Storm Queens Slots
Many slot machines are based on gods and deities from cultures around the world. These powerful beings infuse a game with a sense of wonder and awe, and often do a great job setting up an obvious theme for a title. In some cases, companies will even create their own original mythical gods in order to set the scene for their latest releases.
That’s exactly what’s going on with Storm Queens by Aristocrat. This series of four games feature four godlike women who have powers over various types of storms, giving players multiple ways to enjoy the same action style. With stacked symbols and a massive middle icon that can cover the entirety of three reels, it’s easy to score a big win seemingly out of nowhere on any single spin.
Four of a Kind
The Storm Queens video slots are a series of four different games that offer similar gameplay but diverse theming. Aristocrat released these titles in 2014, with each game focusing on a different “storm:” There is a Frost Queen, a Sand Queen, the Flame Queen, and the Thunder Queen machine. Each of these offers can be found at a variety of land-based casino venues.
Each machine has five reels and 40 paylines presented over a rather standard 3x5 layout. You can often find these offered as penny slots, making them ideal for low limit players; the minimum bet in these cases is just 40 cents, though the max bet can be set much higher, of course. The object of the game, as usual, is to match symbols across the paylines from left to right. For smaller wins, you can match card rank symbols ranging from tens through aces. The high-paying symbols vary depending on which version of this game you are playing, but are generally based on various animals and creatures that vaguely fit the theme: for instance, in the Storm Queens machine, you’ll be matching phoenixes, horses, polar bears, and wild cats, with the queen herself serving as the top paying icon.
Riders on the Storm
When you play Storm Queens, you’ll want to take a lookout for a couple of different special icons that can show up on the reels. First, there are the game logos, which act as wild symbols. These can appear during normal play and in bonus rounds, and substitute for any other standard symbol to help complete winning paylines.
The most interesting action, however, is based on the large symbols that appear over the middle three reels. While this area of the screen can play out normally, it is also possible that you’ll hit a 3x3 symbol that covers this whole area – essentially acting as an expanding symbol that can cover nine positions and lead to some massive wins on some or all of your paylines.
The most important expanded symbol you can hit here is the jewel, which activates the free spins bonus round. When this occurs, players have the option of choosing between five different bonus games, which offer between four and 10 free spins. Each of these options comes with a different stacked symbol that will appear way more on the reels, with higher value symbols coming with fewer free games.
A Queen’s Ransom
The Storm Queens video slots are a welcome addition to any collection of casino slot machines. Gamblers who enjoy a lot of volatility may not fall in love with these games, however: even the biggest payouts tend to be fairly modest, though they hit often, making this a low variance game. That said, the ability to choose between several versions of the free spins game means that it’s possible for players to adjust the volatility just a bit based on their preferences.
In terms of general gameplay, however, this is a machine that should appeal to almost any player. We love the huge symbols that appear at the center of the screen, as they add a lot of excitement and long winning lines whenever they show up. They’re not all that rare, either, which means that you’re likely to encounter them even in a short session. If you’re a fan of consistent payouts and high-energy presentations, these games will likely appeal to your tastes.
