After examining Native American culture in Yanaha’s Rite, developer SG Digital looks south of the border for inspiration in a game called Spirit of the River. We say it’s similar, but it’s really the same; SG Digital just gave Yanaha’s Rite (an SG Digital platform game created by LeoVegas) an Aztec theme. All the other numbers and features, including the Dual Ways Pays mechanism, the Spin Tower scatter system, and the free spins with 4-reel modifiers, are the same as before.
Spirit of the River’s structure and atmosphere are quite similar to those of Yanaha’s Rite. A priestess-like figure with magical abilities stands on the left, her hand hovering above a sphere of energy. The game grid consists of 4 reels and 6 rows and can be found in the center of the screen, while the Spin Tower, featuring 4 distinct animals, can be found on the right side of the screen. Perhaps it’s because the priestess is just sitting out in a stream like nothing strange is going on, but the mood isn’t exactly as rich as it was during Yanaha’s Rite. However, for those who like to look on the mystery side of things, Spirit of the River contains just as much charm as its forerunner.
Spirit of the River’s betting options begin at only 20 p/c and go up to £/€50 per spin. The arithmetic model’s medium-high volatility persists, but the relatively large return value of 96.7% it generates is certainly an advantage. The Dual Ways mechanism, as the name suggests, distributes winnings both horizontally and vertically. When 3 or more identical symbols appear in a horizontal row, starting from the leftmost symbol, a win is tallied; when 3 or more identical symbols appear in a vertical row, starting from the top row, a win is tallied.
There are 10 regular payouts, and the value of a combination of symbols is the same in either direction it appears. The first seven are pattern symbols for low and medium payouts, while the three premiums have characters worth higher payouts. A warrior, a man dressed as a chief, and a woman knee-deep in the river are these three figures. One of the reel modifiers during free spins allows for a bigger grid. A premium win of eight symbols is worth ten to twenty times the wager at the higher size. A six symbol vertical win at the standard grid size returns 2.5 to 5 times the wager. A wild appears only during the bonus round and can be substituted for other pay symbols to help form winning combinations.
Features of the Slot Game “Spirit of the River”
A scatter symbol in Spirit of the River can launch a series of free games, during which a wild may also occur. When a scatter appears on the reels, it adds a piece to the Spirit Tower and a spins counter appears on the screen. The player is then given 20 spins to complete the four levels of the Spirit Tower. If you don’t get 4 scatters in 20 spins, then the Spirit Tower will lose 2 parts. The number of spins is cleared and reset if any segments are still present, else it is eliminated.
There are 8 more spins available if the Spirit Tower is completed in time. More than four scatters trigger the bonus round, and any more scatters are kept. One of the following spirit modifiers is chosen at random for each free spin:
For the duration of the feature, random rows of the grid will grow to be up to eight cells wide (the “Turtle” effect). The other rows don’t have any scatters.
Frog – the grid receives an influx of unknown symbols. Every hidden icon becomes its corresponding pay sign.
Whenever a dolphin appears, wild symbols are added to the board at random.
The octopus can increase a spin’s payout by a factor of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10.
In the free spins bonus round, you may earn an extra 5 spins for every 4 scatters you collect. When either the number of free spins or the maximum win is reached, the round ends.
Judgment on the Spirit of the River Slot
Spirit of the River, like Yanaha’s Rite, isn’t the most exciting slot on the market. The tempo is painfully sluggish. The symbols appear on the game grid rather than spinning, which may have contributed to the impact, but the overall impression is one of lethargy. This includes the Spirit Tower’s illumination when a scatter appears, the cascading motion, and the emphasizing of winning combos.
Spirit of the River, on the other hand, may have been made for people who want to take it easy and enjoy the sights. The reels appear less important in Spirit of the River and Yanaha’s Rite than the game’s focus on theme. So, it’s fair to say that SG Digital has taken some risks in terms of functionality and design. Since Spirit of the River is a copy of Yanaha’s Rite, we shouldn’t expect anything too out of the ordinary from it this time around.
After some time, Spirit of the River loses its luster. Regular ways wins aren’t significant unless the reels have enlarged in free spins, which dampens the enthusiasm. Since Pragmatic Play released Yum Yum Powerways, which offers four other ways to win, interest in the Dual Ways Pays concept has waned. However, when free spins modifiers come together, Spirit of the River has a chance to generate playable results. Therefore, £/€250,000 (or 5,000x at max betting) has been chosen as the maximum amount that may be won.
Spirit of the River is a good time if you think it would be cool to hang out in a Central American stream and toss up magical orbs. But unless you’re really into the concept, you’ll see through the reel trickery and get bored with the slow pace very fast.