Blood and Shadow

Crimson and Shade Review

Recall the days of Tome of Shadows? A dark, gothic, horror title from years ago. Crimson and Shade echoes its theme, intensifying the occult horror. However, it deviates from the original mechanics, offering a fresh experience.

The core of the game lies in the Ritual Scale, which enhances symbols in two unique ways per level, and grants two Light Spins with fixed descending wilds. The goal is to fully charge the meter in a continuous sequence, a rare feat. Expect numerous spins between activations of the Shadow Spins Bonus Round. The 6,666x potential aligns with the theme, though lower than expected from this developer.

Crimson and Shade Features

The game showcases five eerie characters as premium symbols, rewarding between 3 to 8 times your wager for five-of-a-kind wins. Wilds substitute for regular symbols, and winning symbols vanish via the Cascading mechanic. Fresh or existing symbols drop to fill the voids, continuing until no more wins occur.

The Ritual Scale resides below the grid. Mid and high-level symbols contribute 1 or 2 points to it for each removed winning symbol, respectively. Scatters add +10 points. The Scale comprises 5 tiers, resetting upon each level-up. Filling the meter requires 20, 30, 40, 60, or 80 points in levels 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, respectively.

Each level attained grants 2 Light Spins, up to level 4. Advancing from level 4 to 5 triggers the Shadow Spins Bonus Round, awarding 6 free spins. The Ritual Scale functions similarly to the base game during Light Spins.

Fixed Wilds can appear on reels 2 to 5, descending to the grid's bottom during Light Spins. They remain locked, accumulating per Light Spin, but are removed if part of a win.

The Ritual Scale is inactive during the Shadow Spins Bonus Round, which occurs on a 5x5 grid with 3,125 ways to win. Only premium character symbols are present during the bonus, and each scatter awards +1 extra spin.

The Cross Split symbol only appears during the Shadow Spins Bonus Round, dividing symbols on its row or doubling symbols it crosses. Multiple Cross Split symbols can land per row, but only one per reel.

Eligible players can purchase the Dark Pact feature, upgrading the Ritual Scale to level 3. This grants 6 Light Spins where 3 low and medium-value symbols are replaced by premium symbols. The Bonus Purchase menu includes these options:

• Dark Pact - costs 66x your stake.
• Shadow Spins - costs 500x your stake for 10 free spins.
• Lucky Draw Level 1-5 - costs 55x your stake.
• Lucky Draw Level 3-5 - costs 166x your stake.

Review Summary

Thematically, Crimson and Shade shares elements with Tome of Shadows, but their gameplay diverges significantly. This game is more intricate, unrelated to the original formula. Note that triggering the Shadow Spins Bonus Round is infrequent, with a 1 in 10,000 spins hit rate.

The game offers ample horror, blood, and occult rituals to delight horror fans. The Light Spins serve as compensation, and the accumulating fixed wilds extend winning streaks, leading to higher-level spins. The 6,666x potential is fitting, though not the highest from this developer. Overall, Crimson and Shade is worth exploring for horror enthusiasts.