Phoenix Graveyard 2 Demo
Phoenix Graveyard 2 Slot Review
Centuries have passed, yet the curse of the Grim Reaper continues to linger in the winds of this sleepy town. As shadows devour all light, the Grim Reaper is determined to drag its streets and souls into the Underworld.
Rising from ashes, a forgotten flame emerges – the Phoenix has returned, and in its wake, death and rebirth collide once again. Phoenix Graveyard from ELK Studios continues the tale of the previous Phoenix Graveyard release, accompanied by 5 reels, walking wilds, and stacked symbols, in addition to a regular and super Bonus mode.
Phoenix Graveyard 2 is complete with upgraded features, modernised graphics, and a rewarding max win potential of 25,000x your bet. Spin the reels and find out if you can evade the Grim Reaper, who’s out to collect wandering souls from Phoenix Town (yet again).
What’s so special about this particular town is anyone’s guess, but we’re hoping for a special fierce and fiery bird to save the citizens from imminent soul-sucking death, but will it rise from the ashes just in time?
With a fixed RTP of 94% and a high (7/10) volatility score, Phoenix Graveyard 2 can produce wins of 25,000x your bet. Are you brave enough to face the Angel of Death once more? Let’s find out.
Base Game & Features
Phoenix Graveyard is the latest high volatility release from ELK Studios, consisting of 5 reels, 4 rows, and 1,024+ ways to win. Winning combinations occur when 3-5 identical symbols fall upon reels 1-5, starting from reel 1.
The 5 highest-paying symbols are made up of Character Icons, followed by A, K, Q, J, & 10 card suits. Payouts for each of the 10 paytable symbols are between 0.1x and 2.5x your bet, where applicable.
In addition, Phoenix & Reaper Wilds can appear on all reel positions during gameplay, and are responsible for the following outcomes:
- Phoenix Wild: Acts as a regular Wild symbol that triggers a Respin, unlocking a random position atop the Feature Row. This symbol substitutes for all paytable symbols.
- Reaper Wild: Acts as a Walking Wild that unlocks a random position atop the Feature Row, potentially revealing a Feature Icon. This symbol substitutes for all paytable symbols.
Wild Battle
During gameplay, if a Phoenix & Reaper Wild land on the same row or adjacent reel, a special Wild Battle will trigger, after winning payouts are applied.
Once active, the current Multiplier of the winning Wild symbol is increased, or both if it ends in a draw. However, if the Phoenix wins, it will remove all Low-paying symbols for the next spin. Alternatively, if the Reaper Wild wins, the phoenix symbol will spread 1-5 Feather Wilds across random reel positions.
Feature Row
Above the main reel set is a unique Feature Row with 5 designated positions across it. Each row position can reveal 1 of 8 Modifiers or a Blank Icon once active:
- Split All: Increases the number of symbol instances and ways to win by +1 for the entire reel set
- Split Right: Selects a random paytable symbol and increases the rightmost number of ways by +1
- Split Left: Works in the same manner as Split Right, only acting towards the leftmost reels
- Split Reel: Increases the number of symbol instances to the rows directly below it by +1-6
- Split One: Chooses a random paytable symbol below it and increases its number of ways by +1-6
- Spawn Phoenix: Causes a Phoenix Wild to appear on the reels
- Spawn Reaper: Causes a Reaper Wild to appear on the reels
- Respin: Locks all current Phoenix & Reaper Wilds onto the reels, triggering a Respin Feature
The Feature Row will remain locked after a winning combination unless a Respin or Skull symbol activates. Furthermore, paytable symbols that are split via the Feature Row can increase the number of ways, up to a maximum of 6 each.
If a symbol is already split to its maximum potential, it will upgrade to 6 Wild Feathers instead. However, if a Split symbol is visible above the Reaper Wild, it will receive a special Upgrade, meaning it will increase by 2-6 ways to win, instead of 1. Lastly, if a Phoenix or Reaper Wild falls upon a split position, its current Multiplier is increased.
Phoenix & Reaper Skulls
In the base game and Free Spins mode, both the Phoenix & Reaper Skull Features can randomly trigger, causing the following outcomes to occur on the reels:
- Phoenix Skull: Explodes on the reel and awards 1-3 Phoenix Wilds in random positions, causing the Feature Row to unlock and 1 Respin to trigger.
- Reaper Skull: Explodes on the reel, appearing in a random position on reel 5. Any unlocked Feature Row positions will remain active for the current spin.
