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Staff Writer
The Vault online slot is a high volatility, 5x3 reel, 20 payline slot from Microgaming. Get in on the heist with an expert cat burglar named Jewel as she infiltrates a Parisian art gallery vault to loot a giant pink gem. The scene is set very well with the animated titular character standing in the background behind opaque reels. The floor is riddled with laser sensors that form an integral part of the gameplay and the chosen art style and music are reminiscent of spy novels and movies.
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The game symbols are simple yet impactful with strategically chosen animations to enhance your sensory experience. This slot even includes an animated cut scene when you trigger the bonus game. The gameplay has its share of intriguing eccentricities with free spins and respins being the main features. This title is playable across all devices, you can bet as little as 0.20 or as much as 20.00.
If 2 scatter symbols appear anywhere on the reels, they begin to glow and lock in place, triggering a respin. Each successive spin where you land another scatter will trigger an additional respin, giving you the chance to build up a string of winning combinations. Each scatter symbol extinguishes one of the laser beams blocking your path which leads into the next bonus feature.
If you manage to successfully land a scatter symbol on all the reels, you will trigger free spins. The screen switches to an animated scene where Jewel sprints towards her target, the pink dawndiamond. You will receive 10 free spins and a 3x multiplier upfront. A modified game grid appears where the central reel has been changed into a permanent wild stack so that most spins will at least create a winning combination. Additional 1x and 1+ symbols can appear on the reels while this feature is active and will increase your multiplier by 1 as well as giving you an extra free spin respectively. There is no limit as to how many extra free spins you can trigger and this feature is where you can realize the game's maximum potential of 5000x your stake.
Microgaming has created something quite different and exciting With The Vault slot, however certain gameplay aspects dampen the slot's energy. First off the design of the slot is head and shoulders above most of its competition in this particular genre. Jewel herself isn't just a static figure, changing her stance as you spin and getting more screen time during the cut scenes before and after you activate the free spins feature.
The overall design makes you feel like you've been thrust into the climactic chapter of a crime noir novel and gets your heart racing in all the right ways. The gameplay is similarly well-thought-out. The Dual-purpose scatter symbol allows for a seamless transition between the base and bonus games, however getting to free spins can be a time and bankroll consuming challenge.
With no big payouts outside the bonus game, you may be left with a bit of a sour taste in your mouth if you spend a chunk of your money without getting the chance at a big payoff. The RTP is 96% which helps with the game's high volatility and winning combinations are fairly regular in the base game, with scatter respins adding value to the experience.
The Vault is a combination of great ideas and an excellent example of what a well-conceived slot looks like in action. If you can look past the little minor faults in the gameplay, you should fully enjoy this and come back for more.
