symbols, Coins, Avalanches, and Multiplier Wilds remains the beating heart of the show. As before, the links to other games remain as well, from Slotmill's Coin Clusters idea (Coin Quest 2, for example) and Pragmatic Play's Fire Portals.

How organic these ideas were at ELK HQ is up for debate, and even if they aren't totally unique, they are entertaining. More original is the addition of the Orbs Overload feature. Can't be saying the individual Orb powers are highly unique, but it is quite cool how a bunch of them can trigger when all of the Orbs have been activated. They might even trigger again, depending on how prolific winning combinations are on the spin. Free spins retain their desirability on account of Multiplier Wilds remaining on the screen between spins till the very end, while the super bonus stirs the pot extra hard since they now trigger Orb Overload on every spin.

What's a little 'Oh, okay, really?' is that despite the larger grid and extra Orb powers, Ryze 2 has the same 10,000x the bet winning potential as the original did. Oh well, 10K is a healthy figure, and there are certain steps forward, causing Ryze 2 to feel like a dragon that learned a few new tricks, even if it hasn't totally changed its ways.