Warlocks

Warlocks: Slot Overview

While witches need no introduction, warlocks, by contrast, are slightly less well known and are typically defined as male practitioners of magic, often associated with dark or forbidden arts. Players get two of them in today's game, Warlocks, which has bubbled out of a cauldron stirred by creative slot wizard Big Time Gaming. One of these spellcasters represents fire, the other ice, and their sorcerous clash brings a touch of magic to the slot's central Stash and Spin bonus round, as well as sprinklings of illusion during the base game.

The two warlocks aren't the best of buds, which is a bit sad. Instead of combining forces to reach deep into the ether to produce works of fantastic beauty or reveal nuggets of the arcane that have lain hidden for aeons, each one stands above the gaming area, waving their staffs at each other, occasionally unleashing blasts of magic. That said, their competitive nature can work to players' advantage during the Stash and Spin round. The magical showdown is reinforced by a fire versus ice aesthetic, with the warmth fire brings on the left reddy right side of the screen opposed by the cool blues of ice on the right, a classic hot vs cold, elemental sorcery match up.

Strategically placed on the side of a castle is Warlocks' 6x4, 4,096 ways to win grid, the two outer reels sit in the towers, the four inner reels by the curtain wall. Winning combinations occur when matching pay symbols land on adjacent reels, from the leftmost side onwards. All winning symbols, except Orbs, are removed by the reaction feature, which replaces them by dropping symbols down from above. Running on a highly volatile math model, the RTP is 96.5%, and the stake range is $/€0.10 to $/€20.

BTG's gemmy 9-A card ranks are back as the lower-paying symbols, while above them are potion bottles, rings, books, and cups. Landing 6 matching royals in a win pays 0.4x to 0.6x the bet, increasing to 1x to 20x when landing 6 matching premiums. The wild substitutes for all symbols except Orbs and lands on all reels except the leftmost reel.

Warlocks: Slot Features

The reagents brought together to spice Warlocks include a couple of Warlock Bonuses, a Stash and Spin bonus round with unlimited spins and unlimited multiplier, plus feature buys.

Warlock Bonuses

There are 2 Warlock Bonuses in the game. The Fire Warlock Bonus removes all symbols except Orbs on reels 2-5 when triggered, while the Ice Warlock Bonus replaces all instances of a random symbol with Orbs on reels 2-5 when it activates.

Stash and Spin

Orbs reveal a prize worth up to 100x the bet. Prizes cannot be won in the base game, though landing 6 or more Orbs triggers the Stash and Spin feature. During this feature, each position spins to reveal a blank or an Orb worth up to 50x the stake, and the value is added to the total win. Orbs are not sticky. The Fire Warlock can set a position on fire, which prevents that position from spinning. The fire spreads outwards on each spin, and any prize covered by fire is multiplied by the Fire Multiplier. The Ice Warlock may put out the fire so all positions can spin again. The Fire Multiplier begins at x2 and doubles each time the Ice Warlock successfully puts out the fire. The Stash and Spin feature ends when the fire has burned through all positions.

Feature Buys

One of Warlocks' feature buys is the Power Play, which guarantees a Warlock Bonus for 8 times the stake, while the other is a bonus buy costing 60 times the stake.

Warlocks: Slot Verdict

Big Time Gaming is at its fire and ice best when it's pushing boundaries, devising new engines, redefining reel formats, or creating features that leave others scrambling to keep up. Warlocks might not be in the same revolutionary breakthrough category as something like Megaways or Megaclusters, but it does showcase BTG's fondness for experimentation within familiar frameworks. Artistically, Warlocks isn't lacking flair, either. The split elemental theme is nicely executed, the castle location ups the story-book charm, and the occasional magical blasts from above the reels add personality even if the game doesn't manage to blossom into a full-on mage-on-mage visual extravaganza.

The Stash and Spin round offers a fresh spin-off from the classic hold-and-win formula, injecting a layer of suspense courtesy of its battling spellcasters. It is not a regular hold and win round at all, as it was first suspected to be. Orb symbols do not stick, but land to reveal a value, which is collected before vanishing for the next spin. So while it is possibly a bit simple for some, the magical tug-of-war between fire and ice forms the game's biggest selling point. The creeping fire slowly locking down positions, the Ice Warlock dousing the grid to reset the action, and the compounding multiplier ratcheting up the tension each time he succeeds, result in a dramatic system. Sure, it's not the most complex feature BTG has ever brewed, but it is one that comes with crescendo potential, especially when the Fire Multiplier gets the chance to flare up.

All in all, Warlocks might sit around the middle section of BTG's spellbook, yet it's a tidily designed game with 24,100x the bet potential, which may suit players who enjoy high volatility and incremental momentum, yet don't require an overwhelming level of mechanical depth to remain engaged. In short, this may not be Dumbledore vs Voldemort, but Warlock summons a blast of entertaining magic to the reels for practitioners of the dark arts, or the light, to enjoy.