Black Knight Demo Slot - Review for Canadians, Demo Play & Payout Info

Black Knight from WMS

If you haven’t heard of WMS before, then we’re willing to bet that you’re a slots newbie. Longstanding fans of the genre will be only too familiar with the brand, thanks to its long-time association with the gaming industry. Back in 1996 the company was credited with raising the slots bar thanks to the introduction of its first video slot - Reel ‘em In. Since then, more innovations have followed and WMS slots cabinets are now a familiar sight in casinos around the world.

By 2012, WMS had realised that the burgeoning online market was worthy of attention and began adapting many of its most popular titles for an online audience. Not surprisingly, many of its most ardent fans followed the company online, where its most popular titles are still attracting hundreds of new players every day. But catering for an internet-based audience requires an understanding of the technology involved if players aren’t to end up frustrated by bulky and time-consuming downloads. That’s why WMS Slots games are carefully developed to work seamlessly across all platforms and devices, including mobile and tablet. So now players can play at home on their desktop, or on the go on their smartphone with no loss of definition, for the most seamless experience possible.

Our first impressions of Black Knight

The Black Knight is the stuff of legend, featuring in a host of literary and historical references, including King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Depending on your sources, you’ll find that the Black Knight is either a dark and fearsome character who fights on the side of evil, or a kind and benevolent champion of the King, bent on ensuring the safety and security of the kingdom. It’s a pretty safe bet to say that WMS intend their Black Knight to be firmly in the latter category, as this is a game based on chivalry and good manners at court.

Having played Black Knight on a slots cabinet in a land-based casino, we were keen to discover the differences in its online version of the game, fearing that it might have been changed beyond all recognition, but we needn’t have worried. The essence of the game remains the same, although the symbols and screens have been given a makeover to make them more appealing across a variety of screen sizes. Playing on smaller screens of portable devices has meant that the background to the reels works better in plain white, allowing the symbols to stand out, but many of the other elements of the game remain firmly in place.

As you look at the playing area, you’ll catch a glimpse of a countryside scene lit by the dying rays of the sun, giving a deep purple glow to the sky and surroundings. On a distant hilltop you can just make out part of a castle, while in the foreground the Black Knight of the game’s title dominates the right-hand side of the screen. Wearing black armour with golden highlights, he carries a shield bearing the emblem of a chess knight, also depicted in gold. He rides an impressive grey charger, which is also in full battle dress. To the left of the screen is the Black Knight’s banner, which consists of purple and gold cloth embroidered with a chess knight design, topped by a crown emblem, surmounted by a fleur-de-lys.

The reels themselves are depicted on a plain, white background, held in place by a golden border, interspersed with decorative elements. Unlike many games of this type, you won’t find any of the traditionally-used symbols on the reels, so there are no court cards or poker cards to be found. Instead, there are low-paying symbols, which include a sceptre, map and ring, as well as a number of higher-paying symbols, including a court jester and a beautiful Queen. The King is the highest-paying symbol, offering a substantial cash reward for attaining five Kings across a payline. A crown and an orb are mid-priced symbols. Note that the paytable actually changes in line with your current stake, so you can easily see what rewards are on offer for matching symbols at various different stakes.

Each symbol on the reels is exquisitely drawn with the greatest attention to detail, making this game a visual treat. The same can not be said of the soundtrack, unfortunately, which is something of a let-down when compared to the look and feel of Black Knight. A fairly generic and irritating melody plays out as the reels spin, but the game’s designers have thoughtfully included a useful mute button for the game’s sounds, so it’s easy enough to rely on your own backing track when playing the game.

The only time when the soundtrack fully lived up to our expectations was during the bonus Free Spins round. At this point the Black Knight at the side of the screen also animates, raising our interest level quite considerably throughout an exciting and action-packed series of lucrative free spins.

How to play Black Knight

If you’re a longstanding slots fan, then the chances are that you’ll already have come across this game in the past, perhaps at a bricks-and-mortar casino. If this is the case, it won’t take you long to get to grips with the gameplay, even allowing for the slight alterations to the online version. Newbie players may need to take a little longer to familiarize themselves with the gaming possibilities, although as a WMS offering, the game has been designed to be as simple and intuitive as possible to play.

Your first port of call is the betting window, where you allocate your wager for the next spin of the reels. Using the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ buttons you can adjust the wager from a minimum of 10 pence up to a maximum of $500 - this is an astonishingly wide selection, making this a popular game with highly cautious players, as well as high-risk takers.

