The Magic Cauldron Enchanted Brew: Slot Overview

Developer Pragmatic Play has a few popular grid slots under their belt by now and The Magic Cauldron Enchanted Brew is one that follows in the footsteps of games like Reactoonz, where consecutive wins trigger various modifiers to enhance winning possibilities. Unlike most others in this category, no matter how many clusters pile up, no free spins or bonus rounds have been included. A little unusual, yet the game can technically lead to decent payouts regardless, provided you find yourself on an epic run of consecutive clusters.

The name Magic Cauldron Enchanted Brew provides one or two clues as to what to expect, and there are few surprises when getting to the game proper. In a heavily wooded room full of regents, parchment, and candles, players find a 7x7 sized grid filling with 49 symbols on each spin. The cauldron in question sits to the left as a ladle eternally mixes a brew, where winning symbols are collated. A plinking soundtrack adds much to the game's magical feel, which is quite a welcoming one. The voiceover call-outs accompanying the action is a nice touch as well, which sounds almost as if borrowed straight from a Play'n GO grid slot.

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This brew is available on any device, allowing players to pick wagers from 20 p/c to $/€100. What proved to be a very all-or-nothing game, The Magic Cauldron Enchanted Brew definitely lived up to its stated highly volatile nature. There are gems of spins in there, but it can take a significant number of throw-away drops to get to them. The default RTP is decent as it usually is from Pragmatic Play, and The Magic Cauldron's configuration of 96.44% doesn't disappoint. Remember though, the game may be set to lower levels depending on where you play.

There are 8 symbols to make clusters out of - 4 are low-value gems, 4 are high-value potions. At the upper limit of 15-49 symbol clusters, high-value symbols trigger payouts worth 50 to 500 times the total stake. In addition, two wild types make their way onto the grid; one is a regular book wild which substitutes for all symbols except the second wild, the Unicorn Wild. Regular wilds appear as a result of the Elixir Wild or Moon Seed future in any position. The same wild symbol can connect to form more than one cluster at a time.

The Magic Cauldron Enchanted Brew: Slot Features

Using a clusters pays system, wins are awarded when 5 or more identical symbols land adjacent to each other, vertically or horizontally. Combinations are paid, and all winning symbols disappear as part of the tumble feature. Empty positions are replaced by existing or new symbols from above, and tumbling continues until no more winning combinations, or grid modifiers appear.

To maximise your returns from The Magic Cauldron, you'll need as many consecutive clusters to hit as possible. As combinations explode during tumbles, they are collected in a cauldron on the left. When 25 symbols have been collected, a random modifier is awarded, which plays out when the current tumble sequence ends. Up to 5 modifiers in a row can be used on a single spin by collecting 125 symbols or more. The first 4 modifiers are randomly selected from this list:

• Befuddlement – all high-value symbols in view are transformed into low pays.
• Invisibrew – all low-value symbols vanish allowing new symbols to drop.
• Enlarging Ale – a random block of 3x3 or 4x4 identical symbols is added in a random position.
• Balm of Transfiguration – one random low pay symbol transforms into a high pay.

The fifth modifier is then selected from the following 2 possibilities:

• Potion of Darkness – all low-value symbols are removed, and only high-value symbols tumble in for the rest of the sequence.
• Unicorn Dust – 3 or 4 Unicorn Wilds are placed on the grid with starting multipliers of x1 or x2. These wilds remain on the grid for the rest of the spin, increasing their multipliers by 1 up to x20 when used in a win, then moving to a new position.

Two more features complete the list. One is Elixir Wilds, which may add 4 to 8 wilds to the grid following a non-winning spin. The last is the Moon Seed Mark. These are blue frames that appear at random in a new position on each spin. When a winning combination with at least 5 marked symbols is formed, two wild symbols are left in the empty positions created by the tumble.

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The Magic Cauldron Enchanted Brew: Slot Verdict

Overall, The Magic Cauldron Enchanted Brew was quite an entertaining game that has more merits than not. It's a tough game to crack though, so it's maybe not the best match for some casual grid slot gaming. The way it's set up, without free spins, means you have to push tumbles to their limit to pull in modifiers; otherwise, you can end up endlessly floundering in low-value spin territory. Triggering one modifier is common enough, but two or more can be tricky.

You notice the lack of a bonus game, too, especially when you are a few hundred spins in, going around in circles, with nothing substantial on the horizon to look forward to. Of course, triggering repeat modifiers in a spin cycle and topping them off by triggering one of the fifth modifiers should lead to a juicy win, much in the same way Play'n GO's mega-hit Reactoonz is designed. Whether you'll get close to the max win figure of 5,000 times the bet is a good question. The spin cycle that could generate such a payout, whether off the back of Unicorn Wild multipliers or Potion of Darkness premium only tumbles, would be astonishing to behold.

The real test of a game's appeal is whether you feel the need to give it a second go after the first session is in the bag. Despite being a competent slot with commendable aspects, The Magic Cauldron Enchanted Brew lacked a standout hook to pull us back for a repeat performance. Then again, players who like a challenge or who are heavily into grid slots might definitely be up for it.