Max Elements

Max Elements Review

The 5x6 grid is placed in front of a mysterious stone tower in the middle of the forest, presumably the home of the Wizard that occasionally pops in during the gameplay. Flanked by massive frog statues spouting water out of their mouths, the reels are filled with carved stones symbolizing the 4 elements of fire, water, earth, and wind. The soundtrack is pleasantly relaxed, with a supernatural vibe that adds to the atmosphere.

Max Elements may not be the most imaginary game title we’ve seen from Yggdrasil, but this Gigablox installment is packed to the gills with innovative features, modifiers, and 3 unique bonus rounds. However, let’s cover the basics first. You can play with bet levels ranging from €0.1 to €20 per spin, and you win by landing 8 to 30 matching symbols anywhere in view. The Wizard is the top-tier symbol, awarding 100x your stake at best, while the Element symbols come in both a high and low-value version.

Max Elements Slot - Reels Screen

The Avalanche mechanic removes winning symbols, meaning indefinite winning streaks are possible, and Gigablox of up to size 5x5 can appear in all stages. Gigablox can also crush their way onto the grid after avalanche wins, and 4 Feature Rune symbols appear randomly to trigger different modifiers. In addition, Mystery Stones act like mystery symbols that are persistently active in avalanche sequences.

When you trigger the Bonus Round, you get to choose whether you prefer the Mystery Stones or the Rune feature symbols, as either will be guaranteed per free spin. What’s more, you can trigger or upgrade to the Super Bonus, where both features are active. In addition, a global win multiplier boosts wins while accelerating the higher it goes. Max Elements is a highly volatile game boasting a solid max win of 25,000x your stake.

Max Elements Features

There are plenty of features to cover in Max Elements Yggdrasil, so without further ado, let’s take a peek under the hood!

Avalanche Wins

All winning symbols are removed from the grid, allowing existing and new symbols to drop down to fill the gaps. This can lead to new winning combinations and the process repeats indefinitely as long as you keep winning.

Gigablox & Summon Gigablox

All paying symbols can land as Gigablox of sizes 2x2 to 5x5, turning into regular 1x1-sized symbols if a win is created. In all stages of the game, the Summon Gigablox feature may trigger randomly after any win, spawning a Gigablox before the Avalanche mechanic kicks in. The Gigablox symbol will then crush symbols beneath it until it’s fully in view or has reached the bottom of the grid.

Feature Rune Symbols

You can land 4 unique Feature Rune symbols in Max Elements slot, each triggering their respective modifier before being removed and causing the Avalanche mechanic to trigger:

• Transform Rune - selects 1 to 3 low-value symbols and turns them all into a single random high-value symbol or Mystery Stones.
• Delete Rune - removes all pay symbols with less than 6 instances present.
• Multiply Rune (can only land when the Global Win Multiplier is x2 or higher) - adds +2 to the Global Win Multiplier for a regular 1x1-size Rune and +3 for a 2x2-sized Rune.
• Add Rune - adds +1 to +4 to the Global Win Multiplier for the 1x1-sized Rune and +5 to +100 for the 2x2-sized Rune.

Mystery Stone

You can land Mystery Stone symbols in all stages of the game, either in regular 1x1 sizes or as Gigablox. The Mystery Stones are not removed during Avalanche sequences and turn into a random matching pay symbol per Avalanche. If there are Mystery Stones present already, only 1x1-sized Mystery Stones can appear.

Free Spins & Super Free Spins

You need 3 scatter symbols in view on the same spin or within the same Avalanche sequence to trigger the Bonus Round. This awards 6 free spins and you get to choose between the Mystery Stone or Rune feature. The Mystery Stone Bonus guarantees at least one 2x2-sized (or larger) Mystery Stone per spin while the Rune Bonus guarantees at least one Feature Rune symbol per spin.

Landing a Super Scatter symbol during either of the bonus rounds upgrades the feature to the Super version, awarding +2 extra free spins. During the Super Bonus Round, you’re guaranteed at least one 2x2-sized (or larger) Mystery Stone plus a Feature Rune symbol per spin. The Super Bonus Round can also be triggered from the base game if 1 of the 3 triggering scatters is a Super Scatter. A +1 symbol awards +1 extra free spin in all bonus rounds.

Unlike in the base game, where the Global Win Multiplier is only activated via the Feature Runes, the Multiplier increases by +1 per Avalanche in the bonus rounds. The Multiplier never resets for the duration of the free spins and reaching the following thresholds awards +1 extra free spin while also accelerating the multiplier increase:

• After x10, the multiplier increases by +2 per avalanche.
• After x30, the multiplier increases by +3 per avalanche.
• After x60, the multiplier increases by +4 per avalanche.
• After x100, the multiplier increases by +5 per avalanche.

Max Elements Bonus Buy (not UK)

Eligible players can purchase the choice between the 2 regular bonus rounds for 100x the stake, or pay 300x the stake to choose between the Super version of these features. Max Elements slot also has 2 Golden Bet options featured on the bottom right-hand side of the grid.

You can pay 3x your stake via the Star Spins ante bet to double your bonus round chances. Alternatively, you can activate the Rune Spins ante bet for 6x the stake to be guaranteed at least one Feature Rune and Mystery Stone per spin. Not only that, but the Rune Spins ante bet also activates the progressive Global Win Multiplier for base game avalanche sequences.

Theme & Graphics

With two massive stone frog fountains in the backdrop, as well as rune stones, the stage is set for some supernatural action in the Max Elements game. The element symbols are carved into stone blocks that disappear with a satisfying poof during avalanche sequences, fuelling your winning streaks. The Wizard himself pops in to activate the different feature runes while also providing action commentary. It’s all accompanied by a relaxing soundtrack with mystical overtones, creating a pleasant atmosphere for the magic to unfold.

Pros and Cons of Max Elements

Our Verdict

A problem with many previous installments in Yggdrasil’s Gigablox series is that they often tend to rely too heavily on the Gigablox feature alone. Don’t get us wrong, landing massive symbol blocks is an exciting feature, but not really enough to carry one installment after another. The CasinoGrounds collaboration appears to have paid off in that regard, as Max Elements is packed with exciting features and modifiers in both the base game and the bonus rounds.

Visually, Yggdrasil seems inspired by another partner, namely Peter & Sons, but without going overboard on the quirkiness factor. It might have been better if the Wizard character was present alongside the grid at all times, instead of simply popping in out of the blue to activate certain rune features. However, this is hardly a massive issue and I did like that he also provides action commentary without overdoing it and trying to hype up every little top-up win.

Gigablox, avalanche wins potentially summoning Gigablox, and 4 different Rune modifier symbols deliver plenty of action in the base game, and more than enough to make Max Elements a well-balanced and highly entertaining experience. Yggdrasil has even managed to squeeze in some innovation for the mystery symbol concept, allowing the Mystery Stones to shine as they persistently turn into matching symbols in avalanche sequences.

When the bonus round triggers, you get to choose between guaranteed Mystery Stones or Rune Feature symbols. I preferred the latter myself, but it’s even more fun when you get both at the same time during Super Free Spins. Throw in the progressive multiplier that accelerates per threshold you reach, and we have no trouble seeing how this thing can escalate toward the massive 25,000x win cap. Max Elements is a great installment that takes the Gigablox series to a whole new level, and we will definitely return for more.