How To Play Cygnus 5 Mobile Slot
ELK Studios reaches for the stars yet again in this Cygnus 5 slot which could see you win up to 50,000x your bet over an impressive 262,144 ways to win.
ELK Studios’ Cygnus 5 slot game is the latest instalment in a series that has carried players through the cosmos, ancient history, and legendary locations.
Now, we are back under the Egyptian stars in a celestial temple combining mysticism with modern slot mechanics. While the core gameplay feels familiar to fans of Cygnus 3 or 4, Cygnus 5 introduces a few new features to refresh the experience.
Visually, the game is solid but not groundbreaking. The Egyptian theme is atmospheric, but nothing we haven’t seen better down in ELK’s own Katmandu Gold slot review. That said, the audio and visuals work well together, and if this is your first entry into this studio, you’ll be impressed.
Familiar Foundations where Old Mechanics Meet New Tricks
The Cygnus 5 slot game retains the distinctive 6-reel setup with 4 rows and an initial 4,096 ways to win that you got to play in Cygnus 2. Wins are achieved by matching symbols on consecutive reels, starting from the leftmost reel.
When a win occurs, the Avalanche mechanic clears the winning symbols, adds a new row (up to 8 total), and introduces fresh symbols. This allows up to 262,144 ways to win, a feature that has long been a hallmark of the Cygnus series and ELK’s Gold slots.
What sets Cygnus 5 apart from its predecessors are the Prism Symbols and their transformative powers. These symbols beam light across the grid, transforming symbols into matching ones or wilds. When combined with the Multiplier Symbols, which increase the round’s win multiplier when they hit the leftmost column, the potential for massive payouts is crazy high.
Adding the Meteor Strike brings unpredictability by replacing random pay symbols with feature symbols. These are worth buying in the buy slot bonus option if you can afford them.
Solid free spin mechanics but low RTP of 94%
The Free Spins feature (triggered when scatters reach the leftmost column), add a little excitement as the multipliers are sticky throughout, which allows you to build up those wins. Super Free Spins, activated via Super Scatters, ramp up the intensity with guaranteed Meteor Strikes on every drop.
Is it enough to make it stand out? The Cygnus series has carved out its niche with expanding reels, cascading wins, and rising multipliers. The Cygnus 5 casino game sticks to this formula but, in our opinion, doesn’t capture the same spark as the original.
Its 50,000x max win is impressive, though it feels tethered to the quasi-jackpot mechanics of the Multiplier Pillar. This will polarize players as it’s so volatile that it’s almost impossible to hit.
That said, the Cygnus 5 online slot is a well-executed continuation of a beloved series, and the Prism Symbols add a new layer of excitement that will please fans of the series. And yes, this mobile slot game feels like it’s playing it safe rather than reaching for the stars, but sometimes you want a round trip around the familiar ground.
One for fans of Elk Studio online casinos only.
Cygnus 5 Slot Stats
| Mobile Slot Released | 7th January 2025 |
| Slot Type | Video Slot |
| Software Provider | Elk Studios |
| Slot Reels / Paylines | 5 Reels / 262,144 Ways to Win |
| House Edge / RTP | 6% / 94% |
| Slot Volatility | High |
| Min/Max Bet | 0.20 / 20 |
| Max Win | 50,000x Bet |
| Free Spins | 7 Free Spins / Sticky Multiplier |
| Bonus Rounds | Avalanching Wins, Increasing Reels, Wild, Multipliers, Scatter, Free Spins, Upgrading Symbols, Bonus Buy |
| Slot Themes | Ancient Egypt |
Cygnus 5 Bonus Features
Increasing Rows and Avalanche Mechanic: Symbols pay left to right column, starting with 4096 ways to win on 4 rows. On a win, the winning symbols are removed, and new rows are added on each win until no more wins can be found.
- Start 4 rows: 4096 ways to win
- 1 win - 5 rows: 15,625 ways to win
- 2 wins - 6 rows: 46,656 ways to win
- 3 wins - 7 rows: 117,649 ways to win
- 4+ wins - 8 rows: 262,144 ways to win
Wild: The wild substitutes for all other symbols except bonus, super bonus, prism and multiplier symbols.
Prism Symbols: Triggers when it reaches the bottom of the game grid. It transforms symbols along random lines into matching ones or wilds. It can cause chain reactions when interacting with other Prism Symbols, and create guarantees wild in any crossing light.
Multiplier Symbols: This increases the win multiplier when reaching the leftmost column of the game. Multipliers persist during free spins.
Meteor Strike: Randomly replaces pay symbols with feature symbols during Avalanche wins.
Free Spins: The Cygnus 5 free spins trigger when a bonus or super bonus symbol reaches the leftmost column. 7 free drops are awarded. During the free spins, the multipliers do not reset between spins.
During the super free spins, you are guaranteed a Meteor Strike on every drop.
X-iter Bonus Buy: You can buy 5 different pay modes:
- Bonus Hunt (2x): 3x more likely to trigger the bonus or super bonus free spins.
- Meteors (10x): Guaranteed Meteor Strike in the first drop
- Prisms (25x): Guaranteed at least two prisms in the first drop
- Bonus Game (100x): Entry into the free spin bonus
- Super Bonus (500x): Entry into the super free spin bonus
Pros
- Expanding reels with each wins gives you up to 262,144 ways to win
- Unique Prism Symbols creates richer reels
- High win potential of up to 50,000x your bet
Cons
- Low RTP options (94% s standard or even 87% in some markets)
- Have we not seen this before? In Cygnus 1, 2, 3 and 4?
