The classic Wizard of Oz movie from 1939 is apparently the most watched film in history, and the original L. Frank Baum book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), has been banned several times throughout history. That being said, we doubt Emeralds of Oz will be the most played slot ever, nor does it merit a casino ban. It’s a pretty mediocre release from Pariplay, although the Rising Multiplier feature can make a dent in all stages of the game.
The Rising Multiplier makes this installment stick out from many similar releases, and it adds a certain unpredictability to the base game, as well as both bonus features. Without a significant multiplier carried over to the features however, you’ll be hard pressed to win anything of significance. The cartoonish visual presentation is decent, but the game looks almost as dated as the movie it’s inspired by.
TheWild symbolsteps in for all regular pay symbols to help complete winning combinations, and it’s also the most valuable symbol in the game in its own right. Landing 5 wilds on a payline awards 20x your stake, while 5-oak premium symbol wins pay between 2 and 7.5 x your stake.
Landing+1 symbolsincrease theRising Multiplieraccordingly, and the multiplier applies to any win before it resets. If you don’t win, the multiplier value keeps building as long as you land new +1 symbols, and it resets to x1 after a payout has been awarded.
You need at least5 Diamond Scattersanywhere in view to trigger the hold-and-win styleEmeralds of Oz bonus round. Whatever Rising Multiplier you’ve racked up in the base game is carried over into the feature. The triggering diamond scatters are sticky on an otherwise cleared grid, and you start with 3 respins.
Each new diamond scatter that lands comes with a cash prize value between 0.5 to 25 x your stake, and these become sticky too, as the respin tally resets to 3 again. In addition to Diamond cash symbols, you can also land5 different jackpot symbols. These are theMini, Minor, Major, Mega and Grand jackpots, worth10, 20, 50, 100 and 1,000 x your stake, respectively. All wins are summed up when the feature ends, and the multiplier is then applied.
The Free Spins Bonus Round is triggered when you land3 bonus scatterson reels 2, 3 and 4, and this awards7 free spinsfor starters. The Rising Multiplier is carried over from the base game here too, and it applies to all wins. Landing+1 Spin symbolsawards the corresponding amount ofextra spins, and you cannot trigger the Emerald of Oz feature from within the bonus round.
We managed to rack up an x8 Rising Multiplier, which we brought with us into the bonus round. It starts at 0:20 into the 2:50-minute highlights video, and we skip to the hold-and-win style feature right after. Hit the play button below to see for yourself how we fared.
The classic story of The Wizard of Oz is decently captured in Emeralds of Oz, but the simple and somewhat dated presentation limits the expression somewhat. The base game is all about building the Rising Multiplier, which once in a while leads to decent top-up payouts. What you really want however, is to build a solid multiplier that’s carried over into one of the game’s two bonus features.
The free spins round usually comes with an abundance of extra spins, but 225x your stake is the single spin max win without any multiplier action. The diamond scatters are usually low value in the hold-and-win style feature, and 375x is the most you can hope for without a jackpot or multiplier. While the Rising Multiplier feature makes this installment stick out somewhat, it’s still not enough to elevate Emeralds of Oz above the swamp of mediocracy.
Pros
Cons
Wizard of Oz: Emerald City- is a WMS release from 2018 that comes with a similar theme. Follow Dorothy and her crew down the yellow brick road to riches, and enjoy features like wheel bonus, free spins and a pick ‘em game that can lead to nice cash prizes.
Legacy of Oz- is a ‘book of’ mechanic release from Triple Edge Studios, and the HyperSpins feature allows for indefinite respins of individual reels for an individually calculated price. This can help trigger the bonus round, which comes with a randomly selected expanding symbol per retrigger. The volatility is high, and you can win up to 5,000x your stake.
Sisters of OZ WowPot- is a Triple Edge Studios release inspired by the classic tale, and you’ll benefit from stacked symbols that can combine into 3×4 jumbo blocks. You get jumbo blocks on each spin in the bonus round, which also comes with an x2 multiplier. There are 4 progressive jackpots up for grabs too, and the WowPot starts at £2 million.
The 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz is arguably the most viewed film in history, with its source material, L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), having been banned on numerous occasions. However, it is unlikely that Emeralds of Oz will achieve the same level of popularity as a slot game or warrant a casino ban. This mediocre Pariplay release is made somewhat noteworthy by its Rising Multiplier feature, which introduces an element of unpredictability to the game. Yet, without a significant multiplier, winning substantial amounts is difficult. The game’s visuals are passable, but they feel as outdated as the film it draws inspiration from. The Wild symbol can substitute for any regular pay symbols to create winning combinations and is the most valuable symbol in the game. The Rising Multiplier increases with the landing of +1 symbols and applies to any win before it resets. If no wins occur, the multiplier continues to increase until a payout happens. The Emeralds of Oz bonus round is triggered by at least five Diamond Scatters. Any Rising Multiplier from the base game is carried over into the bonus round. Diamond scatters come with a cash prize value and are sticky on a cleared grid, resetting the respin tally to three each time a new one lands. Five different jackpot symbols can also be landed: Mini, Minor, Major, Mega, and Grand, each worth 10, 20, 50, 100, and 1,000 times your stake, respectively. Wins are totalled when the feature ends, and the multiplier is then applied. The Free Spins Bonus Round is activated by landing three bonus scatters on reels 2, 3, and 4, awarding seven free spins. The base game’s Rising Multiplier is also carried over here, and it applies to all wins. Landing +1 Spin symbols awards extra spins. The game’s simple, somewhat dated presentation captures the essence of The Wizard of Oz story adequately, but it’s not enough to lift Emeralds of Oz above mediocrity. Despite this, the game does offer other themed alternatives, such as Wizard of Oz: Emerald City, Legacy of Oz, and Sisters of OZ WowPot, each offering different features and potential payouts.