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9 October 2024 
Bolt X UP Slot Review 2024
Alchemy Gaming are pushing their X UP mechanic to its limits in their most electrifying instalment of the series, Bolt X UP!
Africa X UP was the first to hit the slots market, which became a huge hit with players instantly and since then we’ve battled against the Gods in Chronicles of Olympus X UP, but will Bolt X UP be a worthy edition to the X UP collection?
Bolt X UP has the Upsizer and X UP features that we all love so much, but has taken a dramatic step down from it’s sibling slot Chronicles of Olympus in terms of statistics.
Chronicles of Olympus was the 2nd instalment of the X UP series and so it was expected to be bigger and better than the first, which it was with a whopping 50,000x maximum win capacity, but it seems Alchemy Gaming has decided to tone it down a little here with a 10,935x maximum win capacity and a Medium volatility.
Will Bolt X UP live up to expectations? Let’s play on and find out!
Bolt X UP Base Game and Features
Bolt X UP is a 5 reel slot with 243 ways to win. In order to form a winning combination, you will need to connect 3 or more of the same symbol types from left to right, starting from the left-most reel. The minimum bet available here is £/€0.10 per spin and the maximum bet available is £/€20 per spin, with a small selection of betting options in between the two.
In terms of symbols, the highest paying symbol in Bolt X UP is the Diamonds, followed by the 7, Bar, Bell and Cherries. Low paying symbols are standard Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten. There is also a Wild symbol present, which substitutes for all symbols except Scatters. Every time the Wild symbol lands, it will expand to fill the entire reel.
Like the previous X UP titles, Bolt X UP delivers plenty of excitement with the X UP feature, more on this below.
X UP Feature
On the left side of the screen you will see a list of X UP amounts, these are part of the X UP feature.
Failing to land the Free Spins round, the 2 Scatters in view will be collected and added to the X UP meter on the left. For every 2 Scatters that are collected, equals 1 notch on the X UP meter.
The X UP meter has 8 levels, with each level having an even better Multiplier than the one before. Increasing your position on the X UP meter means that you will start off with the current Multiplier level for Free Spins.
If you reach the highest level with a 10x Multiplier, the Free Spins round will automatically trigger.
Any activated X UP Multiplier levels are stored per bet amount, so you can rest easy knowing your hard-earned grind is safe.
Bolt X UP Free Spins
Landing 3 Scatters on reels 2, 3 and 4, triggers the Free Spins round, awarding 8 Free Spins. During the Free Spins round, landing 2 Scatters on reels 2 and 4, awards an additional +2 Free Spins.
The X UP Multiplier level you’re currently on will be your awarded Multiplier for Free Spins. Any X UP tokens that land during the Free Spins round can increase your Free Spins Multiplier.
Upsizer Feature
Upon triggering Free Spins, you will be given a choice to activate a higher Free Spins Multiplier…but it comes at a cost!
If you choose to take advantage of the Upsizer feature, you will need to confirm your decision and the cost of increasing your starting Multiplier.
The Upsizer feature is only available to those who trigger the Free Spins round with a Multiplier level less than 10x. In addition to this, the Upsizer feature may be limited or inaccessible for those who are playing on a certain bet.
For those in the UK, you will not be able to access the Upsizer feature as it is classed as a Bonus Buy option.
Bolt X UP Bonus Buy
For those outside the UK, you may benefit from a Bonus Buy option.
Purchasing the Free Spins round will cost a generous 60x your current bet.
Similar to Chronicles of Olympus X UP, your starting Multiplier is chosen randomly. Some may prefer the way it was in Africa X UP where you could buy in at any level, but there are some pros to this way too.
Here you get to buy your way into the Free Spins round, with a chance of landing the highest Multiplier level for a mere 60x your current bet.
The RTP when purchasing Free Spins remains the same at 96.22%.
Bolt X UP: Our Verdict
Africa X UP was the start of something beautiful for not only players but for Alchemy Gaming themselves. The successs of Africa X UP soon lead to the release of Chronicles of Olympus X UP, which was even bigger and better than the first. With these two firmly in our minds, what do we think of Bolt X UP?
When you first load up Bolt X UP, you are met with a feeling of disappointment. Bolt X UP has the essence of the previous X UP titles in terms of gameplay and features, but that’s about it. Bolt X UP may not be as visually pleasing as the others, but does it pull itself back from the brink in gameplay?
The most disappointing difference in Bolt X UP is the highest Multiplier level in the X UP feature. Alchemy Gaming set the bar high in Africa X UP and Chronicles of Olympus X UP with 25x and 50x maximum Multiplier levels to get excited about, but Bolt X UP drew the short straw and ended up with a mere 10x maximum Multiplier.
The Upsizer feature is a great way to mix things up a bit in the Free Spins round, but for those of you in the UK the Upsizer is classed as a Bonus Buy option, so you will be unable to access this feature. The Free Spins round still offers plenty of excitement without it, with the chance to increase your current Multiplier level by landing 2 Scatters during the Free Spins round.
In terms of statistics, Bolt X UP has an above average RTP of 96.22% but a very bland looking maximum win capacity of 10,935x. Most players would be happy with the maximum win capacity if it were any other slot, but because this is an X UP title, we expected a lot more.
Overall, Bolt X UP doesn’t exactly ignite sparks like the previous titles did, but not all hope is lost. Bolt X UP still shows promise with formidable potential even if it isn’t as good as its predecessors.
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