Castle of Fire

Castle of Fire Slot Review

Slot Provider: Pragmatic Play

RTP: 96.01% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 8,000x

Our Score: 8.2

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WHY YOU CAN TRUST THIS REVIEW: The information and opinions on this page are the result of an comprehensive process of information gathering and live game testing by the gambling experts who work at allslotsites.com. Find out more here.

About Castle of Fire

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 17th December 2023

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

Castle of Fire is a 6 reel slot from Pragmatic Play set in a kingdom of volcanoes and fire. It is a win ways game with a high volatility rating and an 8,000x maximum win. Mystery Symbols are central to the gameplay, all transforming into ONE identical pay symbol when they land as well as splitting into 2 or 3 to give you more win ways. The free spins round guarantees you 12 spins where Mystery Symbols stick for the full feature, giving you the chance to score more wins each time. Spins start at 20p per play.

This slot is released on 11th January 2024. You can find more new Pragmatic Play slots for January 2024 here.

Castle of Fire Game Information

  • RTP: 96.01% | 95.03% | 93.99%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 8,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 6
  • Rows: 3
  • Paylines: 729 and upwards
  • Minimum Stake: £0.20
  • Theme: Fantasy
  • Features: Splitting Mystery Symbols, Free Spins, Sticky Mystery Symbols

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Castle of Fire

IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.

Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers

I played 200 spins on Castle of Fire on Pragmatic Play’s test server before it was released to test the game. This is what happened.

  • Stake Size: $1
  • Start balance: $100,000
  • End balance: $100,240.50
  • Hit Rate: 15% (30 winning spins in 200)
  • Biggest Win: 232.5x
  • Free Spins Round: 3
  • Session Time: 20 minutes 09 seconds

This was an interesting session, not least because they free spins round triggered 3 times. Unusual for a high variance slot, but anything can happen of course. Before we get to that, the hit rate was 15% for me. That was just 30 winning spins in 200 which isn’t great. Normally you expect 20% to 25%. As for the all important Mystery Symbols, they dropped on 17 spins (8.5%), splitting on about half those occasions. The biggest win from a Mystery Symbol spin outside the bonus round was a 13.5x shown below where 2 Mystery Symbols split into 2 and 3 10s to complete win ways across reels 1 to 4. Not a huge win, but you can see there this could go if higher value symbols were chosen.

A 13.5x win from Castle of Fire
A 13.5x win from 2 splitting Mystery Symbols – reels 2 and 3

The free spins round was excellent. This is where the Mystery Symbols become much more powerful. I scored wins of 46x, 59.5x and 232.5x – shown below – across the 3 rounds. For the biggest of the 3 I had 10 Mystery Symbols across all 6 reels for the final spin. Impressive stuff and shows how lucrative this feature can be.

A 232.5x win in Castle of Fire
A 232.5x win from free spins in testing

What We Liked

  • Mystery Symbols split into 2 or 3 when they reveal their pay symbol
  • Mystery Symbols stick in the free spins round
  • Unusual fantasy-theme with fire and volcanoes
  • Minimum of 729 win ways per spin
  • High volatility for fans of high risk slots play

What We Didn't like

  • Lowest RTP is 93.99% - check at your casino before you play
  • Only 2 gameplay features

Castle of Fire Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 8
  • RTP and Variance 8
  • Maximum Win 7
  • Symbols and Paytable 9
  • Features and Gameplay 9

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"A surprisingly good game where Mystery Symbols are front and center and become very powerful in free spins where they stick to give you a real chance of huge payouts"

Overall Score: 8.2

Theme & Design

Our Score 8

A Dramatic, Fantasy-Themed Game Set In A Kingdom of Fire and Volcanoes

Castle of Fire is a fantasy-themed game set in what looks like a volcanic kingdom with bubbling lava in the foreground and a looming gothic castle lit up by flames in the background, with an ethereal soundtrack to set the scene. The skies are a dramatic mix of gold, red and black. I can’t think of another slot that looks like this, which is never a bad thing. The reels are populated with a firey-haired woman, crowns, potions and (for some reason) wolves and panthers. If you like fantasy gaming, chances are you’ll like this slot.

Castle of Fire by Pragmatic Play
Castle of Fire – fantasy slots play in a volcanic kingdom

RTP and Variance

Our Score 8

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

Castle of Fire has three available RTP settings – 96.01%, 95.03% and 93.99%. This is standard practice on Pragmatic Play games and whilst there is not that much between the 3 settings – you wouldn’t notice it over 200 spins for example – you should always try to play at the maximum RTP for best return on your wagering. You can check the RTP at your chosen slot site when you load up the game by hitting the ‘i’ button below the reels.  I recommend playing at MrQ from Lindar Media who always run slots at max RTP and Barz Casino from White Hat Gaming, who mostly run slots at the max RTP.

