Anyone who has played any of the other slot games from ELK Studios Gold Series, such as Tahiti Gold or Ecuador Gold, will be familiar with this volatile, 6-reel, 4-row release. Boasting big symbols, wild compasses, a revolver feature and a bonus game, there’s no shortage of reasons to play, and the expandable grid can increase up to 8 rows, paving the way for 262,144 ways to win in real money mode. As with the three previous releases in this series, the maximum win remains in the vicinity of x5000 your stake, which is consistent with the rest of the game’s features in what is far from an overhaul.
As we’ve come to expect, this release is compatible with all modern mobile devices, including iOS and Android operating systems, as well as laptop computers if that is your platform of choice. Navigating the gameplay is a breeze and the paytable can be accessed by hitting the coins icon to the bottom left of the screen. Speaking of which, the default setting is 4 rows in play, which gives users 4,096 ways to win. Five rows will give you 15,625 ways to win, 6 will provide 46,656 ways to win, 7 offers 117,649 and, as mentioned above, the maximum 8 rows has 262,144 ways to win. Match three or more symbols left-to-right for a winning combination. Available at the best new online casinos, Black River Gold ticks a lot of boxes in terms of ease of use.
With sticky wilds, big symbols and wild compasses, there’s a lot to keep users in the hunt for a return on their investment here. Sticky wilds are stored to the base of the screen until used in a win, while three or more scatters will land you a free drop. You can land 3-6 scatter symbols to activate 10-25 free drops.
Yrsa Thunholm, Brand and Marketing manager at ELK Studios, offers a little insight into how to make the most of the features: "Understanding how the features interact, you will find that a lucky combination of The Revolver and Wild Compasses turning matching symbols into wilds means massive potential to win big."
Black River Gold also has a bonus game, further reason to believe that this video slot will produce some seriously big wins for real money players! The Safety Level is activated in the bonus game, adding an extra row per win up to the maximum of 8.
The maximum payout is 5000x your stake and the Return To Player (RTP) percentage is 96.1%. The volatility is high, so if you’re something a little less draining then it might be better to look for a similar storied slot with that is less volatile, such as Black Gold from Betsoft. If you’re looking to play with real money, Black River Gold offers ample opportunity, although some punters may be disappointed to learn that there is no progressive jackpot in this slot.
All-in-all, Black River Gold offers a comprehensive online slot experience, without the capacity to truly blow your mind. In keeping with the previous releases from ELK’s Gold Series, it does err on the side of caution somewhat, but some slot players will prefer the simplistic approach over new and innovative ideas.
If you’re not convinced, there is no shortage of treasure-inspired western slots, with Dead or Alive being the most popular – although it’s also a game of high volatility. Whatever you decide, make sure you’re getting the best deal if signing up to an operator for the first time – we rank and review all the best online casinos so pick the site which best suits your needs.