Crystal Ball Slot Review

Fortune favours the brave who are bold enough to have their fortune read. So it goes with Crystal Ball, a video slot by German developer Bally Wulff whose premise requires no explanation. Magic, mystery and the occult are popular themes for games developers to riff on, and most of the elements you’d expect to find in such a slot are present and accounted for here.

A wise and wizened wizard is the primary character in Crystal Ball, a 5-reel slot with just 5 paylines. That ain’t a whole lot to play with, but hey, it’s not essential for a slot to have umpteen paylines for it to pass muster.

Fortune Favours the Brave

Let’s start by getting one thing straight: Bally Wulff’s slots are never going to be the slickest or coolest games in town. That much can be said for certain. Despite this glaringly obvious fact, there’s nevertheless a certain charm to be derived by playing their kitsch and occasionally naff games, in which storytelling takes precedence over arresting visuals. A cheap lightning effect surrounds the game’s logo while stormy skies assemble in the background.

That’s it in terms of setting the scene: the rest of the game is depressingly utilitarian, with buttons and playing card symbols that haven’t been remotely softened or customised. These could belong to any game, and indeed if it weren’t for the handful of thematic symbols that do appear in the game, Crystal Ball could be about anything; Egypt; pirates; dolphins, you name it.

Crystal Clear

With its 5 paylines and a line bet that can be set between 0.01 and 2 (making a minimum 0.5 and maximum bet of 10.00), Crystal Ball isn’t one for the high rollers. If you’re the type of player who games mostly for the entertainment or distraction of the experience rather than the rewards on offer, Crystal Ball should suit you just fine, but more ambitious players may balk at what’s on offer here. Brash, bright and almost uncouth, the playing card symbols detract from the effect of what is an otherwise reasonable looking slot.

Crystal Ball isn’t going to win any design awards, but the themed symbols aren’t bad. It’s just a shame there’s so few of them. In particular there’s a blue crystal amulet and a vial of green potion, each of which are worth 1,500 for five. At the top of the chain is a unicorn which fetches 4,000 for five and the silver-haired wizard who’s worth 10,000.

Good Fortune and Bad Graphics

The game’s scatter symbol is a crystal ball, or at least an orb of some kind that’s blood red. It’s not just scatter though – it’s also wild. You’ll find this duality surfacing in many of Bally Wulff’s slots. You could say this is pure laziness, negating the need to design an additional symbol. Then again, you could say it’s smart thinking given that there’s no reason why a symbol can’t perform both roles.

Three scatters in view will be enough to generate 10 free spins. Alternatively, five scatters on a line are worth 2,000. When collecting free spins, the symbol will turn wild, bolstering your chances of success, and in the base game it will also help to turn regular playing symbols into 3, 4 and 5 of a kind wins.

Similar Titles

Bally Wulff’s other games in this style are always going to be the closest fit to Crystal Ball in terms of features, paylines and RTP (which, in this instance, is set at 96%). Say you’re seeking something a bit more challenging though, what then? Well in that case you’d be advised to steer clear of the German developer andget your thrills elsewhere.

There are plenty of other slots out there that explore the themes of magic and specifically crystal balls including Realistic’s Crystal Clear. It’s a 10-payline slot that looks a little cleaner than Crystal Ball.

Crystal Conclusion

In Crystal Ball Bally Wullf haven’t offered anything new. Even by their own standards, this is a sub-par slot that offers nothing novel. A couple of the playing symbols – the wizard and the unicorn – look okay, but that’s as far as it goes. Play this game if you must, but don’t expect great things from it.