Spire+

Spire+ Game Review

Like so many games in the instant win Crash genre, Pragmatic Play’s Spire+ tones down the visual complexity to focus on the nerve-racking gameplay. Set against a nocturnal mountain backdrop, you’ll climb the path of glory towards the peak of the castle spire in search of riches. Each step of the way is filled with danger, as one mistake means you’ve lost the round and have to start all over again at the bottom of the prize ladder.

You start by choosing your bet level, which ranges from €0.01 to €250 per round in Spire+. Once you’ve settled on a bet level, it’s time to make the even more crucial choice from the 5 difficulty levels. It’s important to understand that each difficulty level has a unique paytable, with progressively higher prizes being offered from difficulty level Easy to Master. Each round offers 9 rows to ascend regardless of the difficulty mode you choose, and your achieved prize increases with each correct pick you make.

Spire+ - Game Screen

However, a single wrong pick means the round is over, and your achieved winnings are lost. The good news is that you can choose to cash out between any pick, so destiny is truly in your hands when playing the Spire+ game. You can play it safe to decrease the volatility, but keep in mind that the top-tier RTP of 98.25 % requires the risky strategy of going for the top prize each round. In the highest difficulty levels, the prize increase is massive towards the top of the ladder, topping out at 256,901x in Master mode.

Spire+ stands out with an unusually high win cap for a mines-inspired pick game, and even the second-highest Expert level offers a solid 19,289.34x your stake if you take it all the way to the top. The 3 lower-difficulty levels are more moderate in their offerings, and it’s important to have a conscious strategy when you play the Spire+ game. A mix of going for broke and cashing out early is probably a good idea, and remember to be careful with the highest difficulty levels.

Spire+ Features & How to Play

Spire+ Pragmatic Play is all about clearing rows to unlock higher and higher bet multipliers, and, not least, cashing out before you hit a skull icon and go bust. Before you start, you must choose your preferred difficulty level, each with a unique paytable and max win potential. Keep in mind that your winnings do not accumulate as you clear rows, and only the highest bet multiplier you have currently achieved will be paid out when you hit the cashout button.

Spire+ - Game Screen

Easy Mode

In Easy Mode, there are 4 items to choose from per row, each randomly assigned with 3 winning positions and 1 losing position. Here is an overview of what each row awards as you clear them:

• Row 1 – 1.31x your stake.
• Row 2 – 1.74x your stake.
• Row 3 – 2.32x your stake.
• Row 4 – 3.10x your stake.
• Row 5 – 4.13x your stake.
• Row 6 – 5.51x your stake.
• Row 7 – 7.34x your stake.
• Row 8 – 9.79x your stake.
• Row 9 – 13.05x your stake.

Medium Mode

In Medium Mode, you get 3 items to choose from per row, and each row contains 3 winning positions and 1 losing position. Here is an overview of what you can win from clearing rows in Medium Mode:

• Row 1 – 1.47x your stake.
• Row 2 – 2.21x your stake.
• Row 3 – 3.31x your stake.
• Row 4 – 4.96x your stake.
• Row 5 – 7.44x your stake.
• Row 6 – 11.16x your stake.
• Row 7 – 16.74x your stake.
• Row 8 – 25.11x your stake.
• Row 9 – 37.67x your stake.

Hard Mode

In Hard Mode, each row has 2 items, with 1 winning position and 1 losing position per row. Here is an overview of what clearing each row awards:

• Row 1 – 1.96x your stake.
• Row 2 – 3.92x your stake.
• Row 3 – 7.84x your stake.
• Row 4 – 15.65x your stake.
• Row 5 – 31.36x your stake.
• Row 6 – 62.72x your stake.
• Row 7 – 125.44x your stake.
• Row 8 – 250.88x your stake.
• Row 9 – 501.76x your stake.

Expert Mode

In Expert Mode, you’re back to having 3 items to choose from per row, but with only 1 winning position and 2 losing positions. Here is an overview of what each cleared row yields:

• Row 1 – 2.94x your stake.
• Row 2 – 8.82x your stake.
• Row 3 – 26.46x your stake.
• Row 4 – 79.38x your stake.
• Row 5 – 238.14x your stake.
• Row 6 – 714.42x your stake.
• Row 7 – 2,143.25x your stake.
• Row 8 – 6,429.78x your stake.
• Row 9 – 19,289.34x your stake.

Master Mode

In Master Mode, you’ll pick from 4 items per row, with each row being assigned only 1 winning position and 3 losing positions. Needless to say, this is the mode where you can win the largest payouts and the Spire+ max win. Here’s the paytable overview:

• Row 1 – 3.92x your stake.
• Row 2 – 15.68x your stake.
• Row 3 – 62.72x your stake.
• Row 4 – 250.88x your stake.
• Row 5 – 1,003.52x your stake.
• Row 6 – 4,014.08x your stake.
• Row 7 – 16,056.62x your stake.
• Row 8 – 64,225.28x your stake.
• Row 9 – 256,901x your stake.

Theme & Graphics

The Spire+ game presents a minimalist yet mysterious nocturnal backdrop, featuring a winding golden path that leads towards a towering castle with illuminated window openings. You can see treetops reaching towards the starry sky, set against a majestic, silhouetted mountain landscape. You need to choose your path carefully to keep ascending the spire, as a single wrong pick reveals a deadly, flaming skull that ends the round. The clean visuals and simple gameplay create an atmosphere of anticipation, amplified by the intensifying ambient tones of the soundtrack as you climb towards the top prize.

Pros and Cons of Spire+

Our Verdict

Pragmatic Play is responsible for one of the most popular crash games of recent years, as their 2022 release, Spaceman, soared up the charts and still holds a high position in the instant win genre. It remains to be seen how Spire+ will fare, but it's a very different game, even if the core winning mechanic is somewhat similar. For starters, it’s a bit less panicky and nerve-racking when you have all the time in the world to make your choice, unlike in regular bust games.

In a way, Spire+ combines the best of mine and crash games while also being a bit easier on your nerves. While it’s true that each pick is more consequential than in regular mine games, there's no constant pressure to cash out quickly before you go bust. This pressure tends to build when you play regular crash games like the aforementioned Spaceman, while Spire+ allows you to relax more and make a calculated choice with relative peace of mind.

Okay, the peace of mind part will fly out the window as soon as you reach a certain prize threshold, but that’s what makes Spire+ exciting. I like that you get to choose from 5 different difficulty modes, each with its own paytable, as this means each player can tailor the experience to suit their risk-reward appetite. It should be noted that your strategy will significantly affect the game’s RTP, which ranges from 97.81 to 98.25 % if you play each round to the hopefully not-so-bitter end.

In other words, you cannot cash out if you want the best possible long-term returns, and, not least, if you want to go for the max win. This is my main issue with both crash games and games like Spire+. I prefer slots because I never know if I will be showered with a massive win on the next spin, and because slots offer top-up wins combined with the possibility of landing the max win. In Spire+, the way to the win cap - or any significant win for that matter - is most likely paved with the grief of countless lost rounds.