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11 December 2023 
Cygnus 4 Slot Review
Cygnus 4 from ELK Studios is the latest of the series that incorporates itself into every particle of 18th-century London society!
Cygnus 4 has a firm grip on power, holding the key to enormous potential as you seek to own it all. ELK Studios has kept gameplay relatively identical to all previous Cygnus titles, with Rolling Symbols, Multiplier Wilds, Expanding Rows, Free Spins, and an epic Super Free Spins round.
Will the 4th Cygnus slot be the charm? Let’s play on and find out!
Cygnus 4 Base Game and Features
Cygnus 4 is a 6×4 Video Slot with up to 262,144 ways to win. Forming a win requires 3 or more of the same symbols to land from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.
Cygnus 4 can be played for as little as £.€0.20 per spin, up to a maximum of £.€100 per spin, with multiple options in between the two. This game has a theoretical RTP of 94.00% and a max win cap of 50,000x.
The highest-paying symbol here is the pyramid, followed by the Lion. Horse, and Snake. Low-paying symbols fall to Red, Green, and Blue Gems. Wilds substitute for all other symbols except Scatters, Level Up, and Multiplier symbols.
Each spin begins with 4 rows, 4,096 ways, and an active Multiplier of x1. Each time a win is formed, all symbols that are part of the win explode, leaving space for additional symbols to drop. An additional row of symbols is also added at the top, up to a maximum of 8 rows and 262,144 ways to win. This continues until no more winning combinations are present.
Multiplier Symbols
During gameplay, when a Multiplier symbol reaches the bottom of the leftmost row, it will transform into a Wild symbol and increase the current Multiplier level. The current Multiplier level is applied to all wins in the ongoing base game round.
Level-Up Symbols
Level-Up symbols that reach the bottom leftmost row will trigger a Level-Up of the Multiplier Pillar to the left of the reel set. After this, the Level Up symbol will transform into a Wild symbol.
The Multiplier pillar will rotate and the current Multiplier assumes the multiplier value of the same relative position along the new scale on the Multiplier Pillar. The multiplier pillar has 3 Levels. Reaching the top of the third level will immediately award the remaining amount needed to reach the Max Win cap of 50,000x.
The multiplier pillar will first level up, and then the active Multiplier will advance one position up the Multiplier Pillar, in case a Level-Up or Multiplier symbol reaches the bottom of the leftmost reel simultaneously. Both the current Multiplier and the Level of the multiplier pillar are reset between spins.
Scatter Symbol Redrop
If a Scatter symbol makes it to the bottom of rows 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, it will be removed and dropped again in the row one position closer to the left, if possible. The Redrop will occur at the end of the current Cascade, and only once per cycle.
Cygnus 4 Free Spins
The Free Spins round is triggered when a Scatter symbol reaches the leftmost row, awarding 7 Free Spins. The current Multiplier and the Level of the Multiplier Pillar are carried over into Free Spins.
During Free Spins, each new spin begins with 4 rows with the current Multiplier and Level of the multiplier pillar active. Both of these are persistent throughout the Free Spins round. When a Scatter symbol reaches the leftmost reel during this time, additional Free Spins are awarded.
Cygnus 4 X-iter
Players within Bonus Buy territory will be able to take part in ELK Studios’ X-iter Feature. Here you will be able to purchase the following options.
- Bonus Hunt – One drop with more than double your chance of triggering the Free Spins round for 3x your bet.
- Multiplier Pillar Level 3 – One drop where the Multiplier Pillar begins at Level 3 for 10x your bet.
- Multiplier Wilds – One drop where Multiplier symbols also act as Wilds for 25x your bet. Multiplier Wilds remain until they are converted into regular Wilds by reaching the leftmost row.
- Free Spins – 100x your bet.
- Super Free Spins – Awards the Super Free Spins, where Multiplier symbols act as Wilds for 500x your bet. Multiplier Wilds remain until they are converted into regular Wilds by reaching the leftmost row.
Cygnus 4: Our Verdict
As far as slots with sequels go, Cygnus has been a series with quite a lot of consistency. No release has differentiated itself too drastically from its predecessors, unlike the Gold Series slots and the Nitropolis games that usher in new mechanics, or familiar mechanics used in innovative ways to shake up the gameplay.
Cygnus 3 was a strange one with its Cygnus Wheel, and Cygnus 2 was an instalment that was pretty indistinguishable from the first game unless you were in bonus buy territory.
How does Cygnus 4 match up? We think it’s a pretty good follow-up, and an improvement overall. The maximum win in Cygnus 4 is huge with up to 50,000x up for grabs, and the change to the multiplier system feels like a polished improvement on previous games. Cygnus 4 even has a glow-up in the way that it’s presented, with a beautiful rendition of old London – an aesthetic that bolsters its appeal in our eyes.
Overall, Cygnus 4 is by no means a reinvention of older games, but rather an incremental improvement. Gone are the days when ELK Studios offered 95% RTP as a standard, so it’s downgraded in that regard, but overall it’s a thumbs up from us.
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