X-iter
Players within permissible and acceptable regions can utilise up to 5 Bonus Buy options, including 2 Bonus Hunt features:
- Bonus Hunt: Each spin is guaranteed to be more than 4 times likely to trigger the Free Spins mode for 2.5x your bet
- Mega Bonus: Awards 1 spin with more than 8 times your chance of triggering the Free Spins mode for 5x your bet
- Splitting Frenzy: Guarantees 1 spin with all Feature Row positions active for an increased chance of revealing Feature Icons within them. Additionally, Scatter symbols are replaced with Super Scatters for 50x your bet per spin
- Bonus: Instantly accesses the regular Free Spins mode for 100x your bet
- Super Bonus: Instantly access the Super Free Spins mode, where the entire Feature Row is unlocked for 500x your bet
Each of the above options is fitted with a theoretical RTP of 94%.
Phoenix Graveyard has a fixed max win potential of 25,000x your bet. If this figure is exceeded in a game round, the current mode ends, and the player returns to the base with the qualifying amount.
Phoenix Graveyard 2 Free Spins
Triggering the regular Free Spins mode requires 3, 4, or 5 Scatter symbols to appear in the base game, awarding 6, 8, and 10 Free Spins, respectively. Furthermore, Scatter symbols are sticky when they occur during an active Respin Feature.
Alternatively, triggering the Free Spins mode during a Phoenix or Reaper Feature upgrades it to the Super Free Spins mode, where all Feature Row positions are unlocked.
In this round, the first spin begins with 1 Phoenix Wild that moves around the reels during each spin. Throughout spins, additional Phoenix Wilds may appear on the reels. If this happens, they will persist and move to new positions until the feature is complete, awarding +1 Free Spin.
Each time a Phoenix or Reaper Wild appears in view, it will unlock 1 Feature Row position. All split positions and Multipliers will remain active during this round. In addition, each Phoenix & Reaper Wild that moves to a position with increased ways to win will take on the number of ways and add them to its current Multiplier.
Lastly, the regular Free Spins mode can be upgraded to Super Free Spins when a Super Scatter appears on the last reel, causing all Feature Row positions to unlock and awarding +2 Free Spins.
Our Honest Verdict
The original Phoenix Graveyard came at a time when many software developers were toying with dark and mysterious genres, particularly Hacksaw Gaming. The game was quite a unique release for ELK Studios, which is primarily known for its exclusive Nitropolis series, among others.
It combined the legend of the Phoenix with the Angel of Death in a chaotic battle of two powerful beings. In Phoenix Graveyard 2, the pair return for an even deadlier battle within the same sleepy town. This time, the Grim Reaper has his eyes on a lot more souls, but can the Phoenix protect them in time?
With graphics being more modernised these days, it comes as no surprise that this game is a lot prettier cosmetically than its predecessor. The addition of the Feature Row gives Phoenix Graveyard 2 more of an edge, as well as the dimly lit, foggy graveyard scene.
The base game reveals the Phoenix & Reaper Wilds, in addition to expanding ways and multiple Free Spins modes. When a Phoenix, Reaper, or both appear in a spin, they cause the Feature Row to activate, initiating 1 of 8 special Modifiers.
The majority of modifiers revolve around the splitting symbol frames, which allow the reels to expand the number of ways to win. There is, however, an additional Respin modifier which locks the Reaper & Phoenix Wilds into position, which enables further wins to occur on the reels.
During Free Spins, things can really heat up on the reels. Players are guaranteed 1 Phoenix Wild at the start, with any additional Wild symbols persisting throughout the feature, as well as split frames and active Multipliers, creating a pretty rewarding and action-packed scene.
Talking of rewards, on a good day, Phoenix Graveyard 2 can deliver a substantial max win potential of 25,000x your bet. This figure is quite the boost from the 10,000x max win cap found in the original release, but can it achieve such a figure? Given the game’s features and mechanics, we’re confident it can.
Each of these gameplay elements, plus others, can be purchased through the X-iter (bonus buy) tab, with each option varying in cost. What’s great is that ELK Studios has finally allowed non-UK players access to the Bonus Hunt features, so there really is something for everyone.
All in all, Phoenix Graveyard 2 is an engaging sequel slot from a provider with many innovative tricks up its sleeve. Each spin creates a new and exciting scenario through multiple modifiers, with the addition of expanding ways and two interesting Free Spins modes.
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written before the initial release date and before real gameplay is available.
