Caravan of Riches: Slot Overview

Back in early 2020, Fantasma Games sent players on a strange trip into a desert where sharks somehow glided through waves of sand. Whatever else could be said about the game, Desert Shark showed a strong streak of imagination, hinting at the freewheeling creativity the studio would bring to later titles. With Caravan of Riches, we’re whisked off to another sun-baked locale, but after spending time with it, it feels like some of the inventive spark seen in Desert Shark didn’t quite carry over.

Caravan of Riches nods to the legendary Silk Road, the historic web of trade routes made famous (among other reasons) by Marco Polo’s travels. Crossing regions that many modern travellers might hesitate to traverse by camel, the Silk Road connected East and West for centuries. Along the route sat countless towns, villages, and trading outposts, and one of these provides the backdrop for Caravan of Riches. This is a setting of clay jars, striped canopies, stone structures, and stacked wares, where players step in to test their fortune—much like the merchants who once risked the journey long ago.

One of the first noticeable elements in Caravan of Riches is its 5-reel game grid. The twist is the 3-4-5-4-3 layout across the reels. That said, this arrangement isn’t as rare as it once was, since a number of similarly shaped slots have appeared lately—Sakura Fortune 2 is one example. It’s not identical, but the idea is comparable. The letdown here is that Caravan of Riches sticks with only 20 fixed paylines instead of using the all-ways approach found in Quickspin’s Asian-themed spectacle.

The stats aren’t exactly where Caravan of Riches shines either, although credit to Fantasma for being open and providing most of the details. A return of 96.03% and a 4/5 volatile rating likely won’t bother many players. The mood shifts when you look closer at the average free spins win of 53.7x and a free spins frequency of 1 in 213, which can feel a bit flat when paired with how straightforward the rest of the package is. The absence of max win figure also leaves a lingering question.

As noted, the game uses 20 paylines, with wins formed by three to five matching symbols on adjacent reels starting from reel one. At the lower end are potion bottles, carpets, daggers, and purple jewels, paying 0.35 to 0.5 times your stake for five of a kind. Premium payouts rise to 0.75 to 5x the bet and come from five different character symbols. Wilds round things out for now, showing up on the three central reels to substitute for any standard paying symbol.

Caravan of Riches: Slot Features

Landing a five of a kind premium symbol win doesn’t just deliver the biggest payouts—it also activates the Silk Road feature. Alongside that is the free spins round, where players can progress through levels while improving the symbol set as they go.

Silk Road Feature

If a cluster of adjacent matching character symbols appears across all five reels, the Silk Road feature is triggered. Each of the involved character symbols then spins individually and can stop on blanks, coins, or scatter symbols. Blanks have no effect, coins pay instant cash prizes, and scatters can contribute toward triggering free spins.

Symbol Upgrade Free Spins

When 3 scatters land in the base game, players receive 10 free spins. Scatters stay on the reels for the entire feature and are collected whenever they appear. For every 4 scatters collected, the game levels up and grants an extra +3 free spins. Upon reaching levels 1, 2, 3 or 4, only the top 4, 3, 2, or 1 character symbols can appear on the reels.

Caravan of Riches: Slot Verdict

Fantasma Games, based in Stockholm, is a studio that rarely shies away from trying out unusual reel formats. Between blocker tiles, unconventional Megaways implementations, and even the potentially motion-sickness-inducing rotating grid used in Twisted Turbine, almost no layout is off-limits for their experimental approach. In that context, Caravan of Riches’ diamond-style grid is actually one of their more familiar-looking designs, especially since this kind of shape has been showing up more often lately.

Next come the features, which are decent enough, even if they don’t quite deliver the sense of Marco Polo-style wonder. The Silk Road feature adds some energy to the base game, largely because paylines—rather than ways to win—can feel restrictive. Even so, instant coin prizes can be welcome, and free spins are the other encouraging result. Climbing free spin levels can, in theory, lead to higher-value outcomes or set off the Silk Road feature more frequently, creating a bit of a snowball effect that can be enjoyable. Just don’t expect the same intensity or suspense found in Pink Elephants during these symbol upgrade free spins.

After extended testing, it was difficult to shake the impression that Caravan of Riches is offering ideas that other slots have executed more effectively. Whether it’s the two rival games already referenced above or other titles inspired by similar mechanics, there are plenty of more thrilling options out there. NetEnt’s Silverback Gold is an immediate example, featuring a polished symbol upgrade free spins mechanic with a wildly volatile twist once the collection meter is filled. Caravan of Riches, by comparison, feels better suited to players who want an upgrade-style feature without the risk of being shredded by furious gorillas or trampled by psychedelic elephants.

Maybe it’s because Caravan of Riches doesn’t feel as inspired as Fantasma’s usual output, but neither the gameplay nor the theme presentation managed to elevate it beyond average. In the end, Caravan of Riches didn’t deliver the familiar spark of originality that often defines a Fantasma release.