Fear the Dark

Review: Fear the Dark

Many people have a fear of the dark, which makes sense. Our vision at night isn't great, and even those who are very logical might not want to walk through a graveyard alone at night. Fear the Dark takes place in a spooky graveyard, but this game isn't really that scary.

The art style is more charming than scary, and the gameplay is familiar. The Full Moon symbols multiplier feature appears often, and it has a unique ending each time. The bonus round is similar, with more frequent triggers of the symbol multiplier feature. The 5,000x potential is decent for a game with medium volatility, and this charming game is worth checking out.

Fear the Dark Game Features

Wins happen when you get 5 to 14+ matching symbols in a cluster anywhere on the grid. The higher-value symbols pay between 12.8 and 120 times your bet. The lower-value symbols pay between 0.5 and 1.5 times your bet for 5 in a cluster.

The Cascading mechanic removes winning symbols, and new symbols drop down to replace them. This continues as long as you keep getting new winning clusters. There are no wild symbols in this game.

You'll see 5 empty symbol-shaped spaces above the main grid. When you land the Moon Man scatter, 2 to 5 of these spaces become active. The activated spaces are filled with premium symbols, and each one displays a premium symbol win multiplier between x2 and x100. These multipliers will boost winning clusters made from the matching symbols.

This is called the Full Moon feature. When it triggers, the full moon appears in the background. When the cascading sequence ends, the symbol multipliers above the grid are removed one by one from left (high) to right (low). All symbols matching the removed multiplier symbol are also removed from the grid, along with all low-value symbols. This starts a new cascade each time, and the feature ends after the last cascade.

You need 3 or 4 candle scatters to trigger the Alone In The Dark Bonus Round. This gives you 10 or 15 free spins, respectively. The chance of getting the Moon Man scatter is higher during the bonus round. You get +4 extra spins each time you land a scatter during the feature.

When you run out of free spins, the bonus round goes into Darkness Spins Mode. Entering this mode gives you +2 free spins each time. The grid shrinks to 4x4 for the first spin, and then to 2x2. It returns to the 6x6 grid if you land the Moon Man scatter in Darkness Mode. The same happens if you land a FS scatter, and you can get Darkness Mode again multiple times before the bonus round ends.

The Feature and Bonus Buy Menu is available in some regions. Here's what's available:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins - pay 3x your stake to increase your bonus round chances by 5x (high volatility and top-tier RTP of 96.41 %).
• Moon Man FeatureSpins - pay 40x your stake to be guaranteed at least 1 Moon Man symbol on the spin that follows (high volatility and top-tier RTP of 96.25 %).
• 10 Free Spins - will cost you 100x the stake, and it comes with a top-tier RTP of 96.23 %.
• 15 Free Spins - will set you back 150x your stake, and it comes with a top-tier RTP of 96.25 %.

The 200 Spins Fear the Dark Game Experience

You see a lot of the Full Moon feature in the base game at first, and we even purchase it. We then purchase the top-tier 15 FS bonus round and it plays out.

Review Summary

Fear the Dark feels familiar, and it's a tribute to earlier games. The theme is more cute than spooky on purpose. It's fun to see the full moon appear for multiplier action regularly. Perhaps the symbol multiplier feature could have been emphasized more. The Darkness Spins Mode adds a unique twist to the bonus round, but it often doesn't give you anything. It's a last-ditch effort to extend the feature, but it's welcome when it works. The 5,000x potential is common, and Fear the Dark is a fun game to pass the time.