Cygnus 5: Slot Overview
Humanity’s fascination with the stars stretches back thousands of years, with the earliest astronomical records appearing in 30,000-year-old cave paintings. Even before that, our ancestors likely gazed upward in wonder, captivated by the mysteries of the cosmos. Since then, we’ve unraveled some secrets of the universe, yet many questions remain unanswered—perhaps forever. While pondering the vast unknown can lead us down endless paths of curiosity, ELK Studios grounds us in the here and now with Cygnus 5, the fifth installment in its celestial-themed Cygnus series.
The Cygnus saga has journeyed through various themes, from astronomy to ancient arenas and the Tower of London. With Cygnus 5, the series circles back to its roots, embracing an Ancient Egyptian theme intertwined with stargazing. The setting is more intimate this time, offering a glimpse of a starry night above a gaming grid framed within the walls of a temple-like structure. While the visuals may not deliver the same awe-inspiring impact as earlier entries in the series—likely due to the familiarity of its concept—Cygnus 5 still holds up well with its atmospheric design and immersive soundscape.
As with its predecessors, Cygnus 5 features a distinctive 6-reel, asymmetric gaming grid. When you hit spin, four rows of symbols drop into place, and the goal is to land at least three matching symbols on consecutive reels starting from the leftmost side. Initially, the grid offers 4,096 ways to win, but this can expand as additional rows are unlocked through the Avalanching Wins mechanic. For this fifth installment, ELK Studios has employed a medium-to-high volatility math model, with a maximum RTP of 94%, although this drops to 87% in certain markets. Betting options range from 20c to $/€100 per round.
The game includes seven regular pay symbols. Low-value symbols are represented by triangle, diamond, and hexagonal shapes, while the high-paying symbols feature a bird, a snake, a cat, and a sun-moon emblem. Low-paying symbols award 0.2x the bet for a six-of-a-kind win, while high-paying symbols offer payouts of up to 0.3x to 5x the bet. Helping to create winning combinations is the wild symbol, which substitutes for all regular pay symbols.
Cygnus 5 – Slot Features
Winning in Cygnus 5 triggers the Avalanche feature, which removes winning symbols and causes the remaining ones to cascade downward. This process adds an extra row to the grid (up to a maximum of 8 rows), and new symbols fill the reels. As the grid expands, so do the potential ways to win—reaching an impressive 262,144 ways at full size. Avalanches continue until no new winning combinations appear.
Prism Symbol
The prism symbol activates when it reaches the bottom of the grid. After the next symbol drop (or immediately, if positioned by a Meteor Strike), it transforms all symbols along a random number of directions into matching symbols or wilds. If a prism symbol’s beam intersects with another prism, it triggers a chain reaction, converting all symbols along the selected paths into the same pay symbol or wild. Symbols at intersections turn into wilds. Any multipliers, scatters, or super scatters in the prism’s path are temporarily converted into matching symbols but revert after the win calculation.
Multiplier Symbol
When a multiplier symbol reaches the bottom of the reels or the leftmost column, it increases the active win multiplier before transforming into a wild. These adjustments occur before payouts, and the win multiplier applies to all subsequent wins during that game round. If the multiplier pillar is maxed out, it pays the remaining amount required to reach the max win. The win multiplier resets at the start of the next round.
Meteor Strike
The Meteor Strike feature triggers randomly after a symbol drop or refill. When activated, it replaces a random selection of pay symbols on the grid with special feature symbols, adding variety and potential to the gameplay.
Free Spins
When a scatter or super scatter symbol reaches the leftmost column, it triggers 7 free spins, carrying over the current win multiplier into the bonus round. If a scatter or super scatter lands on the bottom row of columns 2 to 6, it is removed and re-dropped one step to the left, if possible, at the end of an Avalanche cycle.
During free spins, the win multiplier is persistent throughout the round, and each drop starts with 4 rows. In the case of super spins, a Meteor Strike is guaranteed on every drop. Additional free spins are awarded when a scatter reaches the leftmost column, and if a super scatter makes it to the leftmost reel during regular free spins, the feature is upgraded to super free spins.
X-iter Bonus Buys
Cygnus 5 offers five X-iter bonus buy options:
- Bonus Hunt (2x the bet): Increases the chance of triggering a bonus or super bonus game by over threefold.
- Meteors (10x the bet): Guarantees a Meteor Strike on the first drop.
- Prisms (25x the bet): Guarantees at least two prism symbols in the round.
- Bonus Game (100x the bet): Grants immediate access to the free spins round.
- Super Bonus (500x the bet): Directly activates the super free spins feature.
Cygnus 5: Slot Verdict
It’s fitting to see Cygnus reach its fifth installment, especially as another flagship series from ELK Studios, Nitropolis, has also hit a similar milestone. The first two entries, Cygnus and Cygnus 2, were standout slots, earning high marks for their innovative design and engaging mechanics. However, subsequent releases in the series have seen varied success. Cygnus 3 underwhelmed with its awkward Cygnus Wheel, while Cygnus 4 was solid but lacked a wow factor. Cygnus 5 follows suit, delivering a polished experience with striking visuals and the familiar mix of Avalanche wins, expanding rows, and increasing ways to win—a proven formula for ELK Studios, especially in their celebrated Gold series. While the core gameplay remains enjoyable, it’s beginning to feel slightly overplayed, even if still satisfying during streaks of consecutive wins that expand the grid.
The prism symbol is a standout addition, offering a refreshing twist without reinventing the wheel. Like the multiplier symbol, its effectiveness depends on how low (or to the left) it can drop on the grid to unleash its transforming abilities. With the potential for the grid to grow up to 8 rows high, there’s plenty of room for these transformations to shine. The multiplier symbols themselves follow a familiar pattern—every boost to the win multiplier is welcomed, though the quasi-jackpot mechanic of reaching the top of the multiplier pillar for the 50,000x max win feels like a double-edged sword, mixing excitement with frustration for some players.
Looking ahead, unless ELK Studios makes a significant leap in innovation for Cygnus 6, it’s hard to feel overly enthusiastic about another entry. That’s not to say Cygnus 5 is a letdown—it’s far from it. The game performs admirably, blending new elements with established features, and delivers a solid experience overall. However, there’s a creeping sense of diminishing returns that slightly tempers the excitement surrounding this once-thrilling series.