Dark Hearts - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Introduction 

Dark Hearts aims to take you on a journey to discover your deepest desires - and perhaps a prize or two if you are lucky. You may not be a big vampire fan but this doesn’t mean you won’t be seduced by this online slot from Rival, especially if you like the idea of having 243 ways to win. This medium variance game also offers a jackpot win of 1,250x, which could make playing the game far from a scary experience.

Dark Hearts theme, graphics & soundtrack

Dark Hearts builds on the theme made popular by the likes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and tells the story of the members of a cursed love triangle. Marcus, Viktor and Willow are good-looking specimens but are also blood-sucking vampires.

The design of the game is exactly what you might expect for this theme, with lots of dark colours contrasting with luscious red roses. The symbols also continue the theme, with the likes of more roses and bitten lips adorning the reels. If you enjoy playing a horror themed slot, you may also want to give the Immortal Romance slot a try.

Dark Hearts RTP and variance

This choice of Rival Gaming free slots has an RTP of 95.2 per cent, which is higher than some other Rival games; however, many other online slots can offer you a higher return to player average if this is something you are concerned about. If you are not bothered by the RTP, you may be pleased to know that this is a medium variance slot, offering a good balance between win regularity and the value of the prizes on offer. Of course, averages and volatility can never be guaranteed, as they are based on averages that simply may not apply if you choose to give slots a go; for example, you could win big on your first spin or never hit a big win after hours of play.

How to play Dark Hearts

Dark Hearts is a simple game to play, but here are our top tips to help you get started if you decide to give it a try:

1. Find the coin symbol beneath the reels and use the + and - tabs to decide how many coins you want to play on each spin.
2. There is also a ‘select coins’ tab that enables you to choose your stake.
3. Click on the ‘bet max’ button to choose to play the highest stake permitted by the game.
4. Use the ‘auto’ tab to set the game to spin for you.
5. The circular arrows are the button you need to press if you want to start the slot’s reels yourself.
6. There is a button marked ‘paytable’ above the reels. Press this to view the wins you could receive.

Bet sizes & paytable wins

Dark Hearts offers 243 different ways to win across five reels. Prizes are paid out for at least three matching icons on consecutive reels from left to right. The highest prize earner of the vampires is Willow, who can deliver 500x the number of coins you play if you manage to land five of a kind. Other wins on offer for five matching symbols include:

• DH symbol = 1,250x
• Chalice = 1,000x
• Cross = 600x
• Viktor = 400x
• Marcus = 300x
• Red rose = 250x
• Ace = 100x
• King = 90x
• Queen = 90x
• Jack = 60x
• Ten = 50x
• Nine = 45x

As with many Rival slots, the betting options revolve around choosing how many coins you want to stake and how much these will be worth. You can bet between one and ten coins on each spin and get to decide whether you want each of these to be worth at 0.01, 0.05, 0.10 or 0.25. This means that you can start spinning the Dark Hearts reels for 0.30 per spin for the 30 coins you need to benefit from the 243 different ways to win or could go all-out with the maximum spin stake of 75.00. All wins except for scatter prizes are based on multipliers of the number of coins you choose.

Dark Hearts bonus features

Dark Hearts boasts a variety of features - if you love a bonus, this may be the game for you: 

Wild

The love bites wild offers substitution powers that can help to create winning opportunities. 

Scatter

The lock and key is the scatter and can reward you with free spins. If you manage to land at least three of these anywhere on the reels, you get to choose one of the following options:

30 free spins + a 1x multiplier
15 free spins + a 2x multiplier
10 free spins + a 3x multiplier

Dark Hearts review: our verdict

If you love the romance/horror themte, you might well enjoy this slot. Even if you have never heard of Buffy, you may still enjoy the entertainment on offer from this pleasant-look slot. The features aren’t as numerous as with some online slots; however, there is still a decent selection and getting the chance to choose how many free spins you want combined with the value of the multiplier is a nice touch. The betting range is also wide enough to suit most players, with this widespread appeal enhanced further by the medium volatility.

Disclaimer: Dark Hearts trademark / license is owned by Rival Gaming. This site is not endorsed by Rival Gaming.