Phoenix (Gameplay Interactive) - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Introduction

The Phoenix is a popular theme for slots turning ashes to gold, and this 5-reel, 30-payline slot is packed with features.

Look out for the Phoenix wild and the Egg scatter, which triggers respins with generous advancing multipliers and a shot at unlocking the free spins feature with a 16x multiplier and 3x3 colossal symbols on the centre reels.

If you enjoy playing Gameplay Interactive slots online, you won’t be disappointed by the feature set or the beautiful design, which looks great when played on mobile and tablet with an HD screen.

Theme, Graphics & Soundtrack

If you’re a fan of the Harry Potter films, you’ll remember the phoenix Fawkes, whose tail feather is the core of Harry’s and Lord Voldemort’s wands and who rescues the boy wizard when he’s poisoned by the Basilisk.

But the phoenix legend dates way back to Greek legend, which tells of an immortal bird that rises from its own ashes. Considered to bring luck and success, the plumage of this mythical bird is red and gold, two of the luckiest colours in China, where Phoenix is set.

We’re outside a wooden pagoda in the countryside and the reels resemble planks of wood, giving the entire design a pleasing rustic feel. There’s a gentle Chinese-style soundtrack with the occasional cry of the phoenix as it lands on the reels.

There are 11 beautifully drawn symbols in this slot, and even the three royals are licked with flames. The four paying symbols represent beautiful jewels, fans and phoenix feathers, while the phoenix wild animates and flies when it lands and replaces all symbols except the pink egg scatter.

RTP & Volatility

Risk-takers will like the mix of high-variance gameplay and 95.99% RTP, even though this is a little on the low side. But that’s mitigated by pays-each-way wins that effectively double the paylines from 30 to 60.

How to play Phoenix

Gameplay Interactive have created a mobile-optimised player interface that makes setting up your game controls a breeze. Here’s how:
 
1. To access game functionality, hit the three-line Menu button at the bottom left.

2. Click the Speaker icon to mute or unmute game sounds.

3. Click the gear-shaped Settings icon to open the following game controls:
- Total Bet with a slider to let you select a bet that fits your budget
- Paytable with game info and paylines

4. Assuming you’ve set your bet click, tap X to close the menu and hit the Spin button to start playing Phoenix. If you prefer Autospins, just click and hold. Then, click again to stop

To enjoy playing Phoenix responsibly, make sure you stay in control by setting a session budget and frequent timeouts.

Bet Sizes & Paytable Wins

All payline wins are multiplied by your line bet and the maximum five-of-a-kind base game wins are as follows:

- Winged jewel pays 100x
- Shield jewel pays 50x
- Fan pays 28x
- Feather pays 15x
- K pays 7x
- Q pays 6x
- J pays 5x

Gameplay Interactive slots can be costly, and there’s no penny player option here. Instead, the minimum bet is 1.50 up to a max bet of 150 credits per spin. The streak respins feature is also highly volatile, so the unlimited free spins with a whopping 16x multiplier are tricky to land.

Bonus Features

There’s quite a lot going on in Phoenix, and the use of streak respins to trigger free spins is an interesting and innovative bonus. There’s also some huge potential from the advancing multiplier feature.

Phoenix Wilds

You can’t miss the Phoenix when it lands on the reels and takes the place of any paying symbol. It won’t trigger the bonus feature, however. But in addition to completing new wins, it pays out 50x, 70x or 250x your stake for three, four or five of a kind.

Phoenix Respins

To trigger this powerful feature, you’ll need to land the Egg scatter symbol anywhere on reel 5. This triggers the respins feature with advancing multiplier:

- 1st respin = 2x multiplier
- 2nd respin = 4x multiplier
- 3rd respin = 8x multiplier
- 4th respin = 16x multiplier
- 5th respin triggers free spins

Fire Phoenix Free Spins

When the free spins trigger, you’ll be awarded indefinite free games at the maximum multiplier of 16x.

During the free spins feature, colossal 3x3 symbols will land on reels 2, 3 and 4.

During the free spins, a birdcage will appear on reel 5 on the 2nd row. If the Phoenix fire egg appears in the same position, the free spins will end.

Overall Review: Our Verdict

At first glance, Phoenix looks like a fun slot with its charming visuals. But dig a little deeper, and there’s plenty going on to please even the most dedicated player.

Yet again, Gameplay Interactive have combined maths, gameplay and graphics into one seamless and pleasing whole. But this time, some real thought has gone into the bonus features and the streak respins/freespins have massive potential. Even though they’re highly volatile, it’s worth testing them out with some demo spins.

The Secrets of the Phoenix online slot from Gamesys is also feature-packed and well worth a play.

Disclaimer: Phoenix (Gameplay Interactive) trademark / license is owned by Gameplay Interactive. This site is not endorsed by Gameplay Interactive.