In nature, gems are created when rocks are worn down by wind and water, which then seeps down into cracks and cavities in the Earth’s surface. With time, the minerals in the water are compressed, forming gemstones. The first time I heard that description in science class, I immediately thought that it should be possible to recreate the process in a lab… and there began my secret plan to build a diamond factory in my attic bedroom! Alas, it seems that Play’N’Go has beaten me to the punch – their Forge of Gems slot machine offers up to 36,288 pay ways, multipliers of up to 37x, a 96.2% RTP, and best of all – a 20,000x stake maximum jackpot. I reckon I’d rather have that than a diamond, now that you mention it!
The headline feature of this machine is its ‘forge reel’, which is positioned horizontally across the top of the playfield, much like those which feature in many Megaways games. The symbols on the forge reel only take effect during symbol cascades (IE, after a win) and include transforms, splits, multipliers, and more. Landing three or more scatter symbols will award you the ‘gembox’, a spinning bonus wheel with segments for free spins and instant cash prizes. If you’re fortunate, some segments will even give you both simultaneously!
What’s your view when it comes to gemstones? Do they have to be 100% natural, or will a man-made one suffice? Personally, I’d rather just have the cash, so I’ll be sticking to our free demo slot of Forge of Gems instead!
| Provider | Play'n Go |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 3 |
| Paylines | 36,288 |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.10 - 100 |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 20,000x |
| Bonus Buy | No |
| RTP | 96.20% |
| Our Rating | 7.5 |
Forge Of Gems Slot Casino Bonuses
Forge Of Gems Slot Free Play
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Forge Of Gems Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
Precious stones show up in all kinds of online slots, sometimes even being used to represent the lower-paying symbols in place of traditional royals. More specific examples include games like NetEnt’s low volatility ‘Dazzle Me’ and ‘Starburst’, Pragmatic Play’s ‘Aztec Gems’, or Slotmill’s ‘Gem Rush’. Gems, like sweets, are ideal as a slot theme because using them does not restrict the developer’s freedom to implement new and unique features and ideas. Nevertheless, it’s not a very exciting backdrop for a game, so that needs to be balanced out with big payouts and exciting bonus rounds if slots such as this are to be successful.
With that in mind, I hoped to see some big numbers on the Forge of Gems paytable; spoiler alert: I was going to be disappointed. The trouble is, when a game allows for up to 36,288 payways, there is no way that the individual line hits can be worth anything substantial. The highest-paying symbol in this game – the wild – only pays 3x the total bet for a full payline of five of a kind, whilst the top regular symbol – a blue gem – drops even lower to just 1x. The amber gem offers a maximum return of 0.8x for all five symbols, whilst the green and blue varieties pay 0.6x and 0.5x the total bet, respectively. As for the low pays, five aces or kings will get you 0.4x the current stake back in winnings, whilst five queens, jacks, or tens return a little less at 0.3x each.
The minimum/maximum betting limits in this game have been set at €0.10 and €100.00 per spin, respectively. Play’N’Go has also included a quick bet selection bar that provides instant access to five different wagers.
Base Game & Modifiers
At first glance, Forge of Gems appears to be a fairly typical video slot with a 5×3 reel setup and 243 payways. However, once you begin to play, things soon get much more interesting as the special symbols on the forge reel mix things up dramatically. Wins are still awarded in the traditional manner though – you’ll need at least three matching symbols on adjacent reels starting from the left.
Forge Reel
The ‘forge reel’ sits on top of the standard 5×3 playfield and scrolls horizontally rather than vertically. It does not include any of the regular symbols found on the paytable, so it holds an entirely different set of items:
- Transform (V) – Turns all regular symbols directly below it into wilds.
- Transform (H) – Turns all regular symbols on one row into wilds.
- Split (V) – Splits any symbols that match the one shown into two halves, increasing the number of payways.
- Split (H) – Splits matching symbols on the current row and also acts as an additional wild symbol.
- Boost – Increase the current win multiplier by 1x
Forge Of Gems Slot Bonus Features
Bonus scatter symbols are present on all five reels, and you’ll need to hit at least three simultaneously to trigger the game’s bonus round. Before the feature begins, you’ll be taken to the ‘gembox’ to determine your award – this can be a cash prize, some free spins, or both. If more than three scatters are included in the triggering combination, the value of cash prizes and the number of free spins awarded increases.
Free Spins
It took me some time to get to this feature, as the first few times I hit three scatters, I landed on cash prizes of 40x my current stake or less; very frustrating! Thankfully, it was worth the wait when I finally did manage to hit some free spins.
In this mode, win multipliers are not reset between game rounds. That has an enormous effect on your chances of scoring a big win whilst playing Forge of Gems, but Play’N’Go has gone even further by removing the blanks and guaranteeing that at least one multiplier symbol will land during each free spin. The maximum multiplier possible during this part of the game is capped at 37x.
Pros
- The massive jackpot of 20,000x the total bet.
- Tonnes of payways and huge multipliers.
- Generous bonus round.
Cons
- Single payway prizes are very small – you’ll need to win on many of them at once to win anything substantial.
- Scatters will often award a small cash prize instead of the free spins.
Final Thoughts
Forge of Gems is an interesting release for Play’N’Go - unlike many of their other recent releases, this isn’t just a clone of an existing machine and appears to have had a fair amount of thought and work devoted to it. The 20,000x jackpot is quite the treat too – it’s just a shame that hitting the scatters does not always reward you with a bonus round.
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