Introduction
Aurora Borealis is a 5-reel video slot game developed by Microgaming for Yukon Gold Casino, an online casino established in 2001 and licensed under the Malta Gaming Authority. The game features an Arctic-inspired theme with stunning visuals, engaging gameplay, and potentially lucrative payouts.
Theme and Design
The game’s atmosphere is set against a breathtaking backdrop of the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, which dance across the night sky play and win on yukongoldontario.ca above the icy landscape of the Canadian wilderness. The reels are set on an ice cave wall with frosty blue tones complementing the colorful aurora display.
Players can enjoy this immersive experience while spinning their chosen bet size and line combinations across the 243 ways to win. Symbols include high-value animals such as wolves, polar bears, snowy owls, foxes, arctic hares, walruses, seals, penguins, and salmon. Additionally, four lower-paying card values complete the lineup.
Symbols
The game’s symbols can be categorized into two groups: low- to mid-payout animals like bears, wolves, snow owls, foxes, arctic hares, seagulls, walruses, seals, penguins, and salmon. These pay out between 0.15 and 5 times the bet per line for a five-of-a-kind match.
The higher-paying symbols, such as polar bears (8x), snowy owls (12x) are accompanied by four low-value card ranks: A (1-3x), K-Q (0.4-2.5x). The maximum win is limited to 50 times the triggering spin’s total bet for five wilds.
Payout Multiplier
Each high-paying symbol has a corresponding payout multiplier:
- Polar bear: x8
- Snowy owl: x12
Wild Symbol and Scatter
The game features two special symbols: the Wild (Aurora Borealis logo) and the Scatter (a stylized aurora borealis icon). These can lead to more valuable wins in their respective roles.
Wilds
- The wild symbol substitutes for all other regular-paying symbols, forming a winning combination whenever two or three identical high-value animals appear on adjacent reels from leftmost (starting with the first reel).
Scatter Symbol and Bonuses
The scatter is triggered when at least five of these appear anywhere in view. This initiates an eight-free-spins bonus round, which features enhanced rewards during gameplay:
- Upon activating it for 8 free spins, the feature can trigger additional Free Spins.
Free Spins
1. Initial Eight Spins
The initial eight rounds are standard in their settings. No unique characteristics differentiate these from normal spins in terms of rewards or chances at bigger payouts.
2. Aurora Borealis Re-Spins Wilds Activation During Bonus Round (RNG)
Players have a 15% chance during the free spin session to initiate an additional round with enhanced features. No maximum win cap is present for wins earned from these feature-enhanced spins, potentially yielding high returns.
Wilds and Additional Re-Spins Feature
Upon activation of the ‘Aurora Borealis’ wild during Free Spin bonus rounds, 3x more wild symbols appear on screen (three additional) while also adding an extra spin with one wild guaranteed to land after.