Alchemy Gaming is one of several studios Microgaming has taken under its wing to build a powerful network of game makers and help them compete with the big guys out there, while also constantly enhancing its portfolio of offering.
This young developer was formed in 2019 and has released three slots so far, but judging by what these three offer in terms of design and experience, we can say that we are brimming with excitement for all its projects in the pipeline.
There isn’t much information about the company on its official website, but after a quick dig around, we discovered that it’s based in Durban, South Africa and comprises a fine lot of experienced developers and mathematicians whose talent can easily rival competition from much larger studios.
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The games creator says that it places great emphasis on mathematics to make sure that its slots offer a good balance of bigger and smaller wins and that it doesn’t take a whole eternity before players land a win.
But without further ado, let’s look into what makes it such a promising developer and why its existing games should definitely be given a try by players of all experience levels, while its future releases are something to look out for.
A Vital Partnership
Microgaming added Alchemy Gaming to its network of indie game makers shortly after the studio was launched. The move came as part of the gambling software giant’s continued effort to team up with up-and-coming content creators and spearhead their growth, while also making sure to infuse its already bustling library with new experiences and supply those to its network of operator partners and their players.
Introducing the newest member adopted into its family of independent game makers, the company praised its “varied collective of multi-talented professionals” who boast wealth of experience in the online gaming industry and represent “just the right blend of passion and drive for creating quality online games.”
The major provider’s CEO, John Coleman, said of their then new partner that it would “add a quirky edge to our portfolio” and that its “scientific approach to game development” would produce “some brilliant features and visually impactful artwork”, which are core elements in a good casino game.
Continued Focus on Innovation
With mathematics at its core and being driven by multi-talented professionals, the studio seems to have the ingredients to create the gold standard in online casino experiences, which is exactly what it says it is striving for.
The company currently has only three slots in its armoire, but their varied themes, features, and overall feel really indicate that it has the potential to produce and present the gambling world with a wide gamut of content (fingers crossed that happens soon). We are set to say a bit more about the three titles in a very short while, but first let’s look into what drives the studio to do what it does.
Inventive, quirky, and calculated…
… is what the professionals behind Alchemy Gaming like to describe themselves as. They say they live to create and experiment in order to find the perfect balance between “player experience and win potential.”
They are a quirky bunch of gaming people who all share a love for discovering novel mechanics and harness them into their products for “the freshest gaming experiences.”
And finally, they are driven by passion, but guided by data and science. By the looks of it, the company’s game builders might be breathing a little bit of magic into their slots, but solid mathematics and mechanics are what actually makes these worth an online casino aficionado’s time and attention.
A Promising Suite
Some independent developers manage to muster up their creative juices and powers to quickly assemble fairly large portfolios in hopes for a quick growth and a smoother leap into the big league of casino games making. Don’t expect this from Microgaming’s partners.
Most of them take things one step at a time. Alchemy Gaming has, too, embraced this approach. And while creativity never stops flowing and muses always whisper a good lot of ideas at the studio’s development hubs, it has rolled out just three games so far.
Its first title – Wheel of Wishes – was equipped with a progressive jackpot mechanic that appealed so much to players that Microgaming has incorporated it in several other titles.
The slot had its debut in February 2020. Set against the backdrop of the hot sands of Arabia, it features five reels and three rows, with 10 paylines crisscrossing the reels. It combines low-paying card symbols with higher-paying ones that include potions, chests chock-full of treasure, and a genie lamp, and match the overall Aladdin-y/Arabian Nights feel of the game.
The Wild symbol is the highest-paying one and offers back 50 times the stake for five of a kind. It also substitutes for all symbols on the reels except the Scatter.
The RTP is rather on the low side at 93.34% (92.24% when Power Mode is on), but that should not be entirely unexpected for a game of this kind.
Wheel of Wishes is a progressive jackpot slot and was actually the first one in Microgaming’s WowPot jackpot network. The game comes with four jackpots that seed at €10, €100, €50,000, or €2,000,000 (we use EUR for display purposes only, multiple other currencies are available).
It has a nice set of special features, but we will talk about these later.
The studio went steep into elvish folklore to draw inspiration for its second game – Goldaur Guardians. Action in this 5×3, 20-payline slot unfolds in an enchanted forest where elves, pixies, and other magical creatures are tasked with protecting a secret door of riches.
The stunning visuals of the game are accompanied by a mystical soundtrack that really evokes dreamy feelings and further elevates the overall experience.
The slot’s low-paying symbols are represented by four different pixies glowing in blue, green, red, and gold. The high-paying symbols are made up by characters the names of which – Alaneo, Lila, Diana, and Oberon, can be found in the paytable. These four can appear in larger 1×2-, 1×3-, and 3×3-sized symbols for bigger wins.
Wilds pay up to 50x the stake and substitute for all symbols except scatters. As for the Scatters, they rank as the highest paying symbols and pay up to 100x the stake for five of a kind.
Goldaur Guardians is a high volatility slot and its RTP sits at 96.36%.
And lastly, Alchemy Gaming reimagined a Microgaming classic and rolled it out in the fall of 2020 as its third game. Reel Gems Deluxe, much like its original version Reel Gems (first released in the early 2010s), allows players to somewhat control their own experience and hunt for specific wins with the Hyperspin feature.
