Mystic Chief

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Mystic Chief: Slot Overview

Pragmatic Play takes players on a journey to the breathtaking wilderness of North America with their latest game, Mystic Chief. It's another entry in the long list of slots that seem to be drawn to this region time and time again. One might even ponder writing a doctoral thesis on the gaming industry's recurring fascination with Native American culture. Perhaps someone already has. Regardless of the reasons behind this enduring theme, Mystic Chief plunges players into a world filled with clichés: generic imagery, full reel wild multipliers, wild transformations, and free spins.

Sure, the scenery is stunning, with Pragmatic Play enhancing the beauty with a palette of pink and purple hues. The backdrop showcases a tepee camp nestled among cacti, canyons, and a sky illuminated by shooting stars. Mystic lighting, dramatic panpipe music, and the distant howl of wolves add to the mystical ambiance. Pragmatic Play seems to have followed the standard checklist for these types of games, ticking off each box without delving beneath the surface for something truly unique. Players may find themselves either captivated by the result or entirely indifferent to yet another rehashed offering.

Played on a 5-reel grid arranged in a 3-4-4-4-3 layout, Mystic Chief offers players 576 ways to win. The height of the rows doesn't matter when forming a winning combination; as long as matching symbols land adjacent to each other, starting from the leftmost reel, you're in luck. This is a highly volatile game, rated 5 out of 5, with a theoretical return rate of 96.55%—though keep in mind that the actual return can vary and may be lower. You can enjoy playing Mystic Chief on any device, with stakes ranging from 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin.

The paytable of Mystic Chief features a mix of low-paying inanimate objects and high-paying living organisms. In ascending order, you'll find totems, pipes, hatchets, sheathed daggers, drums, cougars, wolves, horses, eagles, and a female character. Landing five high-paying symbols across the grid results in a payout worth 1.5 to 5 times the stake. Additionally, there are wilds included, appearing in two forms, which we'll discuss below.

Mystic Chief: Slot Features

As mentioned earlier, Mystic Chief features two types of wild symbols: an expanding wild and a regular wild. Both types can be found on reels 2, 3, or 4 and can substitute for any regular paying symbols. When a 1x1 wild symbol naturally appears, it expands to cover all positions on its respective reel. Expanding wilds also come with a random win multiplier ranging from x1 to x10, which is applied to any wins. If there are more than two multiplier wilds present, their values are added together before being applied.

During the base game, when 2 dream catcher bonus symbols land, a random number of pay symbols on reels 2-4 are transformed into non-expanding 1x1 wild symbols. The bonus symbol only appears on reels 1 and 5.

The golden symbol acts as a scatter and can appear on reels 2, 3, or 4. When 3 scatters are visible, 8 free spins are awarded. During the bonus round, an expanding wild symbol is guaranteed to land on every free spin. Additionally, in regular free spins, every time a bonus symbol lands, an extra free spin is granted. In an interesting twist, if 2 bonus symbols hit simultaneously, +2 extra free spins are awarded, and the feature upgrades to super free spins.

During super free spins, the 2 triggering bonus symbols remain sticky until the end of the feature. As a result, a random number of symbols on reels 2-4 are transformed into non-sticky wilds on every super free spin. Since additional bonus symbols cannot land during super free spins, the feature cannot be retriggered.

Comparison with Other Games

Game Design of Mystic Chief

Visual Design and Atmosphere

The Mystic Chief slot sets the stage against a backdrop of a Native American tribe’s land. Picture teepees, warm glows, and distant mountains silhouetted against a sunset. While the theme itself isn’t groundbreaking, the execution is commendable. The graphics are crisp, and the colors evoke the mysticism of the wilderness. As you spin the reels, you’ll hear a mystical soundtrack, the wind whispering, and distant wolves howling – all contributing to the immersive atmosphere.

Gameplay Mechanics

Pragmatic Play keeps the gameplay straightforward yet effective. The grid layout is unique: five reels with an inner three having four rows and the outer two with only three rows. With an impressive 576 ways to win, Mystic Chief offers more opportunities than your average slot.

To adjust your wager, simply click the +/- button next to the spin button. The betting range caters to various budgets, from a minimum bet of $0.20 to a maximum of $100. Whether you’re a casual player or a high roller, Mystic Chief accommodates your preferences.

Mystic Chief: Slot Verdict

If a picturesque scene of a dolphin leaping from the sea, illuminated by a full moon, appeals to you, then Mystic Chief might just hit the spot—no judgment here. However, if vast prairies aren't quite your cup of tea, then Mystic Chief might come off as a rather unimaginative gathering of clichéd imagery from the slot genre all thrown into one place. It's reminiscent of those old black-and-white Western films where white actors would pile on makeup and speak broken English in an attempt to portray indigenous characters.

Despite the somewhat generic presentation, the gameplay and features of Mystic Chief aren't too shabby, though you'll need to look past the clichés to fully appreciate them. The 576 pay ways pair nicely with the full reel wilds when they make an appearance, and landing an expanding wild with a juicy multiplier feels like the cherry on top. Symbol values aren't exactly sky-high, so any boost you can get is welcomed. While it's technically possible to land more than one expanding wild simultaneously, it's an exceedingly rare event, so it's not wise to rely on it to rescue a dwindling balance. To reach the game's full potential, wild multipliers will likely be essential, with the maximum win capped at 5,000 times the bet.

Sometimes, the bonus features can be a mixed bag, especially in the case of super free spins. Since the bonus symbols are sticky but not wild, they occupy positions on both the first and last reels, which can be a bit frustrating. However, the wild transformations they offer can lead to favorable outcomes, albeit with a bit of annoyance. Nevertheless, considering that the bonus game triggers roughly once every 217 spins on average, and not every trigger leads to super free spins, the issue of blocked bonus symbols shouldn't crop up too frequently.

If you're in the mood for some standard North American gaming fare, then Mystic Chief might fit the bill quite nicely. On the other hand, if you're craving games with a bit more thematic originality, you might want to hop on your horse and ride far away from this clichéd offering.