Stars of Orion

Stars of Orion: Slot Overview

One of the most well-known constellations in the night sky is Orion, the huntsman, who can be seen from any point on earth. So conspicuous is Orion that humans have been staring up from their campfires at it for at least 32-38,000 years. We know this because a depiction of Orion dating to that time was found in the West German Ach valley, his likeness carved out of mammoth ivory. As well as Europe, people across the globe have left records to Orion in some form or another. Now, though not for the first time, the galactic huntsman appears in an online slot from ELK Studios titled Stars of Orion. This is a game melding ELK's gravity mechanic, X-iter modes, with cluster wins, a Magic Meter, and a bunch of other extras.

While Orion lights up the sky, back on earth, ELK has located their game in a Stonehenge type of environment, all standing monoliths topped with lintel stones and the like. The sort of place people descend upon during events like solstices to see the sunrise or set in specific locations. So, were these places celestial stone calendars, elaborate burial sites, religious sites, or a way for local rulers to display power? It's unlikely we will know for certain. Now, sites like Stonehenge are major drawcards for millions of tourists to wander around in bewilderment at a safe distance.

Highly volatile and playable on any device from between 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin, Stars of Orion hosts its action on a grid that has 6 columns holding 8 symbols each. In a first for the gravity series, Stars of Orion pays when clusters of at least 5 matching symbols are connected to each other, anywhere on the panel. This opens up the grid to possibilities not experienced in previous gravity games. Wins trigger an avalanche mechanism while also filling the Magic Meter. The last thing to mention when it comes to the fine technical details is the 95.0% RTP.

Like IO, the symbols in Stars of Orion are a little incongruous with their surroundings. There's just something about them that makes them stick out like sore thumbs, and not necessarily in the most pleasing way. Anyway, four coloured orbs make up the low pays, while birds, wolves, deer, and 7s are the higher value symbols. Clusters max out at 15 or more matching symbols, and premiums at this level are worth 35 to 200 times the stake. Moreover, wilds land anywhere substituting for all pay symbols, and should a cluster of wilds form; they are worth the same as the top premium.

Stars of Orion: Slot Features

Stars of Orion boasts quite a few features, so let's work our way through the lot, which includes avalanches, Super Symbols, the Magic Meter, Magic features, two bonus games, and five X-iter modes.

Avalanches

Each winning cluster is removed from the grid by the avalanche feature, which triggers the gravity mechanic. New or existing symbols tumble down left or right into the gaps, potentially causing additional clusters to form. Avalanches continue until no new wins appear.

Super Symbols

Any paying symbol can appear as a Super Symbol. You can tell because they have blue frames wrapped around them. When Super Symbols are used in a win, if they connect with another winning cluster, all winning symbols turn into the most valuable included symbol type.

Magic Meter

As well as triggering avalanches, winning symbols are collected in the Magic Meter set on the right side of the game grid. At set points, win multipliers of x2 to x64 are activated, as well as additional Magic features, such as:

• Symbol Swap – swaps adjacent symbols to create winning clusters.
• Orion's Belt – extra drop with 3 wild symbols formed as Orion's belt.
• Orion's Club – extra drop with 6 wild symbols formed as Orion's club.
• Orion's Shield – extra drop with 8 wild symbols formed as Orion's shield.
• Orion – extra drop with 13 wild symbols formed as the full Orion constellation.

Free Drops

Landing 3 bonus symbols triggers 10 free drops. In free drops, the Magic Meter's progress is persistent; it does not reset between spins. There is a chance bonus symbols appear with a red frame around them. These are super bonus symbols. If all triggering bonus symbols are the super kind, the super bonus round is triggered, awarding 10 free drops where Super Symbols have a higher rate of appearing.

X-iter Mode

The X-iter menu allows players to buy in to five alternative game modes.

• Guaranteed Win – costs 5x the bet to buy a game round with a guaranteed winning combination of some sort.
• Super Symbols – buy a game round with a higher rate of Super Symbols for 10x the bet.
• Symbol Swap - buy a game round with 3 extra Symbol Swap features. Swaps are activated when no more wins appear in an avalanche sequence.
• Buy Bonus – 100x the bet buys you a game round with three bonus symbols to trigger the bonus game.
• Super Bonus – buy a game round with three super bonus symbols to trigger the super bonus round.

Stars of Orion: Slot Verdict

Stars of Orion didn't immediately grab us by the scruff of the neck like previous gravity games have done. Something about it looked a little off. Maybe it was a reaction to the Druidic theme juxtaposed with the out of place looking symbols. We shouldn't judge a book, or a slot, by its cover, and digging deeper reveals the fact ELK has made a number of welcome additions to Stars of Orion, which make it one of the better gravity games so far.

First of all, we get cluster pays rather than ways to win, which flips the dynamic. It doesn't necessarily mean you win more, but it lessens the chance of having a bunch of epic symbols in latter columns that just don't link up with anything, no matter how many symbols tumble down the grid. It feels fairer, if fair is the right word. If you haven't read the rules of the game first so are unaware, this change to clusters makes a pleasant surprise.

Collecting winning symbols in a charge meter is a common cluster pays device, so Stars of Orion might not come across as original as the previous one Bompers was. It's certainly not without innovative charms, though. Super Symbols can be useful when they transform a bunch of lesser clusters into one higher value monster, for one. Clusters also play right into other features like symbol swaps, the Orion drops with those added wilds, and the Magic Meter, everything really. Don't expect fireworks on every drop, of course, far from it. When it does pop, though, Stars of Orion performs like a well-greased machine that pulls in all of its parts to function at an optimal level. Here is where Stars of Orion shines brighter than its siblings, too, as it has a max win of 10,000x the bet – double what the other three can do.

After Bompers, Stars of Orion brings the gravity range back to its universe setting. The core gameplay remains recognisable, but the lowered RTP somewhat lessens the appeal even if the new bits bring a new dimension while it goes about the business of evolving the series.