Phoenix Sun Slots
The phoenix will well and truly rise out of the ashes with this innovative slot machine from Quickspin.
When we started up the title, we expected novelty, that was almost a given, but we had no idea the game would have so much range; there’s two ways to play, but only by progressing far enough can you reach the second ‘level’. It’ll all make sense once we get started, so for now let’s marvel at what we can see.
There’s a shiny, almost translucent, grid on which to play, starting with a 3x5 setup, the title dominating the game. Underneath there is where you’ll find all the controls, helping you to get to the good stuff - like the Phoenix Rising and Phoenix Wilds. What is more, there’s over 243 ways to play, with the chance for that number to grow as you play along.
Morphing Into a New Form
The game starts with a massive wall of tiles, showing a 6x5 matrix, however you won’t be able to get to that just now; by the time the animation has wowed you, you’ll note that the title has removed three rows down and dwarfed the game to a 3x5 layout.
There’s no magic button for the transformation to begin, but a Phoenix Wild, arguably the most exciting symbol we’ve ever come across during our time as gamers. The wild can remove as many as three squares at a time to enlarge the grid, and with each special wild you find, the process will continue. In the end, if you find enough of them before your cash runs out, you can end up with a giant phoenix dominating you screen, opening up endless possibilities of 7,776 ways to play!
Working Your Way to the Top
Down the left side of the grid, carved into the stone, are holes shaped like the mighty bird; they’re bare to begin with, but each Phoenix Wild will fill one of them. When you’ve got five the bonus round will begin, which is basically a series of free spins to the tune of 8 rounds.
Even though it feels like there’s a lot going on, and that the replacement of pay lines with ways to play is generous, there’s no denying that the variance here is rather small. Yes, the grid can grow in size, and there are two types of wilds, with one being of great value.
But to have no true bonus round and just a set of free games seems rather disappointing given the dynamics of the game. Quickspin have clearly put a lot of effort into developing this title, at least visually speaking, and so it seems odd that they haven’t attempted to cram more variety in there.
Mundane Pay Table
We don’t wish to dampen the party spirit, what with the excitement of the phoenix and all that, but we have to address the issue with the game’s pay table: it’s rather dull. Most of the symbols are made up of card values, sure they’re fancy looking, but they’re lowly tiles nonetheless.
What is more, their pay outs are measly, with most never topping 0.20 credits on the minimum bet. The only way you’re going to see a lot of cash is by placing the maximum wager, and not many people want to part with 100 coins per game.
Surprising Direction
Having gotten so carried away with the game play, we almost forgot to talk about the looks of the title. It’s very Egyptian. Now, as far as we know, the phoenix isn’t universally an Egyptian myth and so the choice of theme seems a little out of the ordinary to us.
On the other hand, with Quickspin having thought outside of the box, it means that they’ve developed a memorable game that people will want to try out, if only for the aesthetics.
Rising Like the Sun
Phoenix Sun is a stunning real cash slot, there’s no escaping that, and in truth it has many positives, the obvious being the Rising Phoenix Feature. However, it doesn’t offer up as much variety as we’d have liked, nor are the pay outs anything to rave about. If feels like it’s one of those occasions when all the effort has gone into looks and not the wins; when balanced out, it’s a winning combo, but get it wrong and the game falls apart at the seams.