Reel Gems Deluxe has a 5×3 grid layout and 20 fixed paylines. Many would say that the gemstone theme is a bit overused, but the studio has put a lot of effort into making its product visually pleasing. The polished graphics combined with a funky soundtrack kind of create a lively disco vibe that would certainly be a major draw to players who are into more traditional slot experience.
A nice selection of features enhances the gameplay. The low-paying symbols include the cards from J to Ace, while the high-paying ones are represented by blue, green, red, and yellow gems. Large, 3×3 Mega Symbols pop on reels 3, 4, and 5 for a chance at bigger wins.
Unlike the above two games, there is no story unfolding in Reel Gems Deluxe. Yet, the game does offer some interesting features and has average potential for significant wins, so it is still worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of gem-themed titles.
While Alchemy Gaming has a long way to go to cement itself in the industry, its first three products with their excellent graphics, accompanying original music and sounds, captivating storylines, and varied features and bonus games show that the studio has the right ingredients and is on a path that could soon lead to success.
What about the Features?
It’s not about the features, said no slots player ever because they know that it is namely the special features a game is equipped with that unlock the heftiest wins. And here is what Alchemy Gaming’s three existing slots come with.
The WowPot mechanic is the most exciting feature in Wheel of Wishes. It offers four progressive jackpots with the following seed values:
- Mini – seeds at €10
- Minor – seeds at €100
- Major – seeds at €50,000
- WowPot – seeds at €2,000,000
There are two ways to trigger the game’s jackpot feature. The first way involves landing two Scatters anywhere on the grid to unlock a Power Spin. During this mode, giant 3×3 symbols spanning over reels 2, 3, and 4 would land.
Players need the Bonus Wheel icon. If that pops out in view, it instantly gives players the right to spin the Wheel of Wishes Jackpot Bonus. What comes next is remarkably similar to the Mega Moolah jackpot feature. Players are presented with a wheel that is divided into different segments. Smaller jackpots are represented by more segments on the wheel. There is just one segment for the WowPot and it is colored in yellow.
The second way of activating the jackpot feature is by engaging Power Mode. With this mode, every spin of the reels is a Power Spin. Of course, there is a cost to play in power mode and it comes at 10x the stake per Power Spin.
In Goldaur Guardians, several features occur during the base game to boost the slot’s win potential, with Hero Spins and Hyperspins being the ones activated most frequently.
Hyperspins, one of Micorgaming’s signature features, are available on every spin during base game, Once the reels stops, players can respin individual ones. However, this comes at a cost that depends on which reel players want to spin and if they are eyeing high paying symbols. For example, if there are two scatters on the reels and players want to try at landing a third symbol of this kind, this can happen at a hefty price.
During base game, players may also be awarded Hero Spins. In this case, high-paying symbols or stacked wilds could land on reels 1 and 2, while Mega Symbols, sized 3×3, could pop on reels 3, 4, and 5. A meter on the left side of the reels indicates which high-paying symbol is active during this special feature.
When three, four, or five scatter symbols hit the reels, players get 5, 7, or 10 free spins, respectively. In Free Spins mode, the first hero on the meter lights up to indicate that it is active and to stack the first two reels on each and every free spin. Mega Symbols land on reels 3, 4, and 5. When players land a full Retrigger Symbol, the second hero lights up and awards the same number of spins that were originally given.
And finally, Reel Gems Deluxe boasts a somewhat similar selection of features as Goldaur Guardians. For example, the game has Hyperspins, that enable players to decide whether they want to respin a reel of their choice in an attempt to get symbols that would trigger or improve a win. As mentioned above, these re-spins are paid and their cost depends on the odds of hitting a big win.
Radiant Spins is another feature that can be triggered during base game. On a random spin, a high-paying gem symbol could expand across the first two reels. Then a giant, 3×3, symbol could appear to cover reels 3, 4, and 5 and potentially deliver massive payouts.
If the symbol on reels 1 and 2 matches the giant one, players can win:
- Up to 40x their stake for blue gems
- Up to 50x their stake for green gems
- Up to 80x their stake for red gems
- Up to 300x their stake for yellow gems
- Up to 1,000x their stake for Wilds
Last but not least, the Free Spins feature is triggered when 3 or more Scatters land on the reels. Players get 5, 7, or 10 free spins for 3, 4, or 5 Scatter symbols, respectively. The Free Spins game starts with the blue gem stacked on reels 1 and 2, while giant symbols roll onto reels 3, 4, and 5.
When a giant re-trigger symbol lands fully on the last three reels, the radiant trail on the left side of the reels goes up to the next symbol and players are awarded the same number of free spins that they were at the start of the Free Spins mode.
Closing Thoughts
Alchemy Gaming is a young and ambitious studio and looking at its first three titles makes us really excited about what the future holds for the company and the team behind it.
Its products boast stunning visuals and sounds and are packed with features that significantly increase each slot’s win potential. The WowPot is probably the mechanic that we are most drawn to and we cannot wait to see how Microgaming will expand its WowPot jackpots network in the coming years. So far it only includes a slew of slots, but the provider has indicated that more would be added as it grows its range of progressive jackpot games.
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