Dark Hearts

Here come the vampires with their dark and undead hearts. How these vicious bloodsuckers ever became romanticized is beyond comprehension. At least here the vampires are presented as the evil monster they are, though there seems to be a touch of romance on the reels as well. The slot comes with 243 ways to win with three choices of free spins.

Theme

The music is certainly above and over most of the competing games. It’s been a long time since such depressing and dark tunes have been heard playing on slot machines. All is well though, as the music fits the dark hearts and the dark reels. Three vampires are at the center of the theme here, and each of them offers a different set of free spins for the player to enjoy. The background is filled with roses, to be placed on the grave I suppose.

Betting Options and Functions

There are five reels in three rows, which is the standard setup for 243 ways to win system. This system basically works so that as long as there are adjacent symbols on subsequent reels you get to cash in a win. A minimum of three symbols is needed. The betting system is a bit of a mystery. You can choose the amount of coins bet, as well as the value of each coin. Make sure you are keeping an eye on the total bet, as it can quickly grow out of proportion if you are not careful with your bets.

The payouts are determined based on the coin value, and how many coins you have on play. The usual cadre of playing cards pays the least, with 4 to 100 times the bet paid back. The blood-red rose pays out up to 250 times the bet, whilst the three vampires pay up to 500 times the bet. Variance is extremely high, so don’t expect meaningful wins on every spin.

Features

Three or more bonus symbols launch the free spins. It’s up to the player to choose with which vampire he or she will risk the winnings with. With Viktor, you get 30 spins but no multipliers, whilst Willow gives 15 spins with a double multiplier. Marcus, in turn, will award the player with only ten spins, but on the other hand, all prizes are tripled. Choose carefully to make sure you walk away with cash from the bonus rounds.

Our Take

The betting system here is a bit hard to understand, and Rival doesn’t even try to explain it. That aside, the slot is your basic vampire themed game. The free spins are a nice addition but don’t really make up for the high volatility. After a bit of play, you realise that you might as well be trying to chase jackpots rather than the meager wins you land here. Production wise the slot is well done, it just doesn’t have that extra edge it needs.