Crusader Slot Review with Demo
Crusader is an all-new historic video slot on the iGaming radar, launched by Swedish software developers, Elk Studios.
Featured with an unconventional 5×4 grid layout and played over 26-fixed paylines, the game is based on the Siege of Acre that was attempted by the Latin Christian Crusaders in 1291, for what turned up to be their last stand against the mighty Mamluks.
Crusader slot machine was launched on 17 March 2020, adorned with a host of features, including Expanding Symbols, Bonus Games, Stacked Symbols, and an ultimate 2,500x Jackpot; plus, a unique set of Betting Strategies. Mind it, there are many new elements to expect in this modern slot.
So, are you enthralled to join the Crusades to make this Final Stand? Then prepare for it by reading the Crusader slot review down below.
Crusader Features Overview
Theme | History |
---|---|
Type | Online Video Slots |
Software | ELK Studios |
Reels | 5 |
Maximum win | 2,500x Stake |
Paylines | 26 up to 98 |
Min coins per spin | 0.20 |
Max coins per spin | 100.00 |
Release date | 17 March 2020 |
Special features | Expanding Symbols, Stacking Wilds, Bonus Game |
RTP | 96.1% |
Slot variance | HIGH |
Mobile | Portrait and Landscape Screen Layout |
Exclusive Feature | In-Game Betting Strategies |
Top Casinos Where to Play Crusader for Real Money
Crusader Slot Overview – The Graphics, Symbols and Features
Elk Studios is notable among many other iGaming developers that heavily draws inspiration from historical events and cultural milestones to work out storylines for video slots. This is because considering the quality of graphics and the scale of the presentation, history-themed slots can be highly impressionable that may gain immense popularity for being able to feed knowledge about ancient battles and events and incline a more vivid conscience among people, all carried out under the semblance of entertainment.
The Crusader slot machine, with all its awe-inspiring artwork and dynamic gameplay, can be a shining beacon of that perspective. However, we couldn’t overlook a major goof in the game’s storyline, where the 1291 Siege of Acre is said to be summoned by King Edward I, whereas it was led by Henry II of Jerusalem. Edward I of England actually launched the minor ‘Ninth Crusade’ in 1272, when he was still a prince.
The historic war theme gets an animated visual representation of a ‘silence before the storm’ atmosphere, which picturises the city walls of Acre to form the backdrop. You can almost feel the gruelling tension before the war, submitted by the dramatic background music and minor graphical details, such as the Crusades Flag and appearance of fire torches occasionally alighted at the foot of the forts in the background, almost seeming like a signal.
The most striking element about the Crusader online slot design is perhaps the unique grid layout, which has 4 rows in lieu of the conventional 3-rows, with the elongated corner reels saving space for the Crusader Wild – the focal special feature of the slot.
Speaking of features, here is a detailed review of the game symbols and their valiant capabilities. Another knight-themed ELK slot is Micro Knights available at our site.
Symbols and Their Features
Isolating the slot features from its rich design, they seem to be pretty flat that mainly revolves around the Crusader Wild and also the Expanding Symbol in bonus spins – a signature feature for Elk Studio games. Nonetheless, it is amazing how the developer has signified the main theme through the slot symbols and its features, undeviatingly.
- The Crusader Wild. For most of its part, the main character/symbol in this game is the Crusader Wild symbol. It appears randomly on the first and last reels, in two avatars – a partial view (single-reel) or full view (both reels). Either way, the feature only optimises your chance to activate the Bonus Game. Surprise, Surprise! This wild symbol also comes with a ‘nudge’ feature that helps players hold on to a winning streak in the occasion of close lineups and near-misses for having minorly dispositioned combinations. Given that, landing a single Crusade knight will get you a Re-Spin meanwhile the nudge will hold the wild symbol in an upwards or downwards position until it appears in full view. Once it appears in full view, the re-spin will end. If you land a second knight symbol during an ongoing nudge, the respin continues with the Crusade knight turning sticky until another knight appears in full view. Once you get two full view Crusaders, you are treated with 8 free spins, and it will also trigger the bonus game.
- The Bonus Game. The Bonus Game is triggered by the alignment of two Crusader Symbols appearing in the base game. The bonus game will start with 8 Free Spins following the course of action of the first and fifth reel entirely stacked with the Wild turning sticky throughout the rounds – so that every spin saves a winning streak. Furthermore, the Free Spins are complemented by the Expansion Symbol, that can level up with more ways to win.
