The Runemakers DoubleMax Slot Review
Join us as we brave an enchanted forest to unleash the power of sacred runes alongside Yggdrasil Gaming partner studio Bang Bang Games and their DoubleMax creation, The Runemakers DoubleMax.
This isn’t Bang Bang Games’ first rodeo in the DoubleMax arena. Previously the studio brought us Pharaoh’s Gaze – not the worst DoubleMax entrant out there but one that admittedly left scope for improvement. We’ve swapped out ancient deities for legendary runemakers the second time around. Which begs the question – how does the provider’s latest offering fare against its predecessor, both steeped in mythology?
Embrace the magic of a mystical realm with our thorough The Runemakers DoubleMax slot review to find out.
The Runemakers DoubleMax Gameplay and Design
Optically striking, the The Runemakers DoubleMax online slot takes players on a captivating journey into Norse mythology. The slot’s design is supremely polished, boasting vivid tones of blues and purples amidst an idyllic moonlit sky while a mythological being oversees proceedings to the left.
Onto the gameplay side of things, we discover a grid matrix composed of 6 reels and 6 rows with a cluster pays engine running the show – which removes pay lines from the equation. Stakes from 20p up to £50 are available – offering something for just about all bankrolls. You may alter your wager level via the game’s on-screen control panel.
The Runemakers DoubleMax Slots Symbols
A glance at the paytable reveals a total of 8 runes split evenly between 4 low and 4 high pays. Those carved into stones are the lows, and any you find etched into gems occupy the upper end of the paytable.
A win made up of 5 matching low pays gets you 0.2x to 1.5x the bet, while combos formed of 14+ identical clusters fetch between 5 and 10 times your wager.
The Runemakers DoubleMax Paylines
There are no pay lines present inside The Runemakers Doublemax since the game relies on clusters of at least 5 matching symbols in order to earn a payout. Importantly, clusters may appear anywhere on the grid; they do not have to sit in adjacent reels as is usually the case.
The Runemakers DoubleMax RTP and Volatility
Four RTP options are available in The Runemakers DoubleMax – 86%, 90.5%, 94%, and 96% – which is the industry average. Be sure to check out the RTP level offered at your chosen casino before opting to give the game a whirl.
And, with a volatility rating described as ‘super-high’ by its maker, don’t expect wins in The Runemakers DoubleMax slot online to arrive as often as a London tube train. But when they do, payouts tend to be on the high side. As such, this is an online slot geared more towards the hardcore crowd able to withstand the inherent swings typical of high-variance games.
The Runemakers DoubleMax – Max Win
Payouts worth as much as 15,000 times your stake are up for grabs in The Runemakers DoubleMax – a substantial amount that sits in the medium/upper bracket for an online slot game.
The Runemakers DoubleMax Special Features
Features time, where we find a menu that reads a Dropdown feature, DoubleMax, Mystic Mysteries, and Free Spins. Let’s explore each in a little detail.
Dropdown Feature
Otherwise commonly known as cascades, tumbles, or avalanches, the Dropdown Feature acts by removing all winning symbols from the board and replacing them with a fresh batch for repeated shots at wins.
As an added extra, between 1 and 5 Wild symbols take up the vacant cells left before the next Dropdown initiates. This carries on as long as each subsequent Dropdown produces another win.
DoubleMax
The Runemakers DoubleMax online slot’s piece de resistance doubles the win multiplier upon each Dropdown, continuing to double until wins cease to form.
In base gameplay, the multiplier is brought back to 1x after each losing spin, but in Free Spins this never resets – leading to some potentially stratospheric returns when the device is on a roll.
Mystic Mysteries
Each Dropdown may drop in Mystic Symbols, which all reveal the very same symbol with the exception of wild and scatter symbols.
Bonus Buy
For the equivalent price tag of 125x your stake, non-UK players may trigger Free Spins without delay. The gamble option is again available if you enable this feature before Free Spins begin.
The Runemakers DoubleMax Free Spins
Land at least 3 scatters at once in the base game to earn 7 Free Spins. A gamble option is presented to players before the round kicking off, which can see you claim up to 11 Free Spins at most.
Bonus Rounds
An unsuccessful gamble takes you back to the base game empty-handed. As mentioned, players benefit from a Non-Resetting Multiplier for the duration of the round. Other than that, play reflects the base game.
Odds of triggering the Bonus in The Runemakers DoubleMax?
We sat through 200 Free Spins of this The Runemakers DoubleMax slot and managed to trigger Free Spins organically once in that time – which is not a terrible amount and slightly more favourable than the industry average.
We advise sampling the game in demo mode yourself first at a UK-licensed casino to see if you encounter a similar rate before considering whether to play for real money.
Pros and Cons of The Runemakers DoubleMax
Below is a list of Pros and Cons that we feel you should take into consideration when choosing to play The Runemakers DoubleMax.
Pros:
- Popular feature at the heart of play.
- Impressive 15,000x max win.
- Beautifully designed.
Cons:
- Extreme volatility is polarising.
- Perhaps the studio could have pushed the innovation more.
- Cluster pay slots are unfamiliar to some.
Slots Similar to The Runemakers DoubleMax
Try our other recommendations if you enjoyed what you saw with The Runemakers DoubleMax:
- Raptor DoubleMax (Yggdrasil Gaming)
- Viking Runecraft (Play’n GO)
- 10,000 BC DoubleMax (4ThePlayer)
Conclusion
The Runemakers DoubleMax slot threw something of a curveball to provide a couple of pleasant surprises from the off. For one, we’re used to seeing DoubleMax often paired with a bog-standard 5×3 game panel accompanied by 20 pay lines. Not sure if we’ve ever witnessed the mechanic buddied up with a cluster pays engine, though, which marked a refreshing change and paved the way for some impressive Dropdown snowballs, thrusting new potential into DoubleMax’s capabilities.
Not quite enough to get anywhere the advertised 15,000x max win, but making for some gripping play, for sure. We also get the added benefit of Mystic Mysteries dropping in at random following a cascade, which intensifies things further and adds another layer of excitement.
A nod to the game’s designers, too, who have done a stunning job of bringing Norse mythology back to life on the reels. Bang Bang Games have certainly upped their game and are a provider to watch for the future, especially given their parent studio’s renowned acumen assisting them along the way, especially in functionality terms.
In summation, if you’re a Norse mythology buff pining for some high-powered slot action, don’t look much further than The Runemakers DoubleMax.
