Oxygen

Oxygen Slot Review

Slot Provider: ELK Studios

RTP: 94% | Variance: Medium-High | Maximum Win: 25,000x

Our Score: 7.2

Play at Grand Ivy Casino
QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | Testing Notes | Tips For Players | About The Developer

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About Oxygen

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 18th July 2024

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.

With features abound, Oxygen by ELK Studios invites you to shoot for a whopping max win of 25,000x your bet. Played on a 6×7 grid with a cluster pays mechanic, you can get started with a minimum stake of just £0.20. The RTP of 94% is a little lower than we’d like to see, but with this much added excitement via 3 types of wilds and multipliers exploding across the grid, as well as free spins, there are plenty of reasons to try out this underwater adventure.

 

Oxygen Game Information

  • Release Date: 20.12.23
  • RTP: 94%
  • Variance: Medium-High
  • Maximum Win: 25,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 6
  • Rows: 7
  • Minimum Stake: £0.20
  • Theme: AnimalsFishing
  • Features: Cascading WinsFree SpinsMultipliersWilds
  • Format: Cluster Pays

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Oxygen

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

Test spins and results analysis by Mark Wadie.

Results from 250 spins with real money on Oxygen at Casumo.

  • Stake Size: £0.2
  • Start balance: £1,016.57
  • End balance: £986.67
  • Win Rate: 36.4% (91 winning spins in 250)
  • Biggest Win: 16.7x
  • Free Spins: 0

In terms of time, you certainly get your money’s worth playing Oxygen. It took close to 40 minutes to play out 250 spins. That’s about twice as long as some games would take. That’s partly down to the high win rate. It’s advertised by ELK as 36% and mine came in at 36.4%, or 91 wins in 250 spins. With each win triggering at least one cascade and occasional multiplier and wild features, things drag out a bit. But although Oxygen may kick out frequent hits, that doesn’t mean a positive net balance of course as most are very small in size. The biggest I saw was a 16.7x in fact.

16x win on Oxygen
Biggest win was 16.7x on a 20p stake

What cluster pays fans will like though is those Wilds and Multipliers. Alongside the cascades, the whole game is built around them. And they show up a lot. The most exciting are probably the Multiplier Dealers that multiply all multipliers around them by their own value. I saw this happen a few times. In one instance the Dealer was persistent and kept triggering. This created high value multipliers all over the top of the grid. The downside is, they don’t aways get used. No cluster, no multiplier activated!

Oxygen Multipliers
Lots of unused multipliers!

Elsewhere, wilds were useful in blasting symbols off the grid and creating further cascades, or replacing X-shapes of symbols with all the same pay symbol. And a few times I landed 2 BONUS symbols but not the third.

Take aways? Oxygen has some good multiplier features and a great win rate but it can also feel slow at times, with plenty of cascades that keep going and going only to end with an anti-climatic payout.

What We Liked

  • Powerful Dealer features that boosts multipliers
  • Big 25,000x max win
  • 3 types of wilds that spread symbols across the grid
  • High win rate at 36%

What We Didn't like

  • Low RTP at 94%
  • Medium-high volatility makes it a grind at times

Oxygen Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 7
  • RTP and Variance 6
  • Maximum Win 8
  • Symbols and Paytable 7
  • Features and Gameplay 8

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"Some clever multiplier and wild features but a slow game at times that seemed to drag in testing"

Overall Score: 7.2

Theme & Design

Our Score 7

Underwater themes are always popular and ELK Studio’s interpretation is bright and brilliant. The background is a dark ocean, with bold corals framing the transparent grid and shipwreck in the background. The symbols are all weird looking deep sea fish in neon colours and its kind of reminiscent of the Reactoonz series of slots.

Oxygen by ELK Studios
Oxygen – weird and wonderful deep sealife!

While it’s not groundbreaking, it is a bold interpretation of the underwater theme and one that’s sure to have plenty of fans.

RTP and Variance

Our Score 6

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.

The RTP of 94% is considerably below what you’d hope for (the accepted average for slots is 96%). And the medium-high volatility means there are likely to be big swings between dry spells and larger wins. So, if you’re on a tight bank balance then Oxygen might not be the wisest choice. However, jackpot hunters won’t find many cluster pays slots with better max wins.

Maximum Win

Our Score 8

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.  

With a top payout of 25,000x your bet, this is a game that will appeal to those hunting for big wins. The RTP and volatility are a pill that has to be swallowed, but for a stab at that max win? We think it’s a fair trade off.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 7

Oxygen is played on a 6×7 grid and has a cluster pays mechanic. This means that you don’t need to match symbols on paylines, but rather need to land at least 5 matching symbols in any combination, as long as they are next to each other either vertically or horizontally. 

