Nightfall

Nightfall

Some would agree with us if we label Push Gaming as a game studio that mostly comes with sassy looking pokies that never fail to deliver explosive gameplays. Nightfall is completely different and comes with a darker tone leaning more towards horror than anything else. The game is set on top of a cathedral top which finds itself next to some spooky slayer monsters. Far away, there are different greatly designed buildings lit up with some dim lights, but that will probably not be enough to save you from darkness.

Every once in a while, you’ll find bats and mist moving across the screen with the probable objective to contribute to the excitement. As for the reels of this game, there are a variety of different fascinating symbols that look like classical sculptures and are inspired by ancient architecture. The audio is perhaps the best part of the game as we find it easy to listen even if it were on repeat all day. We would describe it as a rock beat accompanied by drums followed by bells and synthesiser noises to make it really something different.

We find this Nightfall pokie a great addition to the studio’s portfolio. Although it is quite a unique production for Push Gaming when it comes to theme and format, there are still heaps of special features that make this online pokie stand out from other games. The Instant Prize Slab definitely gives Nightfall that familiar Push Gaming twist, as it is a feature that we haven’t really seen before at other providers. It also makes the base game a lot more amusing and gives us something to look forward to between the bonus games.

We definitely need to give Push Gaming’s some credits for their ongoing desire to boldly come up with new things. Although most game developers would label their studios as innovative, innovation is definitely one of this game developer’s hallmarks, and in order to prove that, Nightfall also has a very unusual way of paying out winning combinations. Smashing blocks to earn money used to happen in online pokies before, but the way Nightfall does it is quite different, creating some sort of curiosity factor. We wouldn’t categorise Nightfall as a game that is already destined to be an all-time classic, yet there are a few smart features you need to experience here.

How to Play

Nightfall is built on a 5×3 online pokie layout with an extra bonus row on the top of the grid. The bonus row is where most of the action happens, along with the symbol collection metre which can be found on the left-hand side of the reels. There are also 20 fixed paylines to make use of, and the cascading symbols feature will rack up your winnings. Here’s how to play Push Gaming’s Nightfall pokie:

1. Go for the spin button to start spinning the reels.
2. Use the total bet option to adapt your bet per spin to your preferences.
3. The game information is accessible via the menu button.

Symbol Wins

Like the scary theme itself, the grid is dark coloured and you find yourself somewhere in a city with structures that look like castles whilst there is a river that divides them. The well picked audio plays contributes to the dark atmosphere of the game as it reminds us of a soundtrack from a horror movie. The graphics are excellent as you’ll notice as well once you see the symbols on the reels. Taking a closer look at the paytable, there are the low paying card suits, diamonds, clubs, spades, and hearts. These are all worth 5x the stake for five of a kind on a single payline. Then we have three totemic animal symbols, where lines of five are worth between 50x and 100x the bet. The most valuable symbol in the game is the Gorgon, which is worth 1000x the stake for a payline of five. Nightfall comes with a Fire Orb symbol which serves as a wild and scatter, substituting all other symbols.

Bonus Features

Like mentioned above, Nightfall works with the usual wild symbols and Cascades feature, but also comes with a less common Fireballs feature. In addition, this Push Gaming online pokie machine also has a free spins round. Here’s what’s waiting for you:

Wild Symbols

The Fire Orb symbols, which look like orbs of fire, are the wild symbols and the scatters at the same time in Nightfall. They can appear on any reel and replace any regular symbol. This helps them to complete winning combinations.

Cascades Feature

The Cascades feature in Nightfall, as always with these types of pokies, comes into action with every winning spin. All winning symbols are removed from the playfield, after which new symbols appear. These new symbols can lead to new wins, after which the winning symbols are once again removed from the grid to make way for new symbols. This continues until there are no more new winnings.

Fireballs Feature

Above each reel of the grid is a kind of metal sign with a price on it. Every time a Fireball symbol lands, it flies up to the metal sign. If such a metal plate is hit 3 times with a Fireball symbol, you get the prize that is on the plate. This can vary from 2x to as much as 5,000x your stake. Once a prize is received, the sign is removed and a new one is placed in its place. In addition, all boards are also replaced for each new paid spin.

There are also Fireball Multipliers. These symbols come with a multiplier from x2 to x50. When they land, they also fly to the metal sign above it. But that also immediately increases the price on the plate. As soon as a Fireball symbol flies up, a new symbol appears on the grid to fill the empty space.

Free Spins

Nightfall has an extensive free spins round that can yield great prizes. As we mentioned, the wild symbols are also the scatters in this pokie. Landing 3, 4 or 5 of these symbols on the grid will give you a win of 5x, 50x or 1,000x your stake respectively. In addition, you also get 6 free spins plus an extra spin for every extra scatter on the grid. If you collect 3 more scatters during the free spins, you will get 2 extra free spins added to your total.

There are a few differences in the base game and the free spins round of Nightfall. There are only empty spaces, Fireball symbols, Fireball Multiplier symbols and Scatter symbols on the reels. In addition, the metal signs of the Fireball feature do not change with each new spin.

Bonus Buy

Alternatively, there is an option to buy your access to the free spins round if you don’t want to spin your way to this bonus game. For 113.5x your bet you can go straight to the free spins round. In addition, you also get a fixed RTP of 96.17% if you use this option. This RTP is actually a bit lower than the top-tier regular RTP of 96.36%.

Payout Metrics

Nightfall is played on a grid with 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 fixed paylines. Landing 3, 4 or 5 matching symbols from left to right across any of the 20 paylines will lead to a winning combination, whereby wins need to begin from the leftmost reel. Betting limits range from $0.10p to $100 a spin. There’s a Total Bet button on the desktop version which, when clicked on, shows all 12 available bet options. On the smartphone or tablet version, just click on the 3 lines to see the bet range for this game.

For New Zealanders, there is a convenient Turbo Mode which can be located within the Settings section and speeds up the game. You can also decide to play with or without sounds and music if so preferred. There is an Autoplay option which allows players to sit back and enjoy up to 100 autospins. Loss and single win limits are available.

The RTP in Nightfall is set at 96.36% which is higher than the 96% average. The game’s volatility is around the medium to high range with the bigger wins coming from the bonus features. When it comes to winnings, the maximum win is 20,000x the bet per spin. The maximum potential win is won once every 8,795,075 spins on average. In order to make this max win you will need to fill the reels with the highest value symbols or with the Instant Prize slabs and multipliers.

Summary

The greyish colour scheme may be a bit too tedious to some, but it surprised us to such an extent that we liked it despite being typically considered a boring and flat colour. The game’s speed, including the cascading wins mechanic which can often slow things down is actually outstanding with the turbo mode switched on, and all together, Nightfall gives us a very smooth and satisfying gameplay. Having said that, you’ll also need to prepare yourself for quite a number of dead spins, and the base game doesn’t give a lot of excitement. Then again, sudden payouts can come out of the blue, which tends to happen in a lot of Push Gaming titles in recent months. It gets a lot better when the bonus round finally hits though, but clearly depends on your initial slab prize draw too. Patience can be rewarded, but Nightfall will probably not appeal to seasoned players looking for real action.