Sahara Nights (Yggdrasil Gaming): Overview
At this point, we've seen enough takes on the
Aladdin-inspired story to know game developers don't 💋 always concern themselves with
breaking out of the mold. It's perfectly understandable though - classics are classics
for a reason. 💋 In other words, if it works, why fix it? It should come as no surprise
that Yggdrasil Gaming's visit to 💋 the world of flying magical carpets and spiritual
creatures, for the most part, is satisfied to colour inside the lines. 💋 However, what
you're getting here is a visual masterpiece and a captivating adventure that could
possibly have spent a bit 💋 more time on the mathematical design.
Open Sesame! In this
first-ever Arabian-themed offering from Yggdrasil Gaming you'll be chasing your wishes
💋 across a 5x3, 20-payline reel set. Medium variance, it comes with magical lamps in the
base game that expand into 💋 mystical genie wilds and a free spins round where up to
three fully stacked sticky wild reels can turn gild 💋 to gold. Use any device, including
iOS and Android, to transport yourself to the Saharan desert and start spinning from
💋 0.20 to €/$100 per spin.
We know we say this in nearly every Yggdrasil Gaming review,
but it's worth mentioning again. 💋 These guys design some of the best looking games in
the industry and Sahara Nights is no exception. In fact, 💋 it's so visually appealing and
atmospheric that we ended up spending far more time testing a game than usual. It's
💋 highly detailed, rich in colour and includes a beautiful string orchestral score that
is a perfect fit for the game. 💋 Set inside the sultan's palace, and with the Arabian
night sky visible in the distance, symbols on the reels include 💋 4 lower-value gemstones
as well as 4 more rewarding picture symbols represented by goblets, daggers, Aladdin
and a princess. The 💋 sultan is by far the most rewarding, giving you 175 times your
stake for a five of a kind combination 💋 - you only need two of him to form a win as
opposed to the other symbols where three are 💋 required. The genie lamp is the wild, it
substitutes for all regular symbols and is of central importance as you 💋 will
discover.
Sahara Nights (Yggdrasil Gaming): Features
Sahara Nights is not the most
feature-packed slot to ever come from Yggdrasil, but those 💋 that are in place are
sufficiently entertaining. First out is the Genie Wild which only appears on the three
central 💋 reels. When part of a winning combination, the genie wild transforms from a
regular wild into a fully stacked wild.
The 💋 Genie Wild feature applies in the Free
Spins game as well which comes into place when you land 3, 4 💋 or 5 storybook scatters
anywhere on the reels - this will give you 8, 12 or 16 free spins respectively 💋 as well
as a 1000x reward if you land all 5 of them. Now, when a Genie Wild hits during 💋 the
bonus, it not only expands as it does in the base game, it also sticks throughout the
feature. If 💋 you land all three of them, 2 extra free spins will be added to your total.
You can also retrigger 💋 the bonus with 2 extra spins by landing 2 storybook scatters
anywhere in view.
Sahara Nights (Yggdrasil Gaming): Verdict
If you're looking 💋 to escape
to a magical place for a while and immerse yourself in a game with excellent visual
presentation, an 💋 outstanding soundtrack and not so brutal volatility, Sahara Nights
should be well suited for you. Hard-core players that are in 💋 for big hits and
fast-paced action will have to look elsewhere, though, as the potential is anything but
exciting.
The fact 💋 that regular symbols don't appear stacked, and seeing that it's only
possible to land sticky wilds on the three central 💋 reels, keeps the game from being as
potent as it could have been. Medium variance, the low potential comes as 💋 no real
surprise, although it's far lower than necessary - in our opinion, at least. The single
top payout will 💋 not be achieved with the help of the standard symbols or even the
sticky wild reels, which can only pay 💋 around 250x per spin by the way, but by landing 5
storybook scatters as mentioned previously.
Sahara Nights is a beautiful 💋 game; there is
no question about that. It's also quite entertaining to play, although, for some, the
experience will undoubtedly 💋 be dampened by its weak potential. All there is left to
hope for now is for your session not to 💋 be as dry as the desert of Sahara huh huh.
