RTP 95.72%
Min bet $0.10
Max bet $20
Max Win bet x 4000
Popularity Low
Min bet $0.10
Max bet $20
Max Win bet x 4000
Gamble Feature Volatility, Freespins, Scatter symbols, Wilds, Sticky wilds
Layout 5x3
Devices Support all devices
Configurable Winlines No
Volatility High
Progressive Jackpot No
Aurum Codex is a slot with an interesting title, some appealing visuals and a number of familiar features. Players will be able to engage in arcane magic while also playing with Sticky Wilds, Free Spins and High Volatility.
This slot was developed by Red Tiger who released it in 2020. Where the studio used to focus its slots mostly on the oriental setting, they have begun diversifying their portfolio somewhat in recent years. This game is an excellent example of that effort as it shows some unique symbols as well as a number of creative ideas. That’s not to say the gameplay is very experimental, as a slot it very much fits the standard gameplay most people prefer.
The game features a 5-reel, 3-row playing field that is populated with both high-paying symbols and low-paying card letters. Everything is made to look like it would belong in some mage’s tower. Especially the high-paying symbols add to this idea well, with scrolls and tomes that look the part. The Wilds are also beautifully animated when part of a win.
The background is largely obscured by the playing field and when there’s a win on one of the 20 paylines the coin win is splayed across the entire screen. This does help to keep a good track of what you’re winning and how much you have won. I thought the reels also do a nice job at keeping the pace, not lingering on the wins too long before you are able to resume.
Aurum Codex has a number of interesting symbols as described above, making the game feel like it fits the mystical setting it is based in. The symbols are colourful in the same way, using a lot of gold and metallic tones to help the alchemy angle of the game. There are also some animations that play, such as the Wild tome opening up or the wins being shown on the screen with lit-up tiles. Unfortunately, the background is not animated as far as I could tell.
When it comes to its volatility, the game is not very forthcoming with wins during the base game. I found my funds to rapidly drop and never really have a chance to recover at all. In fact, the only big wins I got were during the free spins mode, which was very difficult to trigger. If you are a casual player that enjoys seeing some organic wins now and then, I would not recommend playing this game.
If you’re a power player you might get something more out of this. The volatility really shows itself during the free spins mode. Players can adjust the risk they take somewhat by picking a bet between $0.10 and $20. The maximum jackpot you might be able to walk away with is 4,000x your bet. This is pretty low when comparing it to other slots with similar volatility, and it is obviously unlikely that you’ll hit at all.
When it comes to the symbols in the game, they are from most to least important:
Aurum Codex doesn’t have a lot of features but it does adjust them somewhat to make them more interesting. The main feature here is the Wild, which can act in several different ways to make bigger wins more likely. Unfortunately, in my experience, this barely happened.
The Wilds clearly are a big part of the slot and they do appear quite frequently. They can only appear on reels 1 and 5 so their associated abilities are more likely to trigger. For example, every Wild will be sticky for one spin and it is more likely that there will be a wild on the same row on both reels 1 and 5 at the same time.
That’s not to say it happens often, but when it does it will automatically activate the maximum five-of-a-kind win that the game offers for its normal symbols. This is only a slight comfort since it is hard to achieve anyway.
When it comes to the free spins, don’t count on seeing that pop up very often. Although the free spins symbol will appear quite frequently, there is usually only a single one at a time. Getting 3 on the screen will prove almost impossible. Be sure to set your bets low enough to be able to play for a long time in order for the game to have the opportunity to activate this mode.
In my experience, even when activating it I did not always get the biggest wins since the Wilds are required to do this and they are not more likely to appear. Players that enjoy high volatility might not mind, but I think it will prove to be a strain for normal players.
Bonus type: No Deposit, Low Wagering, Free Play, Sign Up, Free Money, Welcome Bonus, Registration
Min Deposit: No Deposit
Bonus type: Coupon, Code, Welcome Bonus, Registration, Sign Up, Deposit Bonus, First Deposit Bonus
Min Deposit: $10
Wagering: 60x
Aurum Codex is a slot with an interesting name and suitably interesting design choices. Unfortunately, it gets snowed under a bit by the very harsh volatility. Players that enjoy pretty-looking slots might want to give it a try to get a sense of the atmosphere but will likely not stick around.
Power players that are desperate for this kind of gameplay will have a great time here. The game does not shy away from its volatility and actually seems to really enjoy spacing out these features that might grant a big win.
Since the game also does not offer a big jackpot, I am curious how long even high rollers will stick around for this slot, as the reward does not seem to be up to the challenge. There are better slots out there that can reward their high volatility with suitably high jackpots.
