1x2
Developed by 1X2 Gaming, Sinister Circus is a 5 reel, 25 payline video slot. Playable across all devices, the game can be enjoyed from between 25p and £100 per spin. Features of Sinister Circus include expanding Wilds and a bonus round that awards between 8 and 15 free spins with sticky Wilds. If you want to know more about the slot and its features, sit back and enjoy our Sinister Circus slot review.
Visually, Sinister Circus is excellent. As you'd imagine, the circus is the story of this slot. Unlike other circus-themed games, Sinister Circus features creepy looking circus characters. The design of the icons is high quality and the graphics are some of the best we've seen. Set against a circus background, the reels are filled with diamond, heart, club and spade symbols as the low-paying icons. These royals appear to be crafted from metal and feature LED lights.
The higher paying symbols are made up of animal performers, a fortune teller and a creepy magician. The latter is the most valuable symbol, awarding 1.6, 6 or 20 times your stake for 3, 4 or 5 on a payline. Regular high paying symbols including a fortune teller, a tiger, a singing monkey, a magician and a bear on a ball. The first Wild symbol is the ringmaster's whip and the scary clown is the second. When the clown lands on the reels, it expands to turn the entire reel Wild.
The Scatter symbol is represented by throwing knives and the throwing hatchet is the sticky Wild. If you land 3, 4 or 5 Scatters on the same spin, you'll trigger the Free Spins feature. You'll then be awarded either 8, 10 or 15 free spins. During the Free Spins game, a new symbol joins the reels – the axe throwers target. This is another Wild icon. When it lands, it locks into place for the next three free spins to increase your winnings.
As the slot has 25 active lines, you'll need at least 25 coins to play. You can change the total bet value from 25p to £100, meaning that the maximum coin value is £4. This wide betting range makes the slot suitable for all types of budget.
According to the developer, prizes in Sinister Circus can reach a whopping £150,000. This means that you can win up to 1500x your total stake. During the base game, you can win £50,000 worth of winning combinations as the best icons pay up to 500x your stake. However, this can be increased in the bonus game with the help of the Free Spins. The RTP is set at 96.15%, which is pretty standard for a modern slot.
Like most slot games, Sinister Circus comes with a few bonus features. Our favourites include the Free Spins round and the standard, sticky and expanding Wilds. Below, we explore these in more detail.
The first feature in Sinister Circus is the Wilds. As you'd expect, these can substitute for any standard symbol to help form a winning combination. During the base game and bonus feature, the Wilds can also be used as symbols in their own right. This means that they can form their own winning combinations, without the use of standard icons.
The Free Spins round is activated by landing 3, 4 or 5 Scatters on the grid. The Scatters take the form of the flying knives, and award 8, 10 or 15 free spins, depending on how many you land. During the Free Spins game, extra Wilds are added to the reels. These are Sticky Wilds and come with a Sticky logo to make them easy to see. When they land, they lock into place for the next 3 spins, so they can be used multiple times throughout the feature.
The Expanding Wild is also interesting. Present during the base game, this symbol expands to fill the entire reel and turn it Wild. It can then be used to form several winning combinations.
Sinister Circus is another great slot from 1X2 Gaming. The design is excellent, and the creepy backing track fits the theme perfectly. While there's nothing particularly innovative about the gameplay, the bonus features keep things exciting. The expanding and sticky Wilds are a nice addition to the game and help to increase your winnings. The Free Spins feature is also worth triggering if you want to maximise your payout.
The slot is medium variance with a top payout of 1500x your stake during the bonus game and 500x during the base game. This makes the top prize a whopping £150,000. If you're looking for a medium variance slot with decent winning potential, Sinister Circus is certainly worth checking out.