Join Sheriff Kane Steel in an American frontier town at the heart of an oil boom in the Black River Gold slot. Created by ELK Studios, it’s the fourth release in the developer’s Gold Series. The action plays out on Avalanche reels that can reach 8 rows high and offer 262,144 ways to win. In our detailed Black River Gold review, you’ll find out about colossal symbols and a bonus round that awards up to 50 free drops where collected wilds turn sticky. Look out too for the Wild Compass that can create extra wilds and the Revolver feature where symbols are absorbed to create a colossal symbol or potentially a 4×4 wild.
Black River Gold Bonus Features
ELK Studios have packed plenty of variety into the gameplay in Black River Gold. There is a whole raft of features to get stuck into here including wild extras, avalanche reels, free spins and the innovative Revolver feature. We’ll start with the game mechanic.
Avalanche Reels feature
After a winning combination is created, those symbols are removed and an Avalanche follows with new symbols dropping to replace them. These Avalanches continue as long as a new winner is created.
Successive wins also add more rows to the reel grid. These in turn increase the number of ways to win. If the reels reach their maximum 8-row height, there are 262,144 ways to form a winner:
- 4 rows = 4,096 ways to win
- 5 rows = 15,625 ways to win
- 6 rows = 46,656 ways to win
- 7 rows = 117,649 ways to win
- 8 rows = 262,144 ways to win
The reels go back to their standard size following a winless Avalanche.
Wild Compass feature
Keep an eye out for the compass symbol. If you see 2 matching symbols position across the compass they transform into wilds.
Revolver feature
If a big symbol appears and there’s a blank position below it, it absorbs smaller symbols and turns into a revolver with 6 chambers. The Revolver then represents the original big symbol plus the other smaller symbols it has absorbed. These can then form part of a winning combination.
When all the symbols from the Revolver’s barrels have been used up the Revolver disappears. If the Revolvers absorbs another 5 symbols or a wild, it turns into a colossal wild itself.
Bonus Game feature
The Black River Gold slot also offers the chance to land some free spins. These are triggered by landing 3 or more bonus scatter symbols anywhere on the reels on the same spin.
- 3 scatters = 10 free spins
- 4 scatters = 15 free spins
- 5 scatters = 20 free spins
- 6 scatters = 25 free spins
The free spins start on the 4 row, 4,096 ways to win machine. They don’t revert to the standard size following an unsuccessful Avalanche as it uses the Safety Level feature. They will always remain the same or expand to offer even more ways to win (up to 262,144).
You can also retrigger the feature for up to 25 more free spins and 50 in total. Look out for wild symbols which are collected and remain at the bottom of the reels when a free spin finishes. They become sticky wilds until part of a win.
Black River Gold Slot RTP & Info
The action starts on a 6 reel, 4-row machine that offers 4,096 ways to win. Those wins are formed by landing matching symbols on adjoining reels.
Bet levels range from between 20p and £100 per spin. Click and hold the spin button to set up autoplay. You can run up to 100 autoplay spins. The game interface is simple to use. There’s a detailed paytable as well as a game info page which gives even more information on the gameplay and features available.
The RTP here is 96.10% which is reasonable enough without being spectacularly high. Being in a booming oil town was a risky business but it could yield rich rewards. That’s just how you could describe Black River Gold. This is a volatile slot. On a scale of 1 to 10 we’d put the variance at 9. The max win is 5,000 x bet per spin/free spin.
Black River Gold Theme – a taste of the rugged Western frontier
ELK Studios has a reputation for creating some of the best-designed slots around and Black River Gold is another than excels on that score. The reels are set within a wooden bridge frame and backed by snow-capped mountains.
Symbols including A to J playing cards, a sheriff’s badge, a medallion, a bottle of scotch and a pistol. More rewarding are the gemstone, gold nugget and diamond. The most rewarding symbol is sheriff Kane Steel who pays 1.8, 2, 2.5 or 3 x your total bet if you land 3, 4, 5 or 6 in combination.
The red rose is the game’s standard wild. This substitutes for all the standard symbols in a winning combination. As well as standard single, symbols can appear supersized. These can be 2×2, 3×3 or even 4×4 in size. This applies to all the higher value standard symbols and the wild.
The visuals are top class. The action is backed by a score that could come from an old Western. It creates plenty of atmosphere and works very well.
ELK Studios has created a Black River Gold mobile slot. This technology automatically resizes the game to the size of the screen on your device which makes playing on a small screen device a very pleasurable experience. No grumbles here.
Black River Gold Thoughts/Opinion – another well designed, volatile, feature-filled slot from ELK Studios
We liked this virtual trip to the frontier days of America. The sound and visuals are terrific and there’s plenty of variety on offer from the features which keeps things nice and fresh. The Revolver feature takes a little getting used to, but it can deliver some very decent action, especially if you manage to absorb a wild.
The Avalanches and other extras keep the pace high. It’s extremely volatile too which we like. Overall, then, Black River Gold is another winner from ELK Studios and their impressive Gold Series. Other games in this series include Cygnus which comes with multipliers up to 64x and Tahiti Gold which has unique bonus features.
Black River Gold FAQs
❓ What is the Black River Gold RTP?
The Black River Gold return to player rate is 96.1%. That’s a standard number, neither overly generous or stingy. On average, ever £100 wagered results in £96.10 being returned in prizes. It’s high variance so be warned.
🥇 What is the Black River Gold max win?
If the symbols fall in a perfect combination in the Black River Gold slot, it’s possible to land a jackpot of some 5,000 times your total bet from a single spin. That’s a pretty big number that befits the game’s high variance.
🎰 Is there a Black River Gold mobile slot?
Yes, you can play the Black River Gold slot on your mobile or tablet devices. You’ll find ELK Studios’ usual high spec sound and visuals in the small screen versions as well as the varied and volatile features. It works very nicely.
