Shimmering Woods - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Theme and Graphics

Shimmering Woods is set in a tranquil forest with symbols that depict various gemstones. It’s not the most out-there in terms of theme or graphics, but Shimmering Woods is a lovely game with a nice aesthetic so it’s easy on the eyes while you’re spinning the reels.

How to Play

Here’s a quick-start guide to get playing Shimmering Woods:

1. Click on the i button along the bottom navigation to view the paytable and get to know the game’s features.
2. You can toggle the sound and spin speed by clicking on the icons in the small black bar along the bottom of the screen.
3. Decide how much you’d like to wager. Bets between .20 coins and 100 coins can be made.
4. Check out the autoplay menu. Here, you can set loss and win limits.
5. Hit the spin button and enjoy!

RTP and Variance

Shimmering Woods has an RTP (return to player) of 96.20% but, as is the case with all Play’n GO slots, this is a variable payout percentage. What this means is that the payout percentage can be different at different casinos – in some casinos, as low as 94.2%.

You’ll also find that Shimmering Woods is a medium/high variance slot. According to Play’n GO’s own scale, it’s a 7/10 – which is surprising since the game has a top prize of 25,000x.

How to Win

There are 243 Ways to Win in Shimmering Woods. Wins are created by landing three or more matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right.

Depending on how many split symbols appear on the reels, you could end up to 7776 ways to win.

Split Symbols and Multiplier Meter

Split Symbols are in effect when you spin the reels on Shimmering Woods. Similar to the main mechanic in games like Neon Rush from Yggdrasil and Frozen Gems, symbols in Shimmering Woods can split apart.

What determines which symbols split is the box at the top of the screen. Any symbols matching it will split up.

There is also a multiplier meter at the top of the reels. Whenever you land a win, it will be multiplied by the value that is currently highlighted.

Free Spins and Bonuses

Landing three scatter symbols will trigger the free spins bonus in Shimmering Woods. The number of scatters will not only determine the number of free spins you get but also how many symbols are split symbols:

• 3 scatters: 10 free spins with 1 split symbol
• 4 scatters: 13 free spins with 2 split symbols
• 5 scatters: 16 free spins with 3 split symbols
• 6 scatters: 19 free spins with 4 split symbols

During the free spins round, it is possible to activate up to 10 split symbols. This is done by landing additional scatters and retriggering the round.  

Max-win 25,000x

Volatility High

Top RTP 96.2%

Overall Review

We like that Play’n GO is starting to get more daring in terms of max wins, as Shimmering Woods is one of the company’s top paying slots right now at 25,000x. More developers are competing to offer bigger and better prizes than the rest and this definitely keeps Play’n GO in the running.

The split symbols are a nice feature that keeps the gameplay interesting, even though this is a high volatility slot where wins don’t come around all that often. The combination of the split symbols and multipliers makes for engaging gameplay that will keep players engaged.

On its own, Shimmering Woods is a great online slot game but it does seem like a more scaled back version of Frozen Gems. This isn’t a bad thing, though – as Frozen Gems is a little bit complex in terms of its rules. So, even though it has a wider range of features, players may prefer Shimmering Woods due to it being more straight forward.

Split symbols are always going to be a winner of a bonus for us, because they keep the action moving. We really hope Play’n GO continues to come out with more games that feature this mechanic, as Shimmering Woods delivers a fun gaming experience.

Disclaimer: Shimmering Woods trademark / license is owned by Play N Go. This site is not endorsed by Play N Go.