Ancient mythologies serve as a great inspiration for slot developers. The Egyptian mythology is full of mysteries, even being connected to science fiction and aliens. Cygnus is proof of it. The slot was developed and released by ELK Studios and is named after one of the many constellations in the sky. It has futuristic vibes and interesting gameplay features that mostly revolve around the unique cascades.

The medium variance slot has 4,096 winning ways, which can be expanded to 262,144 under special conditions. The action takes place on a 6x4 grid, with the innovative gravity mechanic taking cascades to a whole new level. They’re in play between cascades, with the round marble symbols rolling down left and right, which can lead to new winning combinations.

Besides the bonus round, you also get a free spins feature with a rising multiplier ladder. The maximum projected win is 5,000x the bet. It’s one of the most distinct Egyptian slots I’ve seen, and it inspired a range of other slot games that don’t come close. Read my Cygnus review below to see why it’s such a hit.

Cygnus has quite a distinct layout and is different thematically than any other Egyptian title. The symbols are round like bubbles and inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology. They’re set between two obelisks, with a pyramid in the background below a starry sky. The Cygnus constellation is smartly added next to the pyramid on the right side of the sky.

Symbols include a combination of Egyptian imagery and old-school slot symbols. The red seven chip pays the most – 30x for six on the grid. It’s followed by the cat, a camel, a pelican, and a collection of gems.

Cygnus is one of the more impressive Egyptian slots I’ve played from a visual standpoint. The sharp graphics are accompanied by clear and distinct animations perfectly designed for gravity mechanics. It’s one of those free slot machine games that look quite amazing and also sound great, thanks to the great soundtrack and audio effects.

Playing the Cygnus slot is easy. The first thing you should do is choose a bet. Pick from 20c to $100 per spin, then click the spin button to start. Cygnus has a fresh new approach when it comes to the gameplay. You can win in 4,096 different ways, which expand under special conditions. The real star is the gravity mechanic that makes the round symbols roll down on each other where possible.

Each win triggers a cascade that sees symbols replaced with new ones from above. When this happens, gravity kicks in, so the other symbols roll left or right to potentially form new wins. This is followed by another cascade if successful, so you can see how a single win can turn into a lucrative string of wins.

At the same time, each cascading win also increases the number of rows and ways to win.

• You start at 4 rows with 4,096 winning ways
• Hit a win to expand the grid to 5 rows and 15,626 ways to win
• Two consecutive wins add another row for a total of six and 46,656 ways to win
• Three consecutive wins open up seven rows, and 117,649 winning ways
• The maximum the grid can expand is eight rows, and 262,144 ways to win

The right obelisk has multipliers that are powered up by scatters. You need a scatter to drop to the bottom of the reels to climb the multiplier meter. It ranges from x2-x2-x8-x16-x32-x64.

The Cygnus slot has a free spins round in addition to the base game. You need a free spins symbol to roll down and touch the left obelisk to trigger the bonus round. This provides seven free spins. The bonus round is played with the grid opened up to a maximum of 8 rows and 262,144 winning ways.

All multiplier scatters are sticky for the duration of the bonus. Thanks to that, it’s easier to climb the multiplier ladder and get to the higher values. You can retrigger the bonus round with seven more spins just once, meaning you have a total of 14 free spins.

There’s no bonus buy option in the Cygnus online slot.

Cygnus is one of my favorite slots of all time. It’s an Egyptian tale like no other, powered up by the amazing gravity mechanics. I marveled at it every time I hit a win, with the gravity kicking in to lead those round symbols left and right. This also opens up the playing field and can also give way to higher multipliers with scatters which resulted in some great wins during the base game.

I had luck triggering the free spins round in around 30 spins. It brought even better winning potential. I walked out with a massive win over 200x on the first try. If there’s one thing I don’t like, it’s the lack of a bonus buy option.

Cygnus is a medium volatile slot game with an RTP of 96.1%. The maximum win you can hit in the slot is 5,000x the bet.

It’s always great when a developer comes up with a fresh idea on a classic slot niche. That’s what ELK Studios did with Cygnus, its premier ancient Egyptian slot game. The innovative gravity mechanics and the cascades that expand the grid are great features that can take your wins to the next level. With up to 262,144 winning opportunities, Cygnus is a slot that definitely deserves a try.

The slot’s success has led to the release of three sequels. Cygnus 2, Cygnus 3, and Cygnus 4 are great options to try if you liked the first one.