Defenders of Mystica - Slot Review: RTP 96% & $1,0M Max Win

Slot	Chronicles of Olympus II - Zeus	Defenders of Mystica	Beasty Blox GigaBlox	Elysian Jackpots	Super Lion Megaways

Review	Review and Play	Review and Play	Review and Play	Review and Play	Review and Play
RTP	96.08%	96%	95%	96%	96.5%
Dev	Games Global	Yggdrasil Gaming	Yggdrasil Gaming	Yggdrasil Gaming	Skywind Group
Paylines	1024	28.125	4096	20	117649
Layout	4-4-4-4-4	3-5-5-5-5-5-3	4-4-4-4-4-4	3-3-3-3-3	7-7-7-7-7-7
Max Win	5000	10000	5000	1265	10000
Bet	$0.2 - 50	$0.2 - 100	$0.2 - 50	$0.1 - 40	$0.2 - 160
Graphics	4 / 5	5 / 5	5 / 5	4 / 5	5 / 5
Sound	5 / 5	4 / 5	5 / 5	3 / 5	4 / 5
Gameplay	4 / 5	3 / 5	5 / 5	4 / 5	4 / 5
Rewards	3 / 5	3 / 5	4 / 5	4 / 5	3 / 5
Originality	3 / 5	3 / 5	4 / 5	4 / 5	4 / 5
Overall

Overview

Defenders of Mystica is a video slot created by acclaimed developer Yggdrasil Gaming. The game whisks players away to the mythical kingdom of Mystica, a stunning realm watched over by powerful sorceresses. With 7 reels, 3-5-5-5-5-5-3 rows, and wins starting from both the leftmost and rightmost reels, this 28,125 ways-to-win slot provides tons of magical winning potential.

As the title suggests, your mission is to help defend the wondrous land of Mystica from unknown forces. The 5 high paying symbols represent the titular Defenders - wise fairy sorceresses wielding the elements. Lower paying symbols are styled as royal card suits from 10 to Ace. Two key features to watch for are the cascade-triggering Mystery Symbol and free spins round where Mysteries become sticky wilds.

With a max win of 10,000x your bet, medium volatility, and RTP of 96%, Defenders of Mystica offers the chance for some huge magical payouts. I put this slot through its paces with over 1000 spins to see if it could enchant me with big wins.

My Thoughts Overall

After thoroughly testing Defenders of Mystica, I'm pleased to say it's a quality fantasy release that kept me engaged across desktop and mobile. The graphics are top-notch, bringing the mystical setting to life through ornate visuals and a compelling fairy tale premise. Gameplay doesn't reinvent the wheel but is entertaining thanks to the unconventional reel format and exciting potential of the Mystery Symbol.

Speaking of which, the Mystery Symbol really makes the game for me. Having it reveal across multiple reels often led to big wins and extended respins, amplifying rewards. It also plays a starring role in free spins, where sticky Mysteries and no limits on respins meant monstrous payouts during my sessions.

Despite some repetitive elements setting in over time, I had fun getting drawn into the mystical world and trying to trigger those lucrative Mystery Symbol respins. With rewards consistently in the 30-100x range even without bonus features, Defenders delivers solid wins. When you hit a good free spins round, you can really get paid.

For fantasy fans or anyone who enjoys cascading wins and mystery symbols, Defenders brings engaging gameplay full of magic. While it likely won’t convert players who don’t gel with the theme, I think Yggdrasil has crafted an appealing high volatility option here. Overall I'm charmed by the experience Defenders of Mystica provides.

Bonus Features

Let's take a closer look at the rewarding bonus features that kept gameplay exciting across my 1000+ spins.

Mystery Symbol

The Mystery Symbol is the star of the show in Defenders of Mystica. Represented by a colorful orb, it appears on the 5 middle reels and transforms into one random standard symbol when landing. Helpfully, this means multiple Mysteries often reveal the same symbol, enabling big cluster wins.

But the real magic happens when Mystery Symbols form part of a winning combo. This triggers respins where the Mysteries are locked in place while other symbols reset. Having those lucrative Mysteries locked then provides huge potential for follow-up cascading wins as you respin. I triggered up to 9 consecutive respins at times, racking up 100x+ payouts from Mysteries transforming into premium symbols.

Mysteries can even reveal Wilds during respins, occasionally with multipliers up to 10x attached! Overall this bonus mechanic provides great excitement and winning potential during the base game.

Free Spins

Landing 2 or more Scatters on the first and last reels triggers 7 free spins. Any Mysteries present at activation also become Scatters, each awarding +1 spin. Free games take place on the same 7-reel grid, but with a moonlit realm background.

What makes these spins exciting are Mysteries again - any that form wins remain locked for the entire feature, continuing to trigger lucrative respins after each spin. With no limits on respins during free games, I hit some mammoth payouts as more Mysteries locked and revealed high paying symbols. Free spins is where the slot's magic is at its peak!

Win Potential

For a slot with high volatility, Defenders of Mystica can serve up some spellbinding wins, especially during features. The 10,000x maximum win is phenomenal for a slot of this variance, made possible by the Mystery Symbol's potential. During base gameplay, landing a full screen of the highest paying Sorceress symbol pays 250x your bet thanks to the numerous paylines.

But you'll really hit big bucks during respins and free spins as Mysteries reveal premium symbols, rewarding hundreds of times your wager. My highest respin win was around 70x from a full screen of Mysteries transforming into the Sorceress. In free spins, filling all reels with sticky premium Mysteries resulted in a huge 500x payout!

Across over 1000 spins, my average win was approximately 45-50x my bet. For a high variance game, Defenders provides solid rewards and the chance for truly magical wins when features and Mysteries align. Definitely bring your bankroll though, as you may experience dry spells in the base game in between big hits.