Cloud Princess

Cloud Princess Review

It's fascinating how certain slot games seem to spark entire subgenres, with a wave of copycat releases following in their wake. The Book slot mechanic genre is a prime example, but now we're witnessing the rise of the Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus Mechanic genre, with over 140 titles already in circulation. Hacksaw Gaming is hardly known for their copycat efforts, but has surprisingly decided to jump on the bandwagon with their Cloud Princess slot release.

Visually, Cloud Princess bears a resemblance to Starlight Princess, another Gates Of Olympus clone by Pragmatic Play themselves. However, the vibe is decidedly more ethereal than the cutesy anime inspiration. Both games showcase a princess amidst the clouds, a concept more hinted at in the title of Hacksaw's release. A soothing melody enhances the otherworldly ambiance as the action unfolds on a 6x5 grid with a Pay Anywhere win system. Winning symbols include gemstones and jewelry, rewarding 50x to 400x your stake for 19+ in view. You need a minimum of 8 matching symbols to trigger a win, ranging from 0.2x to 2x your stake.

Cloud Princess Slot - Reels Screen

Unlike its source of inspiration, Cloud Princess offers medium volatility, scoring 3 out of 5 on Hacksaw's scale. With bet levels from €0.1 to €100 per spin, it caters to a wide spectrum of players. The 29.57 % hit frequency translates to a win approximately every 3rd spin on average. The cascading reels mechanic enables indefinite winning streaks, further fueled by 3 different multiplier symbols. All these multipliers are progressive, either increasing by +1 or +2 per cascade, or doubling per cascade. This unique innovation also benefits you in the bonus rounds.

The regular Cloud Surge bonus round mirrors the base game, with additive progressive multipliers amplifying your cascading wins. In contrast, the Divine Boost bonus round features a progressive overall win multiplier that increases per winning cascade involving a multiplier symbol. It boosts all wins that include a multiplier symbol, but not those without. The top-tier RTP of 96.24 % is above average, but be mindful of potential lower RTP versions. While the 10,000x max win doesn't match Pragmatic's revamped 1000 series, remember that Cloud Princess boasts a more forgiving medium volatility.

Cloud Princess Features

You get cascading wins and 3 different progressive multiplier symbols in Cloud Princess, as well as 2 unique bonus rounds with different multiplier systems. Let’s see how it all works!

Cascading Reels

Winning symbols are removed via the Cascading mechanic, making room for new and existing symbols to drop down to fill the gaps. This process repeats as long as you keep landing new wins, meaning indefinite winning streaks are possible.

Multiplier And Progressive Multiplier Symbols

Multiplier symbols accumulate per cascading sequence, and their values are added together to boost your total win from any spin or cascading sequence. However, there are 3 unique multiplier symbols in this game, and their values can reach as high as x10,000:

• Regular Multiplier Symbol - reveals values of x2, x3, or x4, and increases by +1 per cascade.
• Super Multiplier Symbol - reveals values of x5, x10, x15, or x20, and increases by +2 per cascade.
• Epic Multiplier Symbol - reveals values of x5, x10, x50, or x100, and doubles per cascade.

Cloud Surge Free Spins

Landing 3 FS scatters in view on the same spin, or within the same cascading sequence, triggers the Cloud Surge Bonus Round with 10 free spins. Wins from cascading sequences accumulate just like multiplier symbol values, and the total win is then boosted by the total multiplier symbol value at the end of each cascade. You win +2 or +4 extra free spins from 2 or 3 FS scatters in view, respectively.

Divine Boost Free Spins

The Divine Boost Bonus Round triggers from 4 FS scatters on the same base game spin or within the same cascading sequence, awarding 10 free spins for starters. The Divine Multiplier collects all used multiplier symbol values, creating a progressive multiplier that collects all values multiplier values before it boosts your wins. However, this multiplier is only applied if you land a win with a multiplier symbol. You win +2 or +4 free spins from 2 or 3 FS scatters on the same spin or in the same cascading sequence, respectively.

Cloud Princess Slot - Free Spins

Cloud Princess Bonus Buy (not UK)

Eligible players will find the Bonus Buy menu down to the left, and it’s a purple button in Cloud Princess casino slot. Here is an overview of the available options:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins - pay 3x your stake to increase your bonus round chances by 5x.
• Heavenly FeatureSpins - pay 50x your stake to get a win guarantee spin with at least one multiplier symbol. Cloud Surge - pay 100x your stake for this bonus round.
• Divine Boost - pay 200x your stake for this bonus round.

Pros and Cons of Cloud Princess

Our Verdict

We were a bit surprised to see such a blatant copycat effort from Hacksaw, as they usually pride themselves on their original creations. However, at least they have done it right. Unlike many developers who simply clone a game and change the visuals, Hacksaw has taken the concept and improved upon it with their innovative progressive multiplier symbols. This is a fantastic addition, and we wouldn't be surprised to see it implemented in many of their future releases.

The theme might echo Starlight Princess, but it carries a distinct vibe, far removed from the anime-inspired source material. Personally, I prefer this release in terms of theme and music, though I admit I'm not a huge anime fan. The symbols are beautifully detailed, but it's not always easy to discern what they represent. Most seem to depict jewelry, but Hacksaw could have done a better job distinguishing them.

The gameplay mechanics will be familiar to anyone who has played Pragmatic Play's popular titles, with Pay Anywhere cascading wins at the core of the experience. The progressive multiplier symbols, however, add a fresh dimension. While games like Starlight Princess 1000 offer higher potential multipliers of up to x1,000, Cloud Princess Hacksaw Gaming can turn even lower multipliers into massive boosters with longer cascading sequences. A single multiplier symbol can reach a staggering x10,000, though this would require 7 consecutive cascades starting with the x100 doubling multiplier.

Of course, it's a huge advantage when these progressive multipliers contribute to the overall win multiplier in the top-tier bonus round. As in Starlight Princess, you need to win with a multiplier symbol to benefit from the overall win multiplier though, which can be frustrating when you land regular wins without that extra boost. It's also worth noting that although not explicitly mentioned in the paytable, the bonus buy menu hints at increased multiplier symbol action in both bonus rounds, something I observed during my testing.

Overall, Cloud Princess game is a welcome addition to the growing subgenre and a great example of how to execute a copycat release successfully. As long as improvements are made, we're all for it, as it contributes to the evolution of online slots. I thoroughly enjoyed my time testing Cloud Princess slot, and I appreciate that the medium volatility makes it more accessible than its more brutal inspirations. The 10,000x potential is more than enough to make this a highly attractive game.