Turning Totems Slot
Turning Totems is a 5-reel, fixed 11-line online slot from Thunderkick. This delightful-looking game is based on the concept of totem poles that were part of Native American culture before the Europeans invaded America and sent those natives to run real-world casinos on reservations. The poles were carved from red cedar trees and were meant to symbolise cultural beliefs and important historic events. The word 'totem' is thought to mean 'his kinship group', so it is likely they also represented tributes to deceased family ancestors. Sadly, totem-pole-carving had all but died out by 1900.
This Thunderkick title has something of a unique feature in that there are no spinning reels. Instead, each of the five totem poles on the game screen consist of five heads. When you hit the 'spin' button these heads rotate for a second or two before settling into place. There's also a small native american chap who stands by as the poles spin and performs a short rain dance when you secure a chunky win.
The eleven pay lines here are fixed, and you just pay a specific fee from 0.10 to 100.00 in order to spin. All pay lines pay left-to-right and right-to-left. Naturally, the more you are willing to pay, the bigger the wins you will receive. When you are ready to play 'Big Chief Slots Spinner', hit the 'spin' button.
Payout & bonus rounds
The lowest paying totem head in this game is a brown, eagle-like design. Three of these will win you one tenth of your current bet. The highest grossing symbol in normal play is the golden eagle symbol. Five such symbols will win twenty-five times your chosen wager.
There is also a 'thunder snake' symbol on the poles. When you land this symbol anywhere on a pole, the pole remains as a 'thunder reel' for the remainder of the game round. All 'sleeping wilds' (see below) turn into wilds on a thunder reel. When you activate a thunder reel you gain a free re-spin, unless the thunder reel activation triggers the bonus game.
If you manage to activate three or more thunder reels, then the bonus game is triggered. This game consists of five free spins. All active thunder reels remain active until your bonus spins have been completed.
The 'sleeping wild' symbol is the brown eagle mentioned above. When it appears on a thunder wheel, it awakens and becomes a high-paying golden eagle wild symbol. This symbol substitutes for all other symbols except for the thunder snake symbol.
This is an extremely cool-looking slot with simple yet great gameplay from Thunderkick. There is something quite satisfying in watching the totem heads spin, and the fact that there are only eight symbols suggests to you that you've always a chance of a win. It would be even better if there were more pay lines, but at least they 'pay both ways'. Why not indulge yourself with some Thunderkick totem-twisting?