Shadow Shifter Demo
Shadow Shifter Slot Review
Deep in the magical forest lives a peculiar creature known as the Shadow Shifter. Invisible by day, but by night, the Shadow Shifter moves in a way to create intricate lines across the grid, hidden in a grove only it knows. With each movement, it pushes blocks into all the right places, revealing the forest’s secrets.
Shadow Shifter is another interesting release from ELK Studios, which looks like something from Alice in Wonderland, with the mysterious Shadow Shifter resembling the iconic Cheshire Cat (minus the pink stripes, of course). Whether intentional or not, it certainly has its similarities.
Hansel & Gretel Candyhouse and Happily Ever After are two titles that take us through magical forests, with similar themes derived from fairytales. On the other hand, Shadow Shifter has a certain element of uniqueness, and may just be one-of-a-kind. Read our full Shadow Shifter slot review to find out more!
Base Game & Features
Shadow Shifter is a highly volatile 5-reel Video Slot with multiple ways to win and varying bet sizes between £.€0.20 per spin and £.€100 per spin. Other statistics include an overall RTP of 94% and a generous max win cap of 10,000x your bet.
A round begins with a reel setup of 5×4. When a winning combination of 3 or more matching symbols appear in a straight line from the leftmost reel, the number of rows can expand to a maximum of 8. The game consists of 3 High-paying and 2 Low-paying symbols, awarding payouts between 0.1x and 50x your bet.
Push & Multiplier
Inactive column multipliers appear above each of the 5 reels. When a winning combination is paid out, a special Column Pusher is generated, causing the rows to expand to a maximum of 8.
These symbols push the rows upwards to create additional wins in a single spin. The number of increased rows depends on the number of Pusher symbols added to the reels. When 1 pusher symbol is added, it will enhance its respective row Multiplier by +x1.
Active column multipliers are applied to all wins connected to that particular row. If more than 1 column multiplier is active during a winning combination, their respective values will be added together and applied to the win. When no more wins occur, with the next paid spin, the reel layout resets to 5×4.
Feature Symbols
During gameplay, a number of Feature Symbols can appear on the reels – these include:
- Max Grow: Increases the number of rows to 8. This happens immediately after the symbol appears in view. Once active, the number of active rows remain until all symbols spin out.
- Expanding Wild: When in view, it will expand to fill the entire reel in a vertical direction. The expanding wild replaces all symbols on the reel with Wilds, except Scatter and Both Ways symbols.
- Both Ways: Causes the reels to pay from left to right and right to left. This function remains active as long as the Both Ways symbol is visible.
- Regular Wild: Substitutes for all paytable symbols.
X-iter
- Bonus Hunt: More than triples your chance of triggering a Free Spins mode (3x your bet)
- Expanding Wild: Guarantees 1 Expanding Wild symbol to land (10x your bet)
- Super Spin: Awards 1 spin with max rows and a guaranteed column multiplier of x5 (50x your bet)
- Free Spins: Triggers the Free Spins round (100x your bet)
- Super Free Spins: Triggers the Super Free Spins round with max rows and column multipliers of x5 (500x your bet)
Free Spins
Landing 3 Bonus Scatters in the base game triggers the Free Spins round, awarding 5 Free Spins. During this time, Multipliers and unused Column Pushers are persistent throughout each spin. Landing 1 Bonus Scatter awards +2 Free Spins.
Our Verdict
ELK Studios’ latest creation, Shadow Shifter, is a welcome addition to the iGaming market, which facilitates a refreshing theme and interesting mechanics. Bringing back our love for the Both Ways mechanic as seen previously in the Nitropolis series, Elk Studios has also installed new feature symbols that create bursts of excitement in every spin.
What’s great about Shadow Shifter, besides the mysterious theme and nifty sound effects, is that no two spins are ever the same. Winning combinations stir up individual Column Multipliers, while Feature symbols like Max Grow and Expanding Wilds create numerous opportunities to win in a single spin.
Although a Ways to Win game, creating winning sequences is slightly more challenging than usual, which requires 3 or more matching symbols to land in a straight line rather than anywhere on consecutive reels. However, additional wins in a single spin are more common thanks to the Column Pusher symbols, which more often than not, align matching symbols to create further wins.
Statistically, Shadow Shifter ticks all the right boxes, boasting an overall RTP of 94% and an appealing max win cap of 10,000x your bet. With multiple feature symbols and column multipliers available, achieving such a figure doesn’t seem unrealistic. If you’re looking for a refreshing new release to add to your favourites, you’ll find Shadow Shifter a viable option.
*Shadow Shifter is available to play across Best Casino Sites on the 19th December 2024