This is another high variance slot from Pragmatic – rated 5/5 on their own scale – so it will be volatile with unpredictable payouts. However, it can pay big on occasions too. It’s high risk for high reward.

Maximum Win

Our Score 7

What Is Maximum Win?

Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.  

The maximum payout in one spin on Castle of Fire is 8,000x. That isn’t bad for this studio, though in today’s market its under average. But if you want better potential then check our list of Pragmatic Play slots with the highest maximum wins.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 9

This is a 6 reel slot with 3 rows per reel. Importantly, it’s a win ways slot rather than a payline slot. That means you will score wins when 3 or more identical symbols land on adjacent reels, regardless of their row, from left to right, starting at the left-most reel.

Castle of Fire Paytable
The paytable with 8x for 6 top value premium symbols

That means you have 729 win ways on every spin (3x3x3x3x3x3).

Symbol values are average, maxing out at 8x for 6 premiums. There are 11 symbols in all. The low value ones are the runestones with card symbols 10, jack, queen, king and ace on them. These are valued at from 1x for 3 10s up to 3x for 6 10s. The premiums are the bottle, the ring, the crown, the wolf, the panther and the woman. These are valued at from 2x for 3 bottles up to 8x for 6 of the woman.

There are NO wilds in this game. However, the scatter symbol represented by a castle, triggers the free spins round and gets you a payout of 2x, 15x, 100x or 500x for 3, 4, 5 or 6 appearing anywhere on the reels.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 9

In an unusual twist, Pragmatic Play have made the humble mystery symbol into the headline act in Castle of Fire (besides the free spins round of course). Here is how it works.

Mystery Symbols Increase The Win Ways

Firstly, when Mystery Symbols land on the reels they ALL burn up then turn into the same pay symbol to increase your chance of completing win ways. But the major difference between this and other Mystery Symbol features in slots is that these symbols may split into 2 or even 3, thereby increasing the number of win ways in play.

Castle of Fire Mystery Symbols
2 Mystery Symbols in the base game

12 Free Spins With STICKY Mystery Symbols

The other feature is the Free Spins round. This is triggered by landing 3 or more of the scatters that display a castle on them. This gets you 12 spins. But now, the Mystery Symbols stick for the full round AND change their symbol and MAY split into 2 or 3 of that symbol on EVERY spin.

3 Scatters in Castle of Fire
3 Scatters landing to trigger free spins in testing

There are no re-triggers for free spins but with those Mystery Symbols doing their thing and 12 spins guaranteed each time the round triggers, there is good potential here.

The Final Verdict

Who would have thought the humble Mystery Symbol could be such a powerful feature in a slot? In most games it feels like an afterthought but here in both base game and free spins round it takes centre stage and turns Castle of Fire into something distinctive and thrilling. The volatility is high, and testing suggests the hit rate may be low, but if you can be patient, there is a real chance of hitting a true blockbuster payout when Mystery Symbols land on adjacent reels for you. In conclusion, on paper I didn’t think Castle of Fire had much going for it, but it is a surprisingly good game and a confident start to 2024 for Pragmatic Play.

Useful Tips When Playing Castle of Fire

Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.

1. Look To Land Mystery Symbols on EVERY Reel in Free Spins

The trick to hitting a very high score in free spins is landing Mystery Symbols on ALL reels. That will guarantee you a win on each of your free plays. And if they transform into the same high value symbol and they split too – the payout could be huge!

2. Play With A Low Stake

To start, I recommend playing this slot with a low stake, maybe even the minimum of 20p per spin. Remember, it is highly volatile so you may have to ride out some tough spells before you hit the free spins round.

3. Always Check The RTP

Remember to check the RTP on the game info screen before you spin to be sure you are getting value for money. Don’t ever play at the 93.99% settting. It’s too low and other casinos will run at 95.03% or 96.01% which is better.

4. Play At Licensed Slot Sites

We have recommended the slot sites on this page because they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission so they operate safe, fair and secure slots which have been fully tested and audited by 3rd party testing houses. Never play at unlicensed sites.

 

Who Made Castle of Fire?

  • Name: Pragmatic Play
  • Established: 2015
  • UK License: Remote 046683-R-325951-014
  • Total Games: 500 +
  • Known For: Wide range of themes and styles, live casino including gameshow formats, and bingo
  • Popular Slots: Fruit Party, Dog House Megaways, Big Bass Bonanza, Release the Kraken
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