Description
Colourful video slot Cyrus the Virus from Scandinavian operator Yggdrasil Gaming has a standard five reels and three rows but just 10 Paylines, and it takes the somewhat unconventional idea of microscopic germs as its theme, alongside science.
Your mission here is to banish beastly bacteria by flushing out the virus.
There are some sleek animations and nice visuals in this wacky slot, with a pale-green background which keeps the screen nice and clear while looking appropriately sickly.
Meanwhile, the backing track has a futuristic feel. (You’ll also hear a pounding human heartbeat.)
You won’t find any free spins, instead, this video slot is all about the expanding Wild action and respins. Just don’t confuse it with the name of John Malkovich’s villain in the film Con Air!
How to play
Play from 10p to £40 a whirl on the device of your choosing, mobile or otherwise. Set your bets in the usual fashion, using Autoplay if you wish, before hitting Spin to get the game started.
Seven brightly coloured (and even somewhat grotesque) microscopic germ icons feature on the reels in Cyrus the Virus. Every time you bag a winning spin, the Payline markers either side of the reels erupt, blasting away the winning gems before revealing how much you’ve won.
Form winning combos in the standard fashion by landing three similar symbols on the same Payline, bearing in mind that half the Paylines work from left to right, the other half in the opposite direction.
The most lucrative symbol is the blue germ, shelling out at 200x stake for five on a Payline, followed by the orange virus at 40x stake for the same, while the yellow virus pays 30x stake.
Cyrus the Virus special features
Don’t expect very much in the way of complicated features here. Indeed, the only one to speak of is the expanded Wild.
Special symbols
As usual, the Wild replaces all other symbols. It only rocks up on Reel 3, i.e. the central one. When it does so, it expands to fill up the whole reel, before rewarding you with a respin. For the duration of the respin, the expanding Wild remains fixed in place.
Bonus features
The main bonus perk in Cyrus the Virus is the expanding Wild, as described above.
Free spins feature
As we’ve said, there are no free spins to be played in Cyrus the Virus.
Jackpot
There’s no progressive jackpot here, instead, the maximum win is €80,000.
Return to Player (RTP)
RTP or Return to Player in Cyrus the Virus is a non-sickly 96.3%, and this is a high-variance game which nonetheless should give you plenty of winning opportunities. At 18.6%, the hit rate is below one in five, so it’s a little low.
Verdict
Cyrus the Virus is a pretty simple affair, so may not be for you if you like your gaming to have lots of bells, whistles and complex bonus features.
But if you like simple slots you really can’t go wrong; clearly its simplicity also makes it a good choice for new or less experienced slot players, although be warned it’s a pretty fast-paced offering. Ultimately, you should find it a good-looking, quirky and eminently playable, although if you insist on having free spins, you may need to look elsewhere.
Will this game’s unusual microbial theme leave you rosy-cheeked or feeling a little queasy! Try Cyrus out in free demo mode before parting with any of your hard-earned cash.
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