The Sorcerers Shuffle

The Sorcerers Shuffle: Slot Overview

Would it be neat if you could wiggle your hands in a mysterious way, chant certain words, or mix the right concoction of ingredients to accomplish things that defy the scientific laws of nature - in other words, perform magic? Or would clicking your fingers to get whatever you wanted, without needing to put in as much effort, suck the feelings of satisfaction out of life? Or worse, break some cosmic law. Maybe magic is best left alone. Anyway, it's unlikely we'll ever know, but players can pretend what magic might be like in The Sorcerers Shuffle, a magically slanted online slot from software provider Relax Gaming.

Sorcerers are often presented conducting their work indoors, in candle-lit stone rooms, objects of arcanum placed in conducive positions to assist in the esoteric procedure. However, others may prefer working out of doors, perhaps getting closer to the spirits of nature. Or at least, The Sorcerers Shuffle base game takes place outside on a clear starry night, trees framing the grid, a well-lit tower glowing in the distance. Trigger-free spins, though, then The Sorcerers Shuffle moves indoors to the sort of room one would expect magical experimentation to take place. After a play-through, the lead wizard in The Sorcerers Shuffle does not appear to be the sort who dabbles on the dark side, so you might want to load Print Studios' Darkness for a taste of dread. Instead, The Sorcerers Shuffle is lighter, friendlier, made in the mood of Merlin or someone benevolent like that. Could be wrong, though.

The Sorcerers Shuffle's cauldron, as it were, is a 5-reel, 4-row gaming panel with 1,024 ways to create winning combinations. These begin from the first reel onwards, falling across adjacent reels from left to right. With two ways of being played, gamblers may select a stake of 20 c to $/€10 per spin, where the RTP is 96.13%, or buy the free spins round, where the return value changes to 96.5%. Volatility is high, a setting the studio favours in its games.

Four potion bottles are The Sorcerers Shuffle's low pay symbols, the glass of each bottle shaped like clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades, while the high pays are a book, an hourglass, a cat, an owl, and a heavy gold ring. Lining up a 5 OAK low pay win triggers a payout of 0.5 to 1 times the bet, rising when 5 matching high pays hit to 1.5 to 10x the bet. The wild symbol substitutes for all symbols except coins or scatters when evaluating wins.

The Sorcerers Shuffle: Slot Features

The Sorcerers Shuffle has not one but two bonus rounds to look forward to triggering. One is a pretty straightforward hold 'n win round; the other is a batch of free spins where the shuffling part of the title starts to make more sense.

Enchanted Forest Feature

The Enchanted Forest feature is triggered when at least 6 silver coins land in the base game. The triggering coins are stuck to the reels when the round begins, and 3 respins are awarded. Landing new coins resets the spin count back to 3. What lands during this round are coins with values of 1x to 10x the bet, multipliers of x2, x3, or x5, or the Minor, Mini, or Grand Jackpot worth 50x, 100x, or 250x the bet, respectively. Multipliers are not sticky. They add their value to a total multiplier, which is applied to the total win at the end of the feature. Also, when the feature ends, it may randomly retrigger, starting with the original positions and coin values from the triggering feature. Stored multipliers are not carried over to retriggered rounds.

The Sorcerers Shuffle Free Spins

Scatter symbols exist on reels 2-4, and landing 3 of them triggers 8 free spins. Landing 3 scatter symbols at any point awards an extra +3 free spins. Throughout the whole round, all of reel 1 acts as a wild, substituting for any pay symbol. Wild symbols may also land on reels 3, 4, or 5, but not on reel 2. However, landing wilds on reels 3, 4, or 5 activates The Sorcerers Shuffle. Reels containing wilds are pulled into reel 2, shuffling all other reels to the right. When wins land, a win evaluation takes place before the shuffle and again after a reel is shuffled to reel 2. If multiple reels contain wilds, reels are moved individually and evaluated for wins after each movement. The reel closest to reel 1 is always moved first, and so on.

Buy Feature

From the buy feature section, players are able to buy The Sorcerers Shuffle free spins for 101x the bet, though not the Enchanted Forest feature.

The Sorcerers Shuffle: Slot Verdict

A bit different this one. Not that The Sorcerers Shuffle caused an outraged response. It was by no means terrible, but it did come across as a little unremarkable for a slot from this studio. Relax Gaming has set high standards for itself, after all. Adding to the mystique, The Sorcerers Shuffle isn't the first time Relax Gaming has dipped its fingers or wand into magical subject matter. Previous release, Hex dabbled in sorcery and was also something of a conventional release by Relax Gaming standards. Rather than inspire outrageous creative urges, maybe magic, in this instance, causes the studio to be straighter-edged than it often is.

For one thing, the Enchanted Forest feature felt a little out of place. So much so players can't even buy it from the buy feature. It's got multipliers which can stack, alongside jackpot symbols even though their values aren't stellar, yet this is kiddie stuff when judged against Relax Gaming's track record in this area. Not complaining, as the Enchanted Forest feature provides some hold 'n win coin activity on the side. Free spins were more interesting. Not only do they supply a wild on the leftmost reel the entire time, but the shuffle feature is actually quite cool. Hit wilds on more than one reel, and each reel is shuffled to the left when it is their turn, potentially firing off some repeat payout action.

With a 10,000x the bet win cap, it would appear the shuffling about in this game can be quite potent. That or the coin wins in the Enchanted Forest feature might build up a substantial pile. Obviously, there are bigger, punchier slots in Relax Gaming's repertoire, and while The Sorcerers Shuffle isn't one of the studio's major standout titles, it is technically capable of producing flourishes of illusion and moments of magic.