Lightning Gems is a jewel-themed video slot powered by NextGen Gaming. Played using a 5 reel, 10 payline win both ways game engine, it comes with wild nudges, added wilds and a free spins round where an extra 50 wilds are added to the reels. Stakes range from 15p to £150 per spin.
There’s a magical feeling to Lightning Gems – the action takes place on a set of reels that is backed by fields, mountains and a menacing looking sky. There are only 4 standard symbols on view – green, blue, yellow and red gemstones. Most rewarding is the red stone which pays 8, 50 or 125 coins if you land 3, 4 or 5 in combination. The win both ways set up means that winners can start from reel 5 as well as the usual reel 1.
There’s also a wild, the gold medallion, that pays 10, 100 or 500 coins per payline if you land 3, 4 or 5 on a payline. The wilds are also central to the 3 features that are on offer in Lightning Gems – there are 2 randomly triggered features which are as follows:
- Wild Nudge feature – if there’s a wild on show and it doesn’t form part of a winning combination, it can be nudged up and down until it does so.
- Wild Wins feature – a random selection of extra wilds can be brought into play.
Then you have the Free Games feature which is triggered by landing 3, 4 or 5 of the diamond scatter. As well as a payout of 20, 100 or 2,000 coins, you’ll also receive 10 free spins – you can also retrigger the feature to give you 20 free spins. Spicing up the action here is the addition of 50 extra wilds (10 on each reel). You can trigger both the Wild Nudge and Wild Wins features during the free spins as well as during standard play.
It might not be the flashiest game in terms of design (though the fantastical soundtrack is rather enchanting) but it’s certainly a very playable one. The wilds are central to the best action in Lightning Gems and you can expect to land all 3 features at regular intervals. Get on a roll with those wilds and Lightning Gems can certainly sparkle. If you like gemstones, NetEnt’s Fruit Spin is recommended.
