Cygnus 5 (ELK Studios) – Review & Demo Play

Cygnus 5 Slot Overview

I’ve spent time with Cygnus 5, a 6 reel slot that returns to Ancient Egypt while gazing at the stars. Each spin begins on 4 rows and 4,096 ways, then Avalanching wins add rows up to 8 for 262,144 ways. Stakes run from €0.20 to €100, with a 94% RTP and a medium to high volatile model. The release on 7 January 2025 keeps the series look and sound intact, with a temple backdrop and a slice of night sky above the grid.

Wins form by landing at least three matching symbols on consecutive reels from the leftmost side. When a win hits, the involved symbols are removed, remaining symbols drop, and an extra row is added before the next refill. It repeats until no new win appears. Wild symbols help link wins by substituting for regular pays. This mix of Avalanches, expanding rows, and increasing ways feels familiar for the range, yet it still clicks when a run of drops starts to build.

Symbols and Payouts in Cygnus 5

Seven regular pays land here. Lows are triangle, diamond, and hexagon shapes, paying up to 0.2x for six of a kind. Highs are the bird, snake, cat, and the sun symbol, with top returns ranging from 0.3x to 5x for a full six. The Moon Sun icon sits at the top of the sheet, paying 1x to 5x for three to six. Wilds substitute for all regular pays, helping to complete or extend winning ways during symbol drops.

Payouts follow the Multiway setup, so only the longest matching way per path is paid, left to right on adjacent reels without gaps. The values look modest on single hits, yet the Avalanches collect results across a sequence, and that is where momentum comes from. With more rows added, the grid breathes, and the number of active ways increases in step, giving the high pays and wilds extra chances to link across the board.

Cygnus 5 Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	6	x5
	5	x3
	4	x2
	3	x1
	6	x0.5
	5	x0.3
	4	x0.25
	3	x0.2
	6	x0.4
	5	x0.25
	4	x0.2
	3	x0.15
	6	x0.3
	5	x0.2
	4	x0.15
	3	x0.1
	6	x0.2
	5	x0.15
	4	x0.1
	3	x0.05
	6	x0.2
	5	x0.15
	4	x0.1
	3	x0.05
	6	x0.2
	5	x0.15
	4	x0.1
	3	x0.05
	Wild
	Scatter

Slot Features: Cygnus 5

The Avalanche feature removes winning symbols, drops remaining ones under gravity, then adds an additional row before refilling. Starting at 4 rows and 4,096 ways, the grid can grow to 8 rows, hitting 262,144 ways when fully expanded. Avalanches keep running until no new win appears. This is the familiar core loop of the series, and when consecutive wins chain together, the board balloons nicely, giving more space for wilds and premium symbols to connect across the reels.

The prism symbol activates when it reaches the bottom of the grid, either after the next drop or immediately if placed by a Meteor Strike. It turns symbols along selected lines, in a random number of directions, into matching symbols or wilds. If a prism beam hits another prism, a chain reaction triggers, transforming all symbols along those paths. Symbols at crossings become wilds. Multipliers and scatters along a prism line temporarily transform for the win check, then return to their original state.

A multiplier symbol that reaches the bottom or the far left increases the current active win multiplier before transforming into a wild. That multiplier applies to all subsequent wins in the round and resets before the next game starts. Reach the top of the multiplier pillar and the remaining amount needed to hit the 50,000x cap is paid. Meteor Strike can trigger at random after a drop or refill, replacing randomly selected pay symbols with feature symbols, with multipliers resolving before prisms

Bonus Buy Feature

Bonus Hunt
Feature Cost:	x2 Bet
RTP:	-
Volatility:	-
Meteors
Feature Cost:	x10 Bet
RTP:	-
Volatility:	-
Prisms
Feature Cost:	x25 Bet
RTP:	-
Volatility:	-
Bonus Game
Feature Cost:	x100 Bet
RTP:	-
Volatility:	-
Super Bonus
Feature Cost:	x500 Bet
RTP:	-
Volatility:	-

Free Drops and X-iter in Cygnus 5

A scatter or super scatter that reaches the leftmost column awards 7 free drops, and the current win multiplier carries into the bonus. If a scatter lands on the bottom row in columns two to six, it is removed and re-dropped one step left at the end of an Avalanche cycle, once per cycle. During free drops, the multiplier is persistent. Each new drop begins with 4 rows. Super free drops guarantee a Meteor Strike on every drop, and scatters can retrigger or upgrade the round.

X-iter provides five buy options for direct access. Bonus Hunt gives one drop with a higher chance to trigger bonus or super bonus. Meteors guarantees a Meteor Strike on the first drop. Prisms grants at least two prisms on the first drop. Bonus Game starts the free drops round. Super Bonus starts the upgraded version, where a Meteor Strike fires on every free drop. These modes mirror the series approach, letting me jump straight into the action when I want focused feature play.

Cygnus 5 RTP & Volatility

The RTP is 94%, with some markets using 87%, and the volatility sits around medium to high. Bets span €0.20 to €100 per round, which suits testing base game runs or leaning into feature chasing via X-iter. The maximum win is 50,000x the bet, tied to the multiplier pillar if you reach the top. The math feels swingy, yet those persistent multipliers in free drops and the big grid at 8 rows keep the potential in play when momentum builds.

Cygnus 5 Slot Verdict

Cygnus 5 keeps the dependable trio of Avalanches, expanding rows, and rising ways, then adds prisms as a neat extra. I liked how beams can chain and turn crossings wild, while Meteor Strikes feed in feature symbols at the right time. The multiplier pillar remains a headline, and carrying a multiplier into free drops makes the round feel meaningful. The 94% RTP will divide opinion, but the package plays well, and the 50,000x ceiling stays a strong draw for the series.