Cloudforge: an expanding wild that grows upward and builds its multiplier takes center stage
Relax Gaming’s Cloudforge is a slot built around an expanding wild that grows upward and builds its multiplier. An electric reel and a cumulative free spins multiplier are added. RTP 96.10%, max 10,000x, medium-high volatility.
Key takeaways
- Relax Gaming released Cloudforge, themed around a forge above the clouds, on October 8.
- The higher the expanding wild grows upward, the higher the multiplier climbs.
- The Electric Reel shifts the flow, and in free spins the multiplier accumulates.
- RTP 96.10%, max 10,000x, medium-high volatility.
The expanding wild is an old feature. Even so, players keep looking for it. That is the assessment of Louis Manchet, game product owner at Relax Gaming. Cloudforge, released on October 8, puts that one feature right at the center of the game.
Manchet is the product owner in charge of game design at Relax. The features he described in this announcement are the expanding wild, the Electric Reel, and the cumulative free spins multiplier. All three are tied to how the wild grows.
Rather than piling on several features, this game digs deep into one. Players new to expanding wilds pick up the rules quickly, and those already familiar enjoy watching the multiplier climb. These are exactly the casual players Relax is aiming for.
A forge above the clouds
The setting is a sea of clouds. Airships drift by, and a steampunk mechanical figure in a gas mask stands watch. The metal-rimmed logo carries the feel of a forge among the clouds, as the name suggests. Relax said the game was made with casual players in mind.
The announcement described the game as a slot with “simple gameplay and plenty of bounce.” It also said that frequent wins and simple mechanics keep the flow moving.
The design direction is clear: frequent wins and simple rules keep the flow from breaking. Manchet explained, “It’s easy to learn, but there’s always the anticipation that the next wild could change the spin.”
A wild whose multiplier rises as it grows
The expanding wild is at the center of every spin. The wild grows upward, and the multiplier rises as it grows. Instead of staying in a single cell, the wild climbs the reel and builds its value as it goes.
Manchet said, “The expanding wild is the mechanic players keep coming back to, so we wanted to build an experience that puts it front and center.” He added, “That mechanic gave us plenty of room to let it drive the game.”
The electric reel shakes up the flow
The second device is the Electric Reel. Relax explained that this feature adds “moments of sudden intensity” to change up the game. Wins usually come along calmly, but the moment the electric reel kicks in, the board changes.
The announcement did not go into detail on exactly under what conditions or how the Electric Reel works. The same goes for how it interlocks with the expanding wild. A few looks at the electric reel kicking in during the demo should be enough to get a sense of the flow.
In free spins, the multiplier accumulates
In free spins, a cumulative multiplier applies. Each time a new wild appears, the multiplier keeps climbing and pushes the feature further. Manchet described it as “a feeling that builds up naturally as the round goes on.”
In the base game, a single wild grows and builds the multiplier, and in free spins that multiplier carries over. It is a structure that splits the same feature into two stages.
The way multipliers attach to wilds resembles a multiplier wild, but Cloudforge’s wild does not land with a multiplier from the start. It earns the multiplier as it grows. How high the wild climbs is directly tied to the size of the win.
Cloudforge in Relax’s lineup this year
This year Relax has spread widely across genres. July brought the arcade game Money Plane, August the farm slot AgroCulture, and September the gold mine slot Nugget Ridge and the fifth series entry Money Train 5. In that run, Cloudforge takes the casual side.
The numbers: medium-high volatility
The RTP is 96.10% and the max win is 10,000x the bet. Despite being introduced as a casual game, its volatility is classified as medium-high on our game page. The bet range is 0.10 to 100. If Nugget Ridge, released a month earlier, was a simple medium-volatility game, Cloudforge follows the same casual line with volatility one step higher. Other new releases are collected in the Relax Gaming game list.
Source: Relax Gaming official news