By Betsoft
RTP 96.03%
Min bet $0.10
Max bet $10
Max Win bet x 84147
Popularity Medium
Min bet $0.10
Max bet $10
Max Win bet x 84147
Gamble Feature Buy bonus game, Number of jackpots, Random bonus game, Wilds, Freespins
Layout 5x3
Devices Support all devices
Configurable Winlines No
Volatility Medium
Progressive Jackpot Yes
Faerie Spells lets us step into a mythical forest filled with all sorts of fantastical creatures, including a family of fairies.
Starting up Faerie Spells we find ourselves in the middle of a dark forest, surrounded by lush foliage so thick we can’t even see the sky. The 5 reels, 10-payline playing field is filled with different faeries, mysterious treemen, whisps and hand-drawn high card symbols.
This slot was released in 2018 by developer Betsoft who has explored mythical forests before with Enchanted and Once Upon A Time. While those two were more aimed at the fairytale side of things, Faerie Spells instead shows us an enchanted forest that might as well be real.
As much as I like the art in Faerie Spells I can’t help but be disappointed by the lack of energy the slot has. None of the symbols are animated and instead, they light up when they’re on a winning payline. The background is also completely static which results in a very dry visual experience.
At the same time, the screen looks very busy because of the high amount of detail each symbol has, which makes it look cluttered and lacks oversight. We end up with a rather boring looking game that forces our eyes to constantly try and focus on the different details.
Luckily the soundtrack makes up for a lot of it with its aetherial, other-worldly sound. It’s slow and mysterious, staying largely low-key as I make my spins. Only when I triggered the Free Spins phase did it pick up, switching to a more triumphant upbeat song.
Faerie Spells is pretty unique in that it has two different sets of symbols, one for the base game and one for the Free Spins phase. I’ll start with the base game symbols:
When you get 3 or more Faerie Queens on-screen at the same time, or you use the Buy Feature to trigger it manually, the Free Spins phase begins. Here, you are presented with a completely new set of symbols:
Finally, the Free Spins phase also has 4 different symbols that can drop which do not have their own value but add to the jackpot counter. Each symbol has its own jackpot counter and needs a different number of symbols to drop to fill that counter.
As you can see that’s a lot of different symbols, which didn’t help my earlier assessment of cluttering up the screen and making things difficult to focus on.
I think Betsoft went overboard with this game. There are two different types of symbols for no real reason. Then there’s the additional tracker for the 4 jackpots without that being connected to the rest of the game. Every time I gained free spins I had to start filling up the trackers all over again, losing all progress when running out of free spins. It felt futile to even try and as a result, I barely paid attention to that aspect of the game.
All these symbols I just listed obviously have a purpose, which is how I get to the features. In the base game, Faerie Spells has the following:
If you’re familiar with Betsoft slots, these features shouldn’t be too surprising. The Buy Feature is a good way to skip the base game and go straight to the Free Spins phase but it does mean you have to make your initial cost back first! I used it regularly while playing but in my experience, it only rarely paid off.
The Magic Toadstool feature was very poorly explained. At first, I thought they only payout when there is a Faerie Queen but that’s not the case. They act as normal symbols if there isn’t a Faerie Queen on-screen. When there is a Faerie Queen, however, each Magic Toadstool regardless of their position or any paylines will grant you a win.
It felt very unnecessary and complicated, and I had to dive into the paytable portion of the game to figure out exactly how it worked. Unfortunately, the end result is a feature that’s mostly underwhelming. If you can’t tell, this game left me largely feeling cold.
Free Spins Phase
Now we finally made it to the Free Spins phase, either through organic play or by using the Bonus Feature. The screen changes slightly to show us 4 vials on the side of the screen. These vials keep track of the number of Riches we collect. With every symbol of a particular colour, the related vial fills up. Whoever manages to get the required number of symbols before their Free Spins run out, wins the associated jackpot.
Mind you, this all happens concurrently with the usual Free Spins gameplay. This phase has original symbols that I listed above as well as 1024 paylines. As impressive as that sounds, I found the Free Spins phase lacklustre when it came to wins. When I used the Buy Feature I would rarely make the cost back at all, let alone get many Riches symbols.
Compare this to another Betsoft slot, ChilliPop, where I would use the Buy Feature almost all the time because it was way more lucrative.
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
Faerie Spells isn’t necessarily a bad slot but it is surpassed by many other games, including other Betsoft games. It looks very pretty when it’s not spinning but while playing I would get frustrated by the cluttered appearance. The soundtrack did help in setting the mood and it would be the one thing I really commend the creators for.
There are many features in this game but they don’t work well together. The Magic Toadstool is an example of something that was added to the game without really serving any purpose.
I think my biggest disappointment was the Free Spins phase. A game with Medium Volatility should have a Free Spins phase that offers a balance to the base game, but that almost never happened for me. Often I would use the Buy Feature for 25 free spins and make back less than half the upfront cost. Obviously this is random, but I didn’t feel the game offered enough excitement besides that to stick around for. To augment your experience you can choose a bet between $0.10 and $10 per spin.
This is an example game of ‘less is more’. The creators overflowed the game with mechanics that barely work together, resulting in a pretty frustrating mess of different things to learn that in the end have very little to do with each other.
I would say Faerie Spells is for players that enjoy a beautifully drawn but static slot with loads of features they can bite their teeth into, even though none of these features really make an impact. As it stands, the game pales in comparison to other Betsoft slots.
