5 Elements Slots
5 Elements is a non-progressive GameArt video slot spread over five reels. Rather than traditional paylines, the title offers players 243 ‘ways to win’, and as such, the action is as fast as lightning! While not everyone will be familiar with the all-ways-pay concept, the thing to take home is that there are more winning combinations to be won, and matching combinations hit very often. After all, all 15 positions on the reels are active.
The betting options of 5 Elements range from 0.25 per spin to 12.50, so in truth, anyone can play this game. The concept of the title is a mystery to us, although there are plenty of attractive symbols and the graphics are excellent. Without further ado, let’s break down the earning potential of this GameArt slot.
Elemental Layout
5 Elements has a slick look, with the 5x3 reel grid appearing against an epic backdrop of a waterfall. The reels are elaborate and embellished with gold and patterns. You’ll find the control panel along the bottom. The gearwheel icon in the lower left-hand corner allows you to mute the music or enable the gamble feature, but everything else is fairly self-explanatory. Hit Spin to set the reels in motion, AutoPlay to trigger automatic spinning (the upper limit is 500) and use the up and down arrows to determine your bet multiplier. There are handy tabs showing your balance, total bet and win amounts, too.
Though there is an obvious, element-based theme, the sound effects in the game don’t really reflect that. They are, rather, the bog-standard, age-old audio effects you’ve heard from slot games for years – a bell ringing when you hit a win, for example.
Epic Reels
There are no less than 13 symbols in 5 Elements, including six playing cards: 9, 10, J, Q, K and A. The playing cards appear not in black and white but in various colours – green, red, blue, gold, purple and orange. They don’t pay especially well, though. At the lower end of the scale, 9s pay 50, 5 and 2.50 or five, four and three respectively – and that’s at max bet. The ace, meanwhile, pays 62.50, 12.50 and 5.
All wins begin with the leftmost reel and pay left-to-right across the board, only on adjacent reels.
The 5 Elements
The five elements are represented by fierce-looking icons such as a flame-consumed phoenix and a majestic white tiger. The symbols are cartoonised rather than photorealistic, although they’re certainly very well-sketched. The lowest paying among them is the image of the turtle and the snake. This pays 125 for five, 25 for four and 12.50. The phoenix is a little better, granting 125 for five, 25 for four and 12.50 for three. Next it’s the blue dragon (500/50/15), followed by the white tiger (500/50/25/2.50) and the gold dragon (500/100/25/2.50). As you can see, there’s not a whole lot of differentiation in the pay-table.
Scatters and Wilds
The scatter in 5 Elements is represented by a silver shield showing a blue pentagram. The scatter, which pays anywhere on adjacent reels, pays 100 for three, 250 for four and 625 for five. It also grants ten free spins. During free spins, all wins involving matching combos of five elements are multiplied by their respective multipliers shown above the reels. The multipliers begin at the commencement of free spins, and each element icon appearing during the free spins increases its multiplier by one. Feasibly, the multiplier can reach ten, and the feature can be re-triggered during free ones.
The wild is a yin and yang symbol. It can stand in for all of the game’s symbols except the scatter, and it appears only on the second, third and fourth reel. Unlike the scatter, it is not associated with pay values in its own right; its sole function is to help you make winning combinations.
Wanna gamble?
To gamble any win, simply hit the Gamble button, then select red or black. The bet is doubled if your choice is correct, and winnings can be gambled up to five times.
The Verdict
5 Elements is a solid offering from GameArt Games. The title is both visually stimulating and playable thanks to the inclusion of free spins bonuses, a gamble feature and wilds. On the downside, the pay-outs are pretty low. You may want to try one of the hotter games from this provider such as 5 Star Luxury.
