Circle of Sylvan

Circle of Sylvan: Slot Overview

Circle of Sylvan is an online slot from Swedish developer Fantasma Games, and it might help to start the review with a quick definition of the word 'sylvan'. As the Collins dictionary puts it, sylvan 'is used to describe things that have an association with woods and trees' and comes from the Latin word silva. The word sylvan also arguably has mystical connotations, and it feels like it was this mysterious side of life which Fantasma Games has leaned on when designing its slot Circle of Sylvan.

It took mere moments to form this impression, made in part by the sort of sacred grove look to the background and the sparkling golden, purple-leaved tree next to the grid that evoked thoughts of Yggdrasil - the tree from Norse mythology, not the casino games maker. Circle of Sylvan's other eye-catcher is its 3-3-4-4-5, 5-reel gaming panel, where a jackpot value has been placed above each reel. The values are a bit meagre, but they can be grown by landing Sylvan symbols. Still, whilst providing an attractive visual feast with the forest visuals, Circle of Sylvan's jackpot element contributed to an underwhelming sensation at first glance.

Winning combinations pay left to right from the leftmost reel in Circle of Sylvan, meaning there are no paylines but rather 720 ways to win. A medium volatile math model lies embedded deep in the words, producing an RTP of 96.38% by default or 94.41% on a lower configuration. With a hit rate of 23.58%, bets of 20 c to $/€100 may possibly be on offer. The Free Spins Multiplier and Free Spins Multiplier Meter are linked to the bet and saved to it.

Circle of Sylvan's high-pay owls, eagles, wolves, and cattle fit like a charm, though the low-pay clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts lower the esoteric tone of the game. Never mind. Hitting a 5 high pay winning combination awards 3 to 8 times the bet, dropping to 1 to 1.2 times the stake for a 5-card suit win. Wild symbols land on reels 2, 3, and 4 in the base game to substitute for any regular pay symbol.

Circle of Sylvan: Slot Features

Collecting and/or growing things is a big part of Circle of Sylvan, such as Sylvan symbols, which increase jackpot prizes, the Free Spins Multiplier, which can be grown and then later put to use when the hold 'n win free spins feature triggers.

Jackpot Wheel

Sylvan symbols land on any reel in the base game and are collected. Collected Sylvan symbols provide a chance to activate the Jackpot Wheel. In addition, each landed Sylvan symbol increases the jackpot above the reel it landed on by 0.5x the bet. When triggered, the Jackpot Wheel awards one of the jackpot prizes: Mini: 5x to 75x, Minor: 10x to 100x, Major: 50x to 250x, Mega: 200x to 1,000x, Grand: 1,000x to 5,000x. After a jackpot has paid out, it resets to its initial value.

Free Spins Multiplier

The free spins multiplier starts at x1 and can grow to x50. If scatter symbols land on exactly 4 reels in the base game, 1 point is added to the Free Spins Multiplier meter. When the points reach 2, the multiplier increases by 1 and the meter resets. No points are added to the meter if it reaches x50 until the meter resets. The multiplier resets to x1 after free spins have been played.

Free Spins

Scatter symbols are present on all reels. If 1 or more scatter symbols land on each reel in the base game, 3 free spins are awarded. Each triggering scatter symbol transforms into a Cash symbol and is locked into position. Cash symbols have values of 0.2 to 20 times the bet. Unlocked positions spin and land Cash symbols or blanks. If new Cash symbols hit, they lock, and the number of free spins returns to 3. When all positions on a reel are locked, the reel is cleared. The cleared Cash prizes are collected, and new Cash symbols may land on the reel.

Also, whenever a reel is cleared, +1 point is added to the Free Spins Multiplier meter. The free spins multiplier starts at x1 and can grow to x50. If scatter symbols land on exactly 4 reels in the base game, +1 point is added to the Free Spins Multiplier meter. When the points reach 2, the multiplier increases by +1 and the meter resets. When the round ends, all cash prizes are added together and the Free Spins Multiplier is applied to the total.

Circle of Sylvan: Slot Verdict

Fancy a walk through a mysterious wood which is more than what it seems? Well, Circle of Sylvan flips from base game dimness to free spins golden light, which is some sort of transformation. Unfortunately, the underwhelming impressions of Circle of Sylvan formed at the start of the review failed to blossom into full-blown rapture. Some may like the natural yet sorta magical game world Circle of Sylvan resides in, but the gameplay just didn't excite a long-term commitment. This is an issue in a game which relies on time to grow its jackpot prizes and multiplier value.

It seemed like these growable yet capped jackpot games had been on the rise when it came time to review Circle of Sylvan. The most recent was 5 Wild Buffalo from 4ThePlayer, and maybe the feature is catching on. If so, one question is why? Doesn't it make more sense to play a slot that has jackpots at full value right from the word go? No need to build them to squeeze the biggest prizes out of the game. Especially since if you do manage to win a jackpot prize, the value resets, and you're back to square one. Ah, well, pros and cons, and someone must like this method as it is not unique to Circle of Sylvan. A fair number of someones must like these small/mid-size jackpot slots in general because, as well as Fantasma Games doing so, others, such as a bunch of Games Global studios, fire them off at frightening frequency. If that's how players like to get their kicks, here's another one to consider.