Introduction
Io is named after and set atop the fourth largest moon of Jupiter, with loads of exciting bonus features and stunning graphics to enjoy. Starting on a 6x4 reel grid with 4,096 betways, the game expands with an additional row being added for every win up to 8 rows with 262,144 ways to win available! There’s an exciting and innovative free drops bonus game, plus bonus features including charged Wilds, Wild forge symbols, and more. We’ll look at the bonus features of Io in more detail later in this online pokies review.
To win in Io, you simply need to land combinations of 3+ matching symbols along an active payline. The Wild symbol can substitute for any regular symbol to help you land longer winning combinations and better prizes, and is also the highest paying symbol in the game if you manage to land multiplier Wilds along a payline.
Theme, Graphics & Soundtrack
Set in the viewing station of a spaceship, the 4th largest moon of Jupiter is visible in the background of this game along with some beautiful stars illuminating the universe beyond. The pokie takes an innovative and well-designed approach to this space-themed game with classic symbols being given an exciting space-y makeover.
The soundtrack is a techno music track with a robotic voice stating things you might expect to hear in a spaceship such as “all systems active” from time-to-time.
Io RTP & Volatility
Io is a medium-high variance pokie with an RTP of 96%.
How to Play Io
Whether you’re looking to play Io for the first time or are checking out a variety of ELK Studios pokies, we always recommend taking some time to get the hang of the controls before spinning. In Io, the controls are found either side of the reels as follows:
1. To start with, check out the game rules, paytable, paylines, and bonus features by clicking the 3 lines in the top left-hand corner of the screen. You can also adjust your settings from here.
2. Once you’ve got your head around the settings, you’ll need to place your wager. To do this, click on the coins icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. Here, you can either select a simple bet or choose from one of the betting strategies ELK Studios has included for you.
3. When you’re happy with your wager, click on the large Spin button in the bottom right-hand corner to spin the reels.
4. If you would prefer to enjoy some hands-free pokies, then you can click the ‘Auto’ button in the top right-hand corner of the screen to activate up to 100 automatic spins at a time.
5. Keep an eye on your balance, current bet, and latest win in the grey bar running along the bottom of the screen.
Bet Sizes & Paytable
To help with your pokies gaming, ELK Studios have included a number of betting strategies which you can choose from to automatically adjust your bet while you play. If you would prefer to place a standard bet, however, the betting range goes from $0.20 up to $100 per spin to appeal to a wide range of pokies strategists.
The maximum reward you can receive for a single payline in Io is by matching 6 symbols (one per reel). Excluding any bonus features, the top prizes available for each symbol are as follows:
7: 1,000
Diamond: 240
Clover: 120
Star: 90
A / K / Q / J: 30
The Wild can substitute for any symbol excluding the bonus symbols to help you land longer winning combinations and is also the highest paying symbol if you manage to land 5 Wilds along a payline.
Bonus Features
There are some really exciting bonus features in Io, which we’ll break down for you below:
Free Drops Bonus
The bonus symbol triggers the free drops game when 3+ land in any position. This game is played with all 8 rows active and allows Charged Wilds and Wild Forge symbols to collect at the bottom of the screen between drops.
Avalanche & Cascading Wins
With every winning spin, all winning symbols are removed, allowing the symbols above to drop into the spaces left. In addition, an extra row will be added with each win up to a maximum of 8. This will continue until no new winning combinations are formed.
Charged Wild
The Charged Wild symbol offers 4 lives, with a life being spent every time it contributes to a winning combination rather than disappearing from the reels when involved in a win.
Wild Forge
The Wild Forge symbol will fill an empty space below with a Wild Multiplier, transforming into a Wild Multiplier itself when it reaches the bottom of the reel. The Multiplier increases every time the Wild Forge is used.
Laser
The laser symbols shoot a beam across the reels in a random direction, removing all regular symbols in its path. Should the beams from 2 lasers intersect, all symbols caught in the beam are transformed into Wilds.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we loved Io. The graphics and soundtrack have been brilliantly designed and the creative bonus features give an awesome extra layer to this pokie and plenty of winning opportunity. If we had to say anything against this game it would be to watch your balance, however, as although wins are frequent and exciting many are less than the cost of a single spin so it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and still make a loss in this game.
If you enjoyed Io as much as we did, you might also want to check out Net Entertainment’s Starburst pokie online right here at Online Pokies 4U.
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