Magic Wand

Magic Wand (Titan Gaming) Review

The Magic Wand does most of the work in this Titan Gaming slot. It can change several types of symbols at once, sometimes setting off a chain of events that keeps the same spin going for quite a while. I found the Collector particularly interesting. It gathers the Coin values on the screen and can lead to another round of symbol changes. There's quite a bit of luck involved in what the wand picks, of course.

There are 30 positions on the reels, arranged in a 6×5 grid. Magic Wand doesn't use paylines, so you're looking for groups of five or more identical symbols that touch along their sides. You'll see the usual card ranks from 10 to A, mixed with potions, pendants, wizard hats and spellbooks. Get at least 13 spellbooks together and they pay 100x your stake. After a win, those symbols are cleared and others drop down to fill the gaps.

The standard RTP is 96.01%, and this is a high-volatility game. You can win up to 15,000x your stake in the regular modes. The limit goes up to 30,000x in Bonus Buy Battle, although that mode also comes with the risk of losing the entire bonus payout to your opponent. Personally, I'd be more curious to see how far the Collector can take a single spin than to chase the biggest possible prize.

Magic Wand Features

Coins, Collectors and multipliers all come from the wand's transformations. You won't necessarily see them together, and what appears can change quite a lot from one spin to another.

Magic Wand and Symbol Transformation

The wand can choose from 1 to 9 types of regular symbols. Once they're selected, every matching symbol on the reels gets marked and changes into something else. It could be a Coin, a Multiplier, a Collector or an Extra Spins symbol.

Sometimes the transformation ends there. Other times, a Collector appears and starts another round, so the wand gets to work again before the spin is finished.

Coin Symbols and Collector

Coins show cash amounts based on your bet. You don't need to connect them like regular symbols, but you do need a Collector to pick them up.

When a Collector appears, it takes the values of the Coins currently on the screen. Another collection can follow, depending on what the next transformation brings.

Global Multiplier and Extra Spins

Multipliers come in 2x, 3x, 5x and 10x values. The game adds them up, so if you get a 3x and a 10x, your Global Multiplier will be 13x. That total is used when the Coin prizes are collected.

The wand can also produce Extra Spins symbols. These give you more spins during the Free Spins bonuses.

Spellbound Free Spins

Three Bonus symbols take you into Spellbound with 10 Free Spins.

The wand appears more often here, and the Global Multiplier doesn't reset after every spin. If you've built it up, you keep that value going into the next one.

The marked symbols are cleared after each spin, though. The wand has to select them again rather than keeping the same marks throughout the bonus.

Realm of Magic Free Spins

You'll need four Bonus symbols for Realm of Magic. It starts with 10 Free Spins, just like Spellbound, and the Global Multiplier carries over between spins.

What changes is the way marked symbols behave. Once the wand has selected a symbol type, it stays marked for the rest of the bonus and can be transformed again on later spins.

Bonus Buy Options

Magic Wand lets you pay for certain features. The cheaper options change the frequency of special symbols or bonus triggers, while the more expensive ones take you straight into a bonus.

• Bonus Boost - costs 2x
• Wand Spins - costs 25x
• Scatter Spin - costs 50x
• Spellbound - costs 150x
• Mystery Bonus - costs 290x
• Realm of Magic - costs 500x

Mystery Bonus gives you a randomly chosen bonus. Spellbound and Realm of Magic are direct purchases, so you know which round you're getting.

All six options have a listed RTP of 96.01%.

Bonus Buy Battle

This feature puts your bonus up against another one. You choose Spellbound for 150x your bet or Realm of Magic for 500x, then pick a volatility setting.

The game presents two bonus setups. You choose one and the opponent gets the other. Both rounds are played separately, with the larger win deciding the result.

If yours wins, you receive the payouts from both bonuses. If the opponent does better, you get nothing. Even if your own bonus pays 100x, for example, you lose that amount if the other one pays more. A tie counts as a win for you.

Theme & Graphics

Magic Wand could fit nicely into the Halloween slots category, although it's more funny than frightening. The little wizard stands beside the reels, surrounded by crooked houses, gravestones and bare trees. The purple sky makes the whole village look even stranger. I prefer this lighter approach to the usual serious wizard themes.

The potions and spellbooks are drawn in the same cartoon style as the wizard. There's a bit of spooky music too, and you hear a different sound when the wand changes the symbols.

Magic Wand Free Play

The Magic Wand demo is a good way to get used to the cluster wins and the symbol transformations. I'd pay particular attention to the Collector, as it can gather Coins from different parts of the grid and sometimes start another transformation.

In the Magic Wand free play, you can also look through the paytable to see how much the different clusters pay and learn what changes between Spellbound and Realm of Magic.

Pros And Cons Of Magic Wand Slot

Magic Wand has some interesting features, particularly the Collector and the two Free Spins rounds. There are a few things I'd keep in mind, though.

Our Verdict

Magic Wand is one of those slots where I'd be more interested in seeing what happens during a spin than simply waiting for a big win. The wand can change several groups of symbols, and once a Collector appears, things can get quite unpredictable. I particularly like that Coins can be scattered all over the grid and still pay together. Of course, if the Collector doesn't turn up, those Coins aren't much use.

Between the two Free Spins bonuses, Realm of Magic would be my choice. Keeping the marked symbols throughout the round makes a noticeable difference to how the feature works, at least on paper. Spellbound has the persistent Global Multiplier, which is useful, but I'd rather have both mechanics working together. The 500x purchase price for Realm of Magic is another matter. That's a lot to pay for ten starting spins, even with the possibility of getting extras.

I'm less convinced by Bonus Buy Battle. The idea of taking both payouts if you beat your opponent is unusual, and I can see why some players would enjoy it. But you could get a perfectly decent result from your own bonus and still walk away with zero. For me, that's a rather frustrating way to lose.