Elements

Elements: The Awakening Overview

Elements: the Awakening (or Elements, for short) has been entertaining players for more than a decade. It’s produced by NetEnt, a top casino software developer that has also made popular slot games like Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest.

Elements has a standard layout for an online slot with 5 reels, 3 rows, and 20 paylines, with the added bonus of a tumbling reel feature for multiple potential wins with every spin. Its low-to-medium volatility and a jackpot of 1,500x makes it accessible for players that are new to slots, but Elements adds some innovative animation and narrative that will appeal to everyone.

Elements also contains extra features like wild symbols and four different free-spin bonus games. The four elements of earth, fire, air, and water all bring their unique powers to this game with different prize values and features, for a playing experience that changes every time.

Where to Play Elements: the Awakening Casino Game?

• McLuck Casino

Elements: the Awakening is available to play at many real-money online casinos, such as BetRivers Casino and FanDuel Casino. These casinos are popular with players that like to bet real-money.

However, if you’re interested in playing Elements for free, your options will be more limited. I could only find Awakenings at McLuck Casino, which has a healthy selection of NetEnt games.

You can also play a demo version of the game by visiting one of the real-money casinos that offer demos. NetEnt, the developer of Elements, also provides a free demo version on their website.

If you have a favorite sweepstakes casino but it doesn’t offer Elements, I suggest keeping an eye out for similar games. There are other games that use the four elements as their theme, like Rotating Element by BGaming, although in my opinion they lack the flashy features of NetEnt’s game.

You can also search for games that have a similar RTP or volatility to Elements: the Awakening. Pragmatic Play’s slot games tend to have RTPs above 96%, and they’re widely available at sweepstakes casinos like Stake.us.

Whether you prefer to play slots games for free or for real money, there are lots of options available online. Check your favorite online casino to see if it has Elements: the Awakening or another slot that offers the same exciting gameplay.

Elements: the Awakening User Experience – 5/5

Elements: the Awakening offers a dynamic playing experience, thanks to its high-quality design and unique bonus features. It has all the functional features I expect of an online slot, but really stands out when it comes to making the user experience exciting and fun.

The game is made up of 5 reels, 3 rows, and a total of 20 paylines. I like that the game reel floats invisibly on the background, giving it a clean, seamless look.

Each universal element has two game symbols assigned to it: a low-value symbol and a higher-value symbol designed to look like an animated character. With every spin, these

symbols drop down onto a landscape that resembles a mysterious planet. The sound effects add to this scene with an eerie, but not overpowering, melody faintly playing.

The elements theme continues in other features of the game, including the Avalanche Meter, Energy Meter, and Free Fall Bonus Round. I recommend clicking on the “info” icon near the bottom-left corner of the game for more details about each element’s features.

The user controls run along the bottom where you can set your bet value or trigger the autoplay feature. The diamond-shaped spin button also acts as the Energy Meter, tracking which of the four elements is associated with each win.

While I was playing the game, I was really drawn in by the animated details that made it come alive. The element character symbols add some fun personality to the game. Each win has an impressive “swoosh” animation, filling the Avalanche meter with each consecutive win. Most impressively, the Free Fall Bonus Round felt almost like its own short film within the game. For a game that’s over 12 years old, Elements has more flash than some of the newest games on the market!

Elements: the Awakening Slot RTP, Payout, and Volatility – 4/5

Elements features an RTP of 96.02%, with a low to medium volatility and a top payout of 1,500x your bet. The competitive RTP is a good draw for all types of players, while the relatively low volatility makes this a good choice for beginners.

Let’s take a deeper look at what these figures mean.

The average RTP (or Return to Player) for online slots is 96%. This means that for every $100 wagered, an average of $96 is returned to players. At 96.02%, Elements almost hits the mark exactly for a decent RTP.

It’s also typical of the RTP you can find with most of NetEnt’s games. For example, Starburst has an RTP of 96.09%, and Divine Fortune is even higher at 96.59%. I like that I can expect a good RTP whenever I see a NetEnt game.

A volatility rating measures how often a game pays out wins and how large those wins are. Low-volatility slots pay out small amounts more frequently, while a high-volatility slot pays larger wins less often.

Elements lists a low-to-medium volatility. In my experience, the volatility of this game increases when it comes to triggering the Bonus Round, which I wasn’t able to do very often.

The top payout for Elements: the Awakening is 1,500x your bet. Elements uses coins as its currency, so the top prize is 300,000 coins. The element symbols are worth different amounts, with the Fire symbol being the most valuable at 1,500 coins.

Elements: the Awakening Bonus Features – 4.5/5

Elements: the Awakening includes several bonus features, such as Wild Symbols, an Avalanche (tumbling) feature, and the Free Fall Bonus Round. While these features can be found in many online slots, Elements really goes the extra mile to make them feel unique.

Wild Symbol

The Wild Symbol appears on screen as a metallic box, “activating” when it becomes part of a winning payline. The Wild Symbol appears in reels 2, 3, 4 and 5 only and can substitute for any other symbol. Since wins pay out from left to right, it’s not unusual to see a box in reel 4 or 5 that doesn’t activate at all.

Wild Symbols also play a special role in the game’s Bonus Round. They take on the element properties, so you can play with either a Water, Earth, Air, or Fire Wild Symbol. Depending on the element, Wilds can expand or even move across the game board. (Click on the game’s info button for more detailed information about these Wilds.)

Avalanche Feature

At first glance, the Avalanche feature in Elements resembles a tumbling (or cascading) reel. With every win, the symbols on the winning payline disappear and new symbols fall in place, avalanche-style.

The Avalanche feature also includes the Avalanche Meter, which is comprised of the four small diamonds that surround the spin button. Each win fills up one of the diamonds, and filling all four in a single spin will trigger the Free Fall Bonus Round.

Free Fall Bonus Round

In my opinion, the Bonus Round is the best part of Elements: the Awakening. It’s not just one bonus game, but four! Pay attention to the colors that fill the Energy Meter, as the leading color will determine which of the four elements you will play in the Free Fall round.

The bonus round offers players 10 free falls (aka free spins). The element you’re assigned also determines the Wild Symbol’s special functions. When I triggered the bonus round, I won Air Storm. In this version, the Air “blows” two Wild Symbols around the board on every spin, to mix up my chances of winning.

Earth Storm, Fire Storm, and Water Storm each have their own Wild Symbol features. I was only able to land the bonus game once, but I’m really curious to keep playing to see the other Storms in action.