Crusader

Crusader Review

Crusader Reviewed by Casinogamesonnet.com

Crusader is a five-reel, 26-line slot from Elk Studios. It revolves around the Crusaders’ attempts to hold the city of Acre (a.k.a. Siege of Acre) against the Mamluks—a medieval Egyptian army.

This slot offers expanding reels and some fun features, such as nudge. Unfortunately, Crusader slot only delivers a top win worth 2,500x your stake. You can read about everything else that this game has to offer below.

Gameplay and Atmosphere

Crusader features five reels and four rows (5x4 grid). Its expanding reels concept during the bonus allows for up to 98 lines.

You need to get at least three symbols in a payline to win. All payouts must start in the first reel and go from left to right.

Moving to the atmosphere, this game offers a dismal setting that includes a fortress on the left side and reddish sky on the right.

The Siege of Acre wasn’t a pretty affair when considering that the Mamluks killed or enslaved everybody in the city after winning. However, Elk Studios probably should’ve added a bit of color here.

Elk is entirely capable of designing memorable and visually appealing slots (see Taco Brothers Saving Christmas). We would like to see more of that in this game. On the other hand, we do give them credit for creating symbols that exemplify the Crusades well.

Payouts and Symbols

Regular symbols include three royals (A, K, Q), three shields, a bible, dagger, and goblet. The latter pays the most of the bunch, offering 10x your stake for five symbols. You can win up to 2,500x your bet when including bonus features.

This game has a wild symbol too. It substitutes for all other icons, except the Expansion symbol (bonus only), to form winning combinations.

Crusader RTP and Betting Options

This game lets you wager between €0.10 and €100 per spin. You can use autoplay to keep the reels spinning for between 10 and 100 rounds with your chosen betting options. The autoplay function isn’t very advanced, though, because it doesn’t let you set stop-loss limits.

The Crusader slot RTP is 96.1%. This payout percentage is quite average compared to other online slots. Hit frequency is 21.2%, making Crusader a high volatility game.

Crusader Slot Special Features

The Crusader symbol can appear stacked (covering an entire reel) in reels 1 and 5 only. Assuming this wild icon lands partially on a reel, it will trigger Crusader Wild (nudge & respin).

The latter feature awards one or more free respins. It sees the Crusader symbol nudge one row up or down after each respin. This process continues until the stacked wild icon is fully in view.

Crusader Wild nudge continues if another Crusader icon lands partially on the reels. Meanwhile, the first Crusader wild remains sticky until the second one comes into full view. In short, you have the ability to get up to two stacked wilds by the end.

Two stacked Crusader symbols in reels 1 and 5 initiate the free spins bonus. You receive 8 free spins with sticky Crusader wilds covering reels 1 and 5.

Additionally, you also unlock the Expansion symbol (an arrow) during free spins. Appearing on reels 2, 3, and 4 only, this icon adds more rows and, subsequently, more paylines to the grid.

The grid grows by one row every time that an Expansion icon lands. This process can continue until the grid reaches 12 rows high (5x12 grid). You’ll also receive another free spin every time that a row is added.

Final Thoughts on Crusader Slot

Elk Studios didn’t bring their best visual effort with Crusader. The symbols look decent, but the background isn’t our favorite.

This slot does, however, offer enough features to keep you entertained. Bonuses include stacked wilds, nudges, respins, free spins, and expanding reels. These features all help you net more payouts. Unfortunately, the wins top out at 2,500x.

In summary, we have mixed feelings about Crusader slot. On one hand, it provides plenty of entertainment due to several features. The downside, though, is that it has a drab atmosphere and lowish top payout.

Release Date

Crusader was released on March 17 2020.