Oxygen Paytable
The paytable with 100x for 14 or more top paying premiums

There are 8 pay symbols, plus three different types of wilds and a scatter. The low paying symbols are buoys and pay from 0.1x your bet for 5 symbols, up to 10x the bet for clusters of 14+. The premium symbols are the underwater creatures which pay from 1x your bet for 5 symbols, up to 100x the bet for 14+  symbols.

Interestingly, symbols can also appear in different sizes. So, instead of filling a 1×1 tile on the grid, they can land in 2×2, 3×3 or 4×4 size. This doesn’t have an effect on the payout, they just act as the equivalent number of symbols.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 8

Oxygen is bursting with interesting features that really bring this game to life. For those who like unusual mechanics, and lots of them, this is a game not to be missed.`

Wilds

There are three different types of wild symbol in the game. When it comes to making wins, they can substitute for any regular pay symbol. You can also make wins exclusively using wilds and these payout at the same value as the highest paying symbol – i.e. 100x for 14 or more in a cluster!

One thing we know for sure from our test session is that these show up frequently, but often without triggering a win!

Regular Wilds

Regular Wilds just substitute for pay symbols to complete clusters. 

Exploding Wilds

The exploding wild only activates when it is part of a winning cluster. When it activates it explodes all symbols in an X shape surrounding it. This triggers all other features that are within the boundaries of the X shape.

X-Blaster Wild

The third and final type of wild is the X-Blaster wild. This triggers only when it’s part of a win too. It replaces all of one type of symbol within that same X-shape with a higher value pay symbol from the table. And if any features are within the X, these are also triggered. And finally, if a symbol is triggered by multiple X-Blasters it turns into a wild. 

Blaster Wild in Oxygen
A Blaster Wild

Multipliers 

When you make the first win anywhere on the grid, then a bubble appears on that position, signifying a 1x multiplier. Then, if you make more wins on the same position, then the number in the bubble doubles. In fact, every time you make a win on this same position, the multiplier doubles, up to a maximum multiplier of 2,048x. The values are wiped between ‘normal’ spins, but remain in free spins mode, which is pretty handy. 

Multiplier Strike

At any point, a multiplier feature can strike, with three different options. The first is the Multiplier Strike. This puts a random selection of multipliers on the grid.

Multiplier Collect

This can only when a multiplier spot is part of a winning cluster. It collects all multiplier views adjacent to its position and adds them to its own. Multiplier Collects may be persistent which means they keep collecting with every subsequent cascade, so you can build some tasty values.

Multiplier Dealer

This feature – our favourite – multiplies all multiplier values with the value shown on them (at least x2). The multipliers it does this to are in a vertical or horizontal V shape. It activates only when part of a winning cluster. Multiplier Dealers can be persistent too, meaning they keep triggering with every subsequent cascade.

Free Spins Game

Finally, the bonus round. If you land 3 scatters then you enter the bonus game with 10 free spins. Here, multipliers are persistent so they stick between spins and between cascades. That gives you the chance to build some really nice multiplier potential.

And … if you hit two or three scatters within the bonus game, then you get an extra three or five spins respectively.

Super Bonus Game

If you land three scatters and have a persistent multiplier feature then 10 super bonus spins are triggered. In the super bonus game all standard multipliers are persistent and at least one multiplier feature is persistent as well. The same rule applies for landing scatters. 

The Final Verdict

Sure, the 94% RTP stings a little, but there’s so much to like about this game. If you’re into fascinating features and unusual mechanics then there are lots of treats to unpack here. The 25,000x max win is seriously sizeable and the graphics are great too. If you’ve got a little bit of bankroll that you’re not afraid to blast through and a hankering for some underwater action, then this game is a solid choice.

Useful Tips When Playing Oxygen

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 For Multiplier Dealers

These boost the value of nearby multipliers to potentially high values. If they are persistent they remain active for subsequent cascades.

2. X-Blaster Wilds Are Powerful

Look for these symbols that spread identical high value pay symbols in an X-shape across the grid. They are good at helping to build clusters.

3. Play At A Low Stake

It’s always good advice to play at low stakes with volatile slots like this one. It can burn down your balance with little return at times. Minimum stake is 20p.

4. Play At Our Recommended Slot Sites

We have chosen the sites on this page because they all scored high in our reviews and they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. That makes them fair and safe places to play slots.

Who Made Oxygen?

  • Name: ELK Studios
  • Established: 2013
  • UK License: 40844
  • Total Games: 60 +
  • Known For: Amazing artwork, wide choice of themes and styles
  • Popular Slots: Avalon Gold, Dropz, Nitropolis, Wild Toro
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