Slots Like Merlin: Journey of Flame – The Sixth Reel Explained
Merlin: Journey of Flame is Play’n GO’s own take on the Book of Ra style of expanding-symbol slot, sticking to a standard payline layout across 5 reels and 3 rows rather than any cascading or ways-to-win format. The Dragon Egg symbol works as both wild and scatter, substituting for regular symbols and paying instant cash prizes of its own for landing 3, 4 or 5 at once. Landing 3 or more Dragon Eggs triggers 8 free spins, retriggerable indefinitely, and unlocks a 6th reel for the round: one symbol is picked at random to become the expanding symbol, filling its entire reel whenever it lands and paying anywhere on the grid rather than needing strict adjacency. A Gamble Feature lets players guess a card colour to double a win or its suit to quadruple it, across up to 5 consecutive attempts. RTP lands at 96.28% by default, volatility runs high, and the ceiling reaches 7,500x stake once the 6th reel fills completely; Play’n GO never gave this release a Bonus Buy menu in any market.
Where to Play
18+ only. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
Demo Play Slots Like Merlin: Journey of Flame – The Sixth Reel Explained
The playable demo of Slots Like Merlin: Journey of Flame – The Sixth Reel Explained below needs no account or deposit. All features, bonus rounds and paytables match the real money game. 18+.
Game Information
Slots Like Merlin: Journey of Flame
Most of the picks below come straight from Play’n GO’s own back catalogue, since few other studios approach the expanding-symbol format in quite this way.
- Gemix 2
Gem matching and a charging crystal mechanic replace Merlin’s medieval fantasy setting and expanding 6th reel entirely, though both games share the same Play’n GO polish. - Cat Wilde And The Incan Quest
Merlin’s wizardry gives way to Cat Wilde’s jungle temple here, though the expanding-symbol bonus underneath still carries the same studio DNA. - Honey Rush Black and Yellow
Bees and a honeycomb hive stand in for dragons and medieval fantasy here, with the Rush Meter and Colony features doing a very different job to the Dragon Egg wild. - Book of Dead
The genre touchstone this whole style borrows from, sticking to a standard 5-reel grid rather than the extra 6th reel Merlin: Journey of Flame unlocks in its bonus round. - Riches of Ra
Egyptian pyramids replace the Merlin universe here, and a plainer paylines format skips both the Dragon Egg wild and the 6th-reel twist found in this release. - Reactoonz
Alien cluster pays couldn’t be further from Merlin’s fixed-payline fantasy quest, making this one of the bigger contrasts on the list. - Moon Princess
A trio of anime magical girls and a tumbling cluster grid take the place of Merlin, his Dragon Egg, and the fixed-payline structure entirely. - Gonzos Quest
Falling Incan idols and an Avalanche cascade mechanic sit a world away from the fixed paylines and expanding 6th reel that define Merlin: Journey of Flame. - Sherwood Gold
A Robin Hood setting from the same studio, trading the Dragon Egg wild and scatter mechanic here for Cash Bag scatters and a target-shooting bonus.
How the Game Works
Reviewed by Paul StonePublished: July 2026
SlotsLike.co.uk contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up via our site. It never affects our reviews or ratings. 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly (GamCare, BeGambleAware, GamStop).
Five colour-coded runestones fill the lower-tier payouts, a potion bottle and grimoire carry the mid-tier wins, and both Merlin’s staff and Merlin himself sit at the top of the regular paytable. Ten fixed paylines run across the 5×3 grid, matching symbols left to right in the usual way rather than any cascading or ways-to-win structure. The Dragon Egg works as both wild and scatter: it substitutes for every regular paying symbol to help complete wins, and landing 3, 4 or 5 at once also pays an instant cash prize on its own, separate from any line win.
There is no gamble round tied to the base game specifically, but a Gamble Feature is available after any win: guess a card’s colour to double the prize, or its exact suit to quadruple it, across up to 5 consecutive attempts before cashing out or losing the lot.
Free Spins and the Sixth Reel
Landing 3 or more Dragon Egg symbols triggers 8 free spins, and the feature is retriggerable indefinitely by landing further scatters during the round. The defining twist is that a 6th reel unlocks for the duration of Free Spins, and one symbol is picked at random at the start of the round to become that spin’s expanding symbol. Whenever it lands, it expands to fill its entire reel and pays out anywhere on the grid rather than needing strict left-to-right adjacency, and a full-screen result across all 6 reels is what produces the game’s 7,500x ceiling.
