Description
Brought to you by Microgaming and Atomic Spin, Aurora Wilds was released in September 2019 and may remind you of the classic game Starburst. Played across a standard 5×3 format, it has just 10 Paylines.
The scenic background incorporates a stunning landscape of lakes and mountains, populated by myriad woodland critters, although you’ll also see some old-fashioned slot icons on the reels.
How to play
Spin away from a trifling 10p a pop, up to a maximum price-per-spin of £60, on the device of your choosing.
Five abstract animal icons including a rabbit, fish, turtle, moose and eagle, join some symbols of a classic fruity vintage, such as bars and Lucky 7’s. (Indeed, the two different types of icon may seem incongruous, but no matter.)
Kick off a winning line of three symbols from either Reel 1 or 5, i.e. either left or right, while controls include Autoplay plus the usual turbo-spin mode.
Special features
Special symbols
As ever, Wilds replace other emblems to help you create winning combos. At the same time, they can expand over a whole reel to activate a respin. And in keeping with the natural theme, the Wild is a translucent butterfly.
You’ll also need to keep an eye out for the golden wheel jackpot symbols (see below).
Like the Wilds, you’ll only see these on the middle three reels.
Bonus features
Respins
Unfortunately, there are no free spins perks in Aurora Wilds. However, as mentioned, there are respins when an expanding Wild rocks up. These carry on while you keep seeing Wilds displayed on the reels. So get a third butterfly and you’ll turn the central trio of reels all completely Wild.
Jackpots
Land a hat-trick or more of jackpot icons to launch the Jackpot Wheel, allowing you to try your hand on one of four fixed-sum pots. The good news is that, once this wheel is triggered, a prize is a cert.
It will depend on where the needle stops, but basically, it works as follows:
- Mini: Win 15x stake
- Minor: Win 50x stake
- Major: Win 100x stake
- Grand: Win 2,000x stake
In terms of the maximum win, it’s 500x stake on every respin or regular spin.
Return to Player (RTP)
Volatility for Aurora Wilds sits somewhere in the middle of the scale, so there’s a decent balance between how often and how much you win. Meanwhile, RTP or Return to Player is pretty generous at 96.2%.
Verdict
Don’t be fooled by its simplicity – you could well find Aurora Wilds totally addictive!
Expect no-nonsense gameplay and a design that, in the words of one reviewer, is ‘good without being dazzling’. (To be fair, trying to recreate the sheer breathtaking beauty of the Northern Lights in a slot game was always going to be a tall order.)
It may not be for you if your heart is absolutely set on having a free spin round, and you may well find you like Aurora Wilds rather than love it, but give it a go and see for yourself – then let us know what you thought.
Take it for a spin in free demo mode in the first instance.