Cygnus Four

Cygnus 4 Slot Review

Telescopes at the ready, it’s time to go stargazing with our Cygnus 4 review. Focus your attention on the clear night sky and you might discover a 50,000x reward.

Keep reading to learn more, as we turn our lens to the fourth installment of this popular ELK Studios series. Find out how the Multiplier Pillar works, as well as the Avalanche feature and Free Drops bonus.

Cygnus 4 Details, RTP and Volatility

Let’s begin our Cygnus 4 review with an overview of its key characteristics. A highly-volatile slot, there’s a potential win of 50,000x for the luckiest of players. Spin the reels from just $0.20 per play, with a decent maximum bet of $100.

It may not seem so at first glance, but this unorthodox slot uses a 6×4 grid. However, as you play, the maximum number of rows expands, resulting in a maximum of 262,144 ways to win.

Unfortunately, the game’s RTP is just 94.00%, which feels more like a slot you might find at social casinos. Not only is this well below average, it’s a far cry from the 96.10% offered by the first Cygnus title.

Theme & Graphics in Cygnus 4

It’s not entirely clear what the theme is in Cygnus 4, which is also true of previous releases. They’re set all over the world, with the only common motif the Cygnus constellation visible in the sky. However, this muddled theme doesn’t seem to be preventing the developer from churning out more new slots in this series.

There are no references to London in this game, but the backdrop looks similar to The Mall, which leads to Buckingham Palace. The moon and stars, including Cygnus, partially illuminate the picturesque cityscape, with an impressive-looking building sitting front and center. Finally, the soundtrack is suitably relaxing, almost meditative.

Cygnus 4 Slot Features

Okay, it’s time to dig deeper into our Cygnus 4 review and look at the game’s symbols and features.

Regular Symbols

There are seven ordinary symbols in the Cygnus 4 slot. Match between three and six of the red, green and blue jewels to secure returns ranging from 0.05x to 0.2x your bet.

Three of the four higher-paying symbols are mythical beasts. Connect six sea serpents, unicorns and griffins to collect 0.3x, 0.4x and 0.5x respectively. Finally, the Eye of Providence is by far the most rewarding symbol, with rewards of up to 10x whenever you match six.

Wilds

Like most video slots, there’s a wild symbol here. It’s a gold-colored “W” on a gray background which can substitute for any regular symbol to create wins.

Avalanche

Symbols involved in a winning combination blow up, clearing the way for new ones to fall in. Before this happens, an extra row is added, something which continues for every subsequent avalanche. The maximum number of rows is eight.

Multiplier Symbol

A symbol with an “X” on a purple background increases the multiplier level, seen on a column to the left of the grid.

Every time one hits the bottom row or leftmost reel, the active multiplier jumps one rung up the ladder. Any subsequent wins earned during that spin are increased accordingly. However, the multiplier resets at the end of the round.

Level Up Symbol

The cog-shaped symbol also affects the Multiplier Pillar beside the playing grid. Should one of these make it to the bottom row or leftmost column, the pillar rotates, revealing higher multipliers. There are three levels in total.

Free Drops Symbol

The game’s scatter features a gold design that’s broadly in the shape of the Cygnus constellation. A pinkish-red jewel sits in the middle. Should it hit the bottom row of reels two through six, it reappears at the top of the adjacent column, moving leftwards.

Once it reaches the leftmost column, seven Free Drops are triggered. During this bonus feature, multipliers will not reset until the entire round is complete.

X-iter

This trademark feature of ELK Studios slots is like a traditional bonus buy on steroids. Players have multiple options available, which are as follows:

• Bonus Hunt: Pay 3x the stake for a single spin with an increased chance of activating the Free Drops bonus.
• Level 3: A single drop for 10x with the Multiplier Pillar starting at level three.
• Multiplier Wilds: Play one spin for 25x where the multiplier symbol is also wild.
• Buy Bonus: A standard bonus buy, where 100x gets you seven Free Drops.
• Super Bonus: Pay 500x to play the Free Drops bonus with wild multipliers.

How to Play Cygnus 4 Online

This is essentially a 6×4 slot, but due to the hexagonal nature of the base, the rows don’t lie flat. As a result, they can fall sideways onto neighboring reels during the Avalanche feature. Ultimately though, you’re still trying to match symbols on a payline, with a minimum of three required to win a prize.

Avalanches cause additional rows to form, with up to eight possible. This causes the number of paylines to rise from 4,096 to a maximum of 262,144. Forcing special symbols to the bottom row triggers various bonus features, including the Free Drops game. This is your best hope of securing the maximum potential win of 50,000x.

Try the Cygnus 4 Demo for Free before playing for real money

If you’re looking to play real money slots, it’s unwise to jump in without fully understanding what you’re up against. Be sure to practice first using our free Cygnus 4 game. This way, you’ll get to grips with its unusual features and rules before risking any cash.

Cygnus 4 Review – Our Final Verdict

There’s a lot going on in this slot, so you may need to play the demo for a while before things click into place. What’s more, the high level of volatility means you might not see any notable wins until triggering the Free Drops feature.

It’s certainly worth sticking with it though, as it’s a pretty enjoyable slot to play — especially when utilizing the X-iter bonuses. That 50,000x max win is pretty tempting, and it’s a thrill to watch the multiplier values increase towards that top prize.

However, it’s a real shame that the RTP seems to be decreasing with every iteration of the Cygnus series. 94.00% is unacceptably low for a video slot these days, and that fact takes the shine off an otherwise entertaining game.

Similar Slot Games

Loved this Cygnus 4 review? Get a load of these similar titles.

• Cygnus: A 6-reel slot with a 96.10% RTP and a top prize of 5,000x, this was the first title in the ELK Studios series. 
• Cygnus 2: The sequel features a reduced RTP of 95.00%, but a significantly increased maximum potential win of 50,000x.
• Bubble Craze: Line up colored bubbles in this 96.20% RTP slot by IGT and you could secure a return of 10,000x.