Somewhat unusually, the scope of the game’s wild changes according to the amount of your bet. Wager up to $2 per spin and the wild can substitute for any other symbol on the reels apart from the scatter. But wager $2 or more and the wild will now substitute for the scatter too, which is something not usually seen on online slots games. This has the potential to trigger the Free Spins bonus round much more easily, encouraging high rollers to aim even higher. Players can also choose to play the Big Bet Bonus, which we’ll explain later on.

If repeatedly pressing the Spin button seems too much like hard work, there’s a useful Autoplay function, which leaves your free to concentrate on the on-screen action as it unfolds. Click the Autoplay button, select your preferred number of spins and decide on the win and loss amounts that should end the feature prematurely. Don’t panic if you change your mind during play, as there’s always an option to cancel the feature before it finishes.

If you’d like to check up on the game’s rules, or take a look at the paytable, this is easily accessed simply by clicking on the ‘?’ button to the lower left-hand side of your screen.

Black Knight Big Bet Bonus

All keen slots fans love a bonus feature, and Black Knight offers a few options to spice up your gaming action. Choose the Big Bet Bonus by clicking or tapping on the BB button to the extreme left-hand side of your player console. This automatically increases your wager to $20 for the following five spins, which are heralded by the knight’s shield spinning onto the screen.

During this feature, any Black Knight wild symbols are held in place for the remainder of the spins, with the potential to produce some tempting payouts in the process. Moreover, the Black Knight wild will also substitute for the scatter symbol throughout these five spins, enabling the Free Spins Bonus round to be accessed much more easily than usual, if your luck is in.

Black Knight Free Spins Bonus round

Every slots fan loves a Free Spins Bonus round, and in Black Knight your options for triggering this exciting feature are quite varied. Three or more scatter symbols will award you with seven free spins, during which you’ll benefit from Expanding Wilds, which can result in some truly tempting payouts. But the ease with which you can achieve three scatters will vary according to your stake. That’s because for bets of less that $2 the wild Black Knight symbol will substitute for all other symbols other than the s. But for bets of $2 or more, the wild can act as a scatter too, giving you much more potential for achieving the correct number of symbols.

Once you’re awarded your free spins, you’ll be taken to a new screen. Set amongst the stone walls and arched windows of a mighty castle, the background of the reels now turns dark, and the music takes on a more insistent rhythm, ramping up the excitement levels accordingly. To the right of your screen, you’ll see that the Black Knight and his horse are now cantering at a steady rate, intent on winning the joust and rewarding you with tempting cash prizes.

During the free spins the Black Knight wilds expand to fill an entire reel, as the knight canters his horse forwards. These aren’t just expanding wilds though -they’re also sticky wilds, remaining in place throughout the Free Spins round, giving the potential to score some impressive wins. We discovered this for ourselves, being awarded an extremely tasty $960 from a $10 bet, which placed this game very firmly into our Favourites category!

Max-win 1,770x

Volatility Medium to High Volatility

RTP 96% when bet is above £2, 94% when bet is below £2

Black Knight RTP

The Return To Player percentage is the amount that is returned to players from the total sum wagered. Of course, every gaming session is unique, so players should never take it for granted that they will benefit from the advertised RTP rate. Some players will walk away having made a hefty profit on their stake, whilst others will incur losses.

Because the gameplay of Black Knight is calculated according to the amount wagered, different RTPs apply. For low-risk players who wager less that $2 for every spin, the RTP is calculated at a somewhat modest 94%. Raise your stake to $2 or more, however, and you’ll benefit from an increased RTP of 96%. There is a further RTP which applies to the Big Bet game, where it rises to 97.75%, making this a particularly attractive option for high rollers.

Play Black Knight with no deposit, completely free

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You can enjoy playing a huge selection of slots based around the King Arthur theme, including the Forsaken Kingdom slot, Avalon, Avalon II and Merlin’s Magic Respins. Or pick another theme if you prefer - we have plenty to choose from, including Action and Adventure, Thrillers and Cartoons.

Use your new-found knowledge and experience to inform your betting strategy when you play for real money at an online casino, or remain on the site and keep playing for fun. The choice is completely up to you.

Disclaimer: Black Knight trademark / license is owned by WMS. This site is not endorsed by WMS.