Lava Gold Slot Review

Lava Gold by Betsoft is an exciting 5×5 dinosaur-themed video slot that invites players to go back in time a hundred million years right into the Jurassic era, in a time when dinosaurs used to freely roam the planet. The historical period is, as expected, packed with adrenaline-pumping action that is fueled by the cluster pays mechanism.

The medium variance game follows the standard Betsoft quality, dedication, and craftsmanship in graphic design as the rest of the games released by Betsof. If you are ready to find out more about the theme, storyline, paytable, gameplay, features, and mechanisms including Free Sois Volcano Wilds, and Cluster Wins part of the game, read our expert Laval Gold slot review to get a comprehensive view of the game.

Theme, Storyline, and Graphics: Things Are Heating Up

The game allows players to enjoy a vivid experience both at a functional level as well as in terms of graphic design. The action takes place on a mesmerizing volcanic island, the land of massive dinosaurs. Players are invited to go on a hunt for dinosaur eggs on the steaming ground of the beautiful archipelago while not getting caught in the claws of the scary T-Rex or the flying Pterodactyl. As the tangles of the leaves and twigs further guide players on their way to the volcano, more adventures await along the way.

The characters representing the T-rexes and pterodactyls, along with the dinosaur footprints, the erupting volcano, and the reptile egg have all benefited from detailed designs, making everything pop up nicely in front of the green backdrop.

Lava Gold: Game Symbols and Payouts

Since the game does not have any pay lines, the game is easily played on the 5×5 grid where payouts are rewarded once players manage to land a cluster of at least five identical symbols. Players need a minimum wager of 0.25 to start playing for real money. Wagers are limited to 3.75.

All winning clusters quickly vanish from the grid, leaving their positions empty. All symbols touching the winning cluster have the potential to grow on them and create additional winning combinations. The procedure is repeated until there are no more winning clusters left or until the grid is filled with the same symbol.

A cluster of five T-rex symbols pays 1.50x, followed by 1.50x for six symbols, 2.10x for seven symbols, 3x for eight to nine of the same in a cluster, 4.50x for a cluster made of 10-11 symbols, 6x for 12-14 symbols, 9x for 15-19 symbols, 12x for 20-24 symbols, and 18x for a cluster of 25 T-rex symbols.

A cluster of five pterodactyl symbols pays off 0.72x, with the largest cluster of 25 symbols paying 12x. The reptile eggs, the dinosaur footprints, and the flower symbols are the mid-paying symbols in clusters. The lowest-paying clusters are represented by the As, Ks, Qs, Js, and 10s. 

Sounds and Animations

As expected, the sound effects and overall soundtrack nicely complete and complement the theme and graphics design. While some players might find the sound effects rather repetitive and obnoxious, they are fast-paced and exhilarating enough to keep players’ hearts pounding. The animations are hand-picked and they keep players on the edge of their seats, with flying pterodactyls in the background and exploding symbols on the grid. 

Lava Gold Gameplay

The rules of the game are easy to follow and pretty straightforward. They can be consulted by clicking the “i” tab in the lower section of the page. All cluster pays are multiplied by the bet amount and the higher win per cluster always wins. Also, multiple clusters that are not in adjacent positions will pay as different clusters. The payouts are reflected dynamically, depending on the best selected by the player. In the same information sections, players can consult the extended paytable to find out what each cluster pays in real-time, trigger the Autoplay feature, and enable or disable the background music, sound effects, and Turbo Play mode as desired.

Lava Gold: Cluster Wins, Free Spins & Lava Meter

The game has a series of special features that make the gameplay even more exciting, including the Cluster Wins, the Free Spins, and the unique Lava Meter. As mentioned before, all clusters made of at least identical symbols are winning clusters. All it takes for a new winning combination to be formed is for a symbol to touch an existing winning cluster and use it to grow.

To engage the Free Spins bonus round, players need to generate clusters with each of the different symbols in the correct order starting with the lowest-paying to the highest-paying symbols.

To the right of the reels, the provider has added a Lava Meter packed with all the symbols. Every time players hit a winning cluster, the meter is seen automatically filling up. When the meter is full, players get 10 Free Spins. Players do not need to concern themselves with getting all the clusters in just one round. As the game unfolds, players get to watch their progress on the Lava Meter. Once the bet amount is changed, the Lava Meter is automatically reset. Going back to the original bet amount will automatically restore the progress connected to the respective bet.

During the Free Spins round, prior to every new spin, the middle reel will display five matching symbols. This means players are guaranteed their first cluster along with the corresponding payout. To add even more thrill to the grid, each fresh spin attracts a multiplier that is gradually boosted in increments of 1x. By the tenth free spin, players receive a 10x multiplier for the respective spin. As opposed to the base game where new symbols are seen occupying the empty spaces freed by the removed winning clusters, this does not occur during the free spins round.

The game also features the volcano symbol as a wild and it is used to replace the rest of the symbols in the game.

Final Thoughts

Lava Gold is an exciting Betsoft slot with cluster pay, amazing graphics, and simple and well-streamlined gameplay. Players who are passionate about games with engaging Free Spins features with nice rewards and payouts are expected to appreciate the title released in May 2021.