Vaino Slot
Vaino is a 5-reel slot from Playtech that looks nothing like other Playtech slots. That is to say it looks sharp, stylish and extremely inviting. Moody, atmospheric and rich with intrigue, there’s a lot going on in this mystical rune-based game.
One part enchanted forest to several parts Stonehenge, Vaino features a protagonist who is reminiscent of Frodo from Lord of the Rings. It falls to him to decipher the runes and celtic symbols that feature prominently in the game. The backdrop for the game, a magical woods, is beautifully rendered, with the chirp of birds accompanying every roll of the reels. Playtech have pulled out all the stops with Vaino, and the results are pleasing.
Taking Control
We’ll delve into the symbols, bonuses and features shortly, but first it’s worth taking a moment to detail the game controls, not least because UX tends to be a shortcoming of Playtech; this is a developer with form for hiding essential controls away, making it less than easy to dive into the game.
Before you initiate so much as a spin, you’ll want to adjust the bet level for one thing. The value of the bet is clearly displayed on the bottom left of the screen. It can be set from 0.2 all the way up to 10, and is adjusted simply by clicking on it. When you do, a paytable will open up, with the value of the respective symbols increasing as you ramp up the bet.
The other game controls lie to the top right of the screen, comprising little more than a volume slider and the option to disable certain animations and intro sequences.
You can pull up the paytable here or by clicking on the bet value button, as previously described. It’s worth taking a moment to scrutinise the paytable as there’s a lot going on in Vaino – which is a good thing, for the record. The number of paylines in the game, incidentally, is limited to just 10 and cannot be adjusted. You play with all 10 at all times. Curiously, Vaino doesn’t have an autospin feature.
Magical Potions and Other Symbols
If you’re planning to play with the bet value cranked up to the max, the value of the game’s prime symbols rapidly ascends, peaking at five treasure symbols which are worth 5,000 for 5.
Other symbols include herbs, a harp, a scroll, a potion bottle and various runes. The wild symbol is played by a fierce looking blue troll. Wild will substitute for any of the regular playing symbols, save for the free spin and bonus symbols.
Scatter appears as a silver and blue brooch, and can show up anywhere on the reels. Land 3 scatters anywhere in view to receive 3 free spins. 4 scatters will secure 10 free spins and 5 will land 20 free spins. To activate the bonus feature, meanwhile, you’ll need to land 3 bonus symbols, which are represented by a gold and blue brooch.
Runes and Reels
As you spin the reels, the stones which are positioned to the left and right of the screen will light up in silver, illuminating animal carvings and other shapes that have been etched onto them. When you land 3 or more free game symbols, the reels will begin to autospin and a box will appear at the top of the screen containing a tally of the total value of any wins registered.
During free spins, the stone carvings will change from silver to gold. Just because you activate free spins, by the way, doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to win anything: it’s possible to complete 3 or more spins without scoring a single win.
Any time you land a winning combo on the reels, the symbols will swell in size and some kind of animation will be triggered. If you’ve matched 3 wild flowers, for example, they’ll shimmer gently complete with a sprinkling of what appears to be fairydust. The animations, like the graphics, are as good as anything Playtech have done and show what the fast-improving developer is capable of on a good day.
Vaino in a Nutshell
Vaino is a beautiful looking game from Playtech. It’s one where they’ve lavished more attention on the visuals than they have on the features, but there’s still enough going on in the game to keep things interesting. Mysterious and magical, Vaino is well worth a spin.