There is no Bonus Buy option on Merlin: Journey of Flame at all, in any market, so every player relies on the natural scatter trigger. UK-licensed operators also disable Autoplay and Turbo Mode on this release under standard UKGC-driven restrictions, while non-UK builds allow both.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The 6th reel gives the Free Spins round genuinely higher ceiling potential than a standard 5-reel expanding-symbol format
- Indefinite retriggers mean a strong bonus round can run on for a good while
- The Dragon Egg’s dual wild and scatter role adds a layer of instant-prize excitement to ordinary spins
- 96.28% RTP sits above the UK market average
- The Merlin universe presentation is polished and atmospheric throughout
Cons
- Reviewers widely note this plays as a close reskin of Play’n GO’s own Scroll of Dead
- No Bonus Buy option exists on this release in any market
- High volatility means it can take a good number of spins before the natural scatter trigger shows up
- UK players lose access to Autoplay and Turbo Mode under UKGC-driven restrictions
Game Screenshot
Run the free demo through a proper stretch of spins to see how the 6th reel behaves once it unlocks, since a single short session at high volatility can easily give a misleading impression.
Expert Take
Reviewers consistently point out that Merlin: Journey of Flame plays close to a straight reskin of Play’n GO’s own Scroll of Dead, itself built in the Book of Ra expanding-symbol mould, and few call it genuinely innovative. Where it does earn credit is the added 6th reel during Free Spins, which reviewers agree gives the bonus round meaningfully higher ceiling potential than the studio’s earlier entries in this style.
About the Developer
Merlin: Journey of Flame launched from Play’n GO on 13 July 2023 as the fifth entry in the studio’s in-house Merlin series, working as a prequel to Rise of Merlin and Merlin and the Ice Queen: Morgana. The added 6th reel during Free Spins is the release’s clearest point of difference from the wider Book of Ra style genre it otherwise sits comfortably within. See more on our Play’n GO slots page.
Merlin: Journey of Flame Key Stats
Merlin: Journey of Flame slot information last reviewed: July 2026
| Merlin: Journey of Flame Slot Info | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Merlin: Journey of Flame |
| Provider: | Play’n GO |
| Developer Rank: | A high-volatility expanding-symbol release built around a Dragon Egg wild/scatter and a 6th reel that unlocks during Free Spins |
| RTP: | 96.28% at the default setting (reduced configurations may apply depending on operator) |
| RTP Category: | Above Average |
| RTP Rank: | Above the UK market average |
| Feature Description: | A Dragon Egg wild/scatter with instant cash prizes, a Gamble Feature, and a Free Spins round that unlocks a 6th reel with a random expanding symbol. |
| Feature Categories: | Medieval Fantasy Themed, High Volatility, Expanding Symbol Mechanic |
| Reels: | 5 (6 during Free Spins) |
| Rows: | 3 |
| Paylines: | 10 fixed paylines |
| Volatility: | High (9/10) |
| Volatility Rank: | Upper tier on the site |
| Min Bet: | £0.10 |
| Max Bet: | £100 |
| Max Win: | 7,500x stake |
| Release Date: | 13 July 2023 |
| Slotslike Rank: | 967 out of 4,200+ games (View Top 100) |
Slots with the Same Features
A pair of extra picks for anyone still weighing up Merlin: Journey of Flame against the wider field.
Other Expanding-Symbol Slots
Both run a similar Book of Ra style bonus, without the 6th-reel twist found here.
More Play’n GO Slots
Neither leans on fixed paylines, which makes for a useful contrast against Merlin: Journey of Flame.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many paylines does Merlin: Journey of Flame have?
10 fixed paylines run across the 5×3 grid, with wins matching left to right rather than through any cascade or ways-to-win system.
What does the Dragon Egg symbol do?
It works as both wild and scatter, substituting for regular symbols and paying an instant cash prize for landing 3, 4 or 5 at once.
How do you trigger Free Spins?
Landing 3 or more Dragon Egg symbols awards 8 free spins, retriggerable indefinitely by landing more scatters during the round.
What happens to the grid during Free Spins?
A 6th reel unlocks, and one symbol is picked at random to become that round’s expanding symbol, filling its whole reel whenever it lands.
What is the maximum win on Merlin: Journey of Flame?
7,500x stake, achieved with a full-screen win across all 6 reels during Free Spins.
Is there a Gamble Feature?
Yes, players can guess a card’s colour to double a win or its suit to quadruple it, across up to 5 consecutive attempts.
Is there a Bonus Buy option?
No, Play’n GO did not build a Bonus Buy option into this release in any market.
Is Merlin: Journey of Flame similar to another Play’n GO slot?
Yes, reviewers widely compare it to Play’n GO’s own Scroll of Dead, another expanding-symbol release in the Book of Ra style.
Who makes Merlin: Journey of Flame?
Play’n GO released the game on 13 July 2023, as the fifth entry in its in-house Merlin series.
Our Verdict on Merlin: Journey of Flame
Merlin: Journey of Flame doesn’t hide that it borrows heavily from Play’n GO’s own Scroll of Dead, and reviewers are right to flag the lack of genuine originality in the core formula. What earns it a place on this list is the 6th reel during Free Spins, which gives an already-proven expanding-symbol structure real extra ceiling, pushing the ceiling to 7,500x for players patient enough to wait out its high volatility. It’s a solid pick for fans of the Book of Ra style who want a slightly bigger swing than the genre usually offers.
SlotsLike rating: 7/10