- Expanding Symbol. The Expanding Symbol appears only during the Bonus Game and on the reels 2, 3 and 4. It works like a modifier that adds one row on the playing greed to grow in the upward direction, expanding to a maximum of 12 rows and increase the paylines to a maximum of 98. Meanwhile, the reels along the edges remain stacked with Crusader Wilds. The expansion occurs following the payout of the previous spin. And what’s more? Each expanding symbol will further trigger an additional free spin within the already active Bonus Game.
- Regular Wild. There is a regular wild you can’t miss amidst all the mayhem about the bigger, better Crusader Wild. The regular wild plays an important part by substituting symbols in adjacent reels, helping you form a winning streak out of mismatched regular symbols.
A Buttonless Interface
The minimalist interface is common to Elk Studio games, that has the controls, and other buttons tucked away in virtual drawers. There are four drawers in four corners of the main window – one for the paytable, one for the controls panel, one for the Autoplay and one for the main spin button.
The hamburger button on the top left saves the game rules, paytable, settings and other accessibilities. The bets are placed on a coin system, and the control panel has an interesting drawer with a coin’s icon on the bottom left of the window. You have the button system to pick your bets with the ‘betting strategies’ lined up on the same page, that you may set up optionally.
How to Play Crusader Slot Machine
The Crusader slot game rules are pretty basic – simply adjust your bets and hit the spin button. Still, if you need a tutorial, you can refer to the game rules, or simply the course mentioned down below.
There are all of 12 bets to choose from, starting from a minimum betting limit of 0.20 credits and a maximum betting limit of 100 credits. You don’t have separate levels to set, instead, pick any of the ‘betting strategies’ to complete the setup.
Punters who have played a few Elk titles are most likely to be familiar with the slot strategy they feature for bets. There are all of four such strategies that are programmed by Elk and signify for specific bet amounts. It goes like this:
- Optimiser – This strategy will depend on the percentage of your balance, ranging between 1% and 10%. It will automatically adapt to the percentage you have set and channel the bet levels accordingly.
- Leveller – this strategy would automatically place a higher bet after five uneventful spins. If there’s still no wins, it will further increase the bets by 2 levels.
- Booster – Following a loss, the strategy boosts your bet by 1 level, but caps at 4 levels from the base bet.
- Jumper – This strategy raises the bet by a level after each win, this is also capped at 4 levels up the base bet.
To activate the strategies, you just have to pick the percentage and hit the Spin button. All the strategies, except for the Optimizer resets after a win, means you want to keep going you’d have to set it again.
Go ahead, try out the Crusader free slot and practice before the practical.
Winning Odds Chasing the x2,500 Jackpot
The free spin rounds feature the maximum odds for winning the x2,500 Jackpot. The maximum win is 250,000 credits. The practical RTP is 96.1%, but the hit frequency would really test your patience at times.
Play Crusader Slot Free Online for Real Money
Among all other slot tips and guides, it is always recommended that you test the demo slot before you plunge into the real money gaming, even prolific punters would play slot demo versions to measure a game for investment. We have embedded the Crusader slot demo version right here, which is to play for fun using dummy credits. You can access it without any registration, deposits or downloading by simply visiting the webpage.
To play the real money game, however, you’d have to register at an online casino. If you are new to casino gaming, then you must know that registering to online casinos does not cost money, it is only the stakes that require it. In fact, the casinos offer Welcome Bonuses to new members, but there is a catch! You must snap out of the impression that you can win real cash leveraging Welcome Bonuses, or use the system anyway to earn easy money. Welcome Bonuses come with heavy set wagering requirements so be vigilant about the Bonus T&C before you deposit your money.
That said, we handpicked the best online casinos that are already featuring Crusader by Elk Studios, pick the ideals based on your jurisdiction and bonus offerings:
- Videoslots Casino
- PlayAmo Casino
- Thrills Casino
Crusader Mobile Slot
Elk Studios is renowned for its excellent mobile compatible games, sponsored by their proclaimed “mobile-first” approach. So, no wonder that the Crusader slot mobile version is blessed with all the qualities of a highly adaptive no download mobile casino game, built on HTML/Flash platform, that you have to play on mobile browsers.
The game glides like a feather on any kind of device, whether you are using a tiny screened Android device, an old iPhone or iPad model, or practically just about any other platform of smartphone and tablet. The slot does demand a decent internet speed but is very well behaved over minor net lags.
Closing Thoughts on the Crusader Slot Review
Rounding off the review on Elk’s Crusader video slot, it seems to be a very well-planned game, that is not mediocre. Whether you are specifically a fan of historic slots or not, you are bent on having a dramatic experience playing this graphically enriched game.
The decent 96.1% RTP comes with a high variance that has a hugely gapped hit frequency. But given the immersive nature of the gameplay, interesting Expanding Reel feature and balanced cost of wagers this game can give you hours of entertainment. We say, go for it!