Gameplay Features and Mechanics
For players who are familiar with IGT’s long line of slot titles, Siberian
Storm will present a departure from the norm. Rather than the standard setup
involving five reels and 40 pay lines, this game utilizes IGT’s popular MultiWay
Xtra system.
Under the MultiWay Xrtra design, slots can now be equipped with up to 1,024
individual pay lines. Siberian Storm doesn’t take it that far, but this game
does include 720 different pay lines in play on every spin.
The reels themselves are even arranged differently, so instead of the usual
box or rectangle you’d usually see on the screen, reels on Siberian Storm are
arranged in a 3 / 4 / 5 / 4 / 3 pattern. In other words the first and fifth
reels have only three symbol spaces, the second and fourth reels have four
symbol spaces, and the fifth reel contains five symbol spaces. In all, you’ll be
spinning 19 symbol spaces per spin.
To envision the MultiWay Xtra structure, take a look at the diagram below,
which is provided buy IGT within the Rules section for Siberian Storm:
Example of a MultiWay Xtra payout:
The following diagram shows a sample reel outcome, focusing only on the Tiger
symbols. Since there is at least one Tiger symbol in each of the first four
columns, the player has won the 4 Tiger MultiWay Xtra award which pays 75 coins
per way. To determine the payout for this combination, count the number of Tiger
symbols in each column. For example, the second column has 2 Wild symbols in it,
and the third column has 3 Wild symbols in it. In both cases, Wild symbols
substitute for Tiger symbols. Next, multiply those counts together which equals
the number of winning ways. In this example, that would be 1 x 2 x 3 x 1 = 6
winning ways. Finally, multiply the number of winning ways times the payout for
the 4 Tiger MultiWay Xtra award. In this example, that would be 6 x 75 = 450
coins won. The actual amount won in currency would be based on the coin value.
Payout example: Tiger = 6 winning ways:
Another major divergence from traditional slot machine design concerns the
way players pay for the 720 pay lines in play. Obviously, even at a penny
denomination, having players activate all of these 720 pay lines on one spin
would create a cost to cover of $7.20 – out of the price range for most casual
players.
To rectify this situation, Siberian Storm doesn’t allow players to toggle
between different payline selections. On each and every spin, you’ll be putting
all 720 pay lines into play.
This is achieved by making the coin amount fixed at 50 coins per spin. Of
course, you can choose between various coin denominations to adjust the
gameplay, beginning with $0.01 and running up to $20.00. This means the minimum
cost to cover per spin stands at a very reasonable $0.50, while the maximum can
climb all the way to $1,000.
Spin prices for various coin denominations are as follows:
| Coin |
Cost to Cover |
| $0.01 |
$0.50 |
| $0.02 |
$1.00 |
| $0.05 |
$2.50 |
| $0.10 |
5.00 |
| $0.50 |
$25.00 |
| $1.00 |
$50.00 |
This fixed coin amount innovation is actually quite novel, as it removes one
step of the pregame process for slot players who simply want to start spinning.
You don’t have to worry about missing out because you failed to activate all of
the pay lines, as every spin will be set at the maximum level.
Aside from the MultiWay Extra reel and payout scheme, Siberian Storm actually
resembles most other IGT titles in terms of gameplay. You’ll be looking for wild
symbols that replace others to create winning combinations, Scatter symbols that
apply multipliers to current payouts, and the right combination needed to unlock
the free spins bonus round.
Fans of the massive progressive jackpots attached to some slot games, IGT
titles included, may be disappointed by Siberian Storm’s lack of a progressive
element.
For a full rundown of the game’s specifications, see the list below:
- Wilds: Yes
- Free Spins: Yes
- Multiplier: Yes,
for 2x, 10x, and 50x
- Bonus Game: Yes
- Progressive: No
- Return to Player:
92.52% and 96.0%
During the base game the most lucrative symbol you can land is the Siberian
Storm title symbol, which pays out 1,000 credits for landing five of them on
your screen. For of the Siberian Storm title symbols are good for 150 credits,
while three will pay out a reward of 50 credits.
Oddly enough, in a game centered around the white Siberian tiger, it’s the
orange tiger’s face symbol that offers the next highest payout at 400 / 75 / 25
for landing five, four, or three, respectively.
Next up is that white Siberian tiger’s face symbol, which offers a 300 / 50 /
20 pay scheme. As for the jewel symbols, a yellow jewel pays out 125 credits for
landing five, the golden jewel and blue jewel symbols pay out 100 credits for a
five pack, and five of either the green jewel or purple jewel symbols will
return 50 credits.
The game’s wild symbol is the Siberian white tiger profile symbol, which will
only appear on the second, third, and fourth – or the middle – reels. The wild
Siberian white tiger profile symbol can replace any other symbol on the screen,
except for the Scatter symbol, to help you land winning combinations.
That Scatter symbol acts as a multiplier, so landing five of them anywhere on
the screen will increase your payout by 50x, four will apply a 10x multiplier,
and three are good for a 2x double up on pending payouts.
Other symbols to keep an eye out for are the Siberian white tiger eye symbol
and the Siberian orange tiger symbol. Landing five of the orange variety on the
screen will bring back a payout of 50 credits, but that’s not what they’re
really there for, because the Siberian orange tiger eye symbol actually provides
the key to unlocking Siberian Storm’s free spins bonus game.
Triggering the Bonus Round
When you can land five of the Siberian orange tiger eye symbols on
consecutive reels, the game will reward you with an allotment of eight free
bonus spins.
And because you can land more than five of these crucial symbols on the
screen during a spin, Siberian Storm will combine all triggering events at once
to award even more free spins – all the way up to 96 in a row.
Free spins are a tremendous asset to have when playing a high volatility slot
like Siberian Storm, because with wild symbols and Scatter symbols in play,
every free spin offers an opportunity to reap massive rewards – all without
spending a single coin.
During your free spin bonus round, the Siberian white tiger eye symbol
becomes the focal point, because landing five of them on consecutive reels on a
free spin produces eight more. Through this process, players are capable of
earning up to 240 consecutive free spins, creating a virtual bonanza of bonus
winnings.
This is an important note because both of the bonus triggering symbols can
appear as Stacked symbols, with several appearing on the same reel at once. The
inclusion of Stacked bonus symbols is a great idea, as it turns every spin into
a real possibility that free bonus spins will be awarded.
Aside from the free spins bonus round, which can become an extended series of
free spins when you’re running well, Siberian Storm doesn’t offer any side
games, interactive components, or similar bells and whistles. That means players
are confined to the base game only, which can become a bit monotonous over
extended sessions.
Conclusion
Siberian Storm is a perfectly respectable, if not somewhat niche, video slot
machine offering from IGT. Despite a relatively high level of volatility, the
MultiWay Xtra reel and payout scheme acts as an offset, limiting the action to
50 credits per spin and eliminating guesswork for the player. The game is also
imbued with a certain sense of elegance, owing to the theme, graphics, and
soundtrack combining perfectly, so players with an affinity for big cats or
Russian culture will immediately be drawn to these machines.
