Yaketty Yak don't hold back from playing the new Golden Yak slot!

Released in mid-February 2020, the Golden Yak slot is a game from one of Microgaming's publishing partners Lightning Box games and it is a higher variance slot that has a 5x4 reel set and which has eschewed standard pay lines in favour of the 1024 Ways to Win option.

I have to admit that of all the slot games about an animal, a Yak would probably be down in the hundreds when it comes to one's I'd personally select for a game. For those of you that don't know, a Yak is a native of Tibet that is famous for its long shaggy hair, large horns and large shoulders that is used for meat, milk and hide. Males can grow to over half a ton in size, with females generally weighing about half that.

Although rather ponderous beasts, Yak's have been domesticated for some time in the Himalayan, Mongolian and Chinese regions in particular and my guess is that their familiarity in this part of the world is what has led the Australian-based Lightning Box to ignore the tigers, lions, elephants and other animals and instead focus on this shaggy-haired bovine.

Of course, what a slot is about is one thing, how it is put together and then subsequently plays is what will be more pertinent in deciding whether or not the game is a winner or not, so we decided to take a close look to see whether the game will prove a hit with fans or not. Here's what we found.

Overview

• Game: Golden Yak Slot
• Developer: Lightning Box for Microgaming
• Reels: 5x4
• Pay Lines: 1024 Ways to Win
• Minimum Bet: 0.40
• Maximum Bet: 100.00
• Jackpot: 400 coins
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: No
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: High

Presentation

With a very grandiose soundtrack introducing you to the game, it is clear that Lightning Box want to make a statement with this slot and although the soundtrack is perhaps a little over-dramatic, it certainly does grab your attention when the game starts up.

The backdrop of the slot is the mountains, which one can reliably assume is the Himalayas and it is set against a rather spectacular sunset. The reels are superimposed over this and are see-through so you can see more of the backdrop. All the controls of the slot are at the foot of the reels. The slot design is nice enough, but I would have liked to have seen something a little more relevant to the Yak itself on the reels. That one gripe apart, the slot looks and sounds very impressive.

What is on the reels?

There are a number of different symbols on the reels in the Golden Yak slot and they start with the lower value symbols, which are the playing card symbols. There are six of these in total, ranging from the nine through to the Ace and these offer a range of wins from 10 coins up to 125 coins if you can hit five of the aces or kings across the reels.

There are four mid-value symbols and these are all creatures that are found in the same region as the Yak. They include an eagle, a leopard, a moose and a trio of wild horses. The higher value duo of these symbols (moose and horses) offer wins from landing just two across the reels and you can win from 20 coins up to 200 coins with these symbols.

The final standard symbol is the native man in traditional dress and he also offers wins from 2 symbols ranging from 50 coins up to 300 coins. However, alongside these symbols there are a number of other bonus symbols available in the game too.

Wild features

The Golden Yak is the Wild symbol in the game and it is used as a substitute for all the standard symbols in the game listed above. It is not found on all reels however, as it is only found on the second and fourth reels only, so what you tend to find is that it is not used as prevalently in this game as you would find on other games where the Wild is available on all reels.

Free Spins features

To trigger the Free Spins bonus and the associated multiplier bonuses within that game, you need to land three or four of the Bonus symbols across the reels. This will give you an initial pay out, but will also trigger an initial 7 Free Spins. The Bonus symbol then turns into a Level Up symbol

If you then land an additional 2, 3 or 4 of the Level Up symbols in the game, you receive a further 7 Free Spins and move onto the next level. When you have reached this level, the Level Up symbol will turn into a Blue Temple and will only land you further pay outs should you land it during your Free Spins remaining.

The thing to note with the Level Up feature is that if you Level Up using the symbols, the value of the Multiplier Wilds increases. The Golden Yak Wild becomes a Multiplier Wild in Free Spins and the higher the level you go, the greater the value of the multipliers available on the Wild symbol when it is used as part of a win during the bonus game.

Best feature of the Golden Yak slot

There are lots of nice features on the Golden Yak slot and it is pretty evident that the Free Spins bonus game and the fact you can level up within it to increase the value of the multipliers as you go, is the really big aspect of the slot and the one that is most likely to see you land a sizeable cash prize if you are lucky enough. The Wild symbol is not that effective in the base game, but it can be a massive asset once you hit the Free Spins bonus and those multipliers kick in.

Conclusion

It may be an unusual theme for a slot and perhaps not the most obvious animal to base a game on, but the Golden Yak slot works very nicely indeed. Lightning Box have created an interesting game that utilises the 1024 Ways to Win technology well. The base game is a little repetitive but the action heats up a great deal when you get into the Free Spins bonus games and the Level Up feature.

You can play the Golden Yak slot at any of the Mega Moolah casinos.