Vault of Fortune: Overview

“It is your turn to be a master thief” isn’t a line you hear often, yet it perfectly sets up Yggdrasil Gaming’s treasure-packed slot Vault of Fortune. Aspiring thieves are invited to raid a storeroom crammed with valuable antiques from different cultures, all packed away in crates. Beyond appealing to the light-fingered, Vault of Fortune is also a progressive multiplier lover’s ideal, since the mechanic runs through every part of the gameplay.

The game’s 5-reel, 20-payline layout sits inside a hazy, vault-like room where prized objects rest against the walls, pile up on shelves, or stay tucked away in drawers. There are some neat touches too, including the famous Girl with a Pearl Earring (dated 1665) oil painting by Johannes Vermeer leaning against the wall in the background. With a little imagination, the setting makes it easy to picture yourself as a seasoned thief about to empty the place.

On the visual side, Vault of Fortune is clearly well made, even if it isn’t among the most eye-popping titles the studio has produced. That’s hardly an issue, as Artefacts carries the dreamy, otherworldly vibe often associated with Yggdrasil games. They also nail that mysterious museum-like atmosphere.

With a strong RTP of 96.2% alongside a 19.4% hit rate and medium/high volatility, players can spin for as little as 10 p/c or as high as $/€100 per spin. Once the stake is set, the heist begins. To grab the valuables, you’ll need three or more matching symbols on one or more of the 20 paylines. When that happens, the Dropdown feature kicks in with a bang. Winning symbols are smashed apart in a satisfyingly dramatic way, allowing new symbols to fall into the empty spaces.

The Dropdown feature makes it possible to chain multiple wins from a single spin, but it adds another layer too. Every Dropdown raises the win multiplier (starting at x1) by +1 with no cap. The next spin that doesn’t produce a win then drops the multiplier back to x1. It’s entertaining in the base game, and it becomes even more rewarding in the bonus, as you’ll see.

Symbol-wise, there are 8 standard icons in total, split into 4 low pays and 4 high pays. Everything looks pricey, beginning with the card suit low pays, presented as jewel-studded necklaces. The high pays feel even more exclusive, featuring Ming Vases, porcelain cats, Faberge Eggs, and a red version of what resembles the Queen of England’s hat.

Considering a win multiplier is active throughout the entire game, the pay values are impressively solid. For instance, five of the lowly diamond symbols pay 8x, while a line of crowns delivers 25 times the stake. And then there’s the bonus round, where the real looting can ramp up.

Vault of Fortune: Features

Alongside the Dropdown feature, players also get a couple of familiar favourites in the form of Expanding Wilds and Free Spins. Watch for the standard wild symbol, designed like a pull lever—this can land in any position and substitutes for regular paying symbols. If a wild helps form a winning combination, the lever is pulled and the wild expands into a full stack of 6 vertical wilds, crushing every other symbol on that reel. Expanding wilds have a theoretical hit frequency of 1 in 25.

No secret vault feels complete without a Cryptex or two, and if at least 3 land, then free spins are activated – 3, 4, or 5 in view award 8, 12, or 20 free spins respectively. Whatever multiplier level you had reached when free spins were triggered carries into the bonus round. From there, the multiplier no longer resets between free spins; it can only climb higher, with no fixed ceiling. To top it off, free spins can also be retriggered using the same values as in the base game.

Vault of Fortune: Verdict

Vault of Fortune is the kind of slot that doesn’t strain to wow you or pretend it’s the newest flashy trendsetter. Most of its components have appeared before, more than once, but together Yggdrasil Gaming has delivered a reliable avalanche/cascade-style slot that hits plenty of the right notes. It doesn’t try to dazzle—it simply performs consistently, and more importantly, it’s fun.

Vault of Fortune may be one of Yggdrasil’s more straightforward takes on their dropdown feature, and that simplicity works in its favour. The mechanic isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s implemented effectively, so anyone who enjoys this style will likely enjoy it here.

A small but welcome extra is the way the crates get crushed—whether by falling symbols or by the wrecking effect of stacked wilds—in a strangely pleasing manner. It’s like Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response for the eyes. Equally satisfying is the game’s default maximum win, which comes to 11,000 times the stake (capped at €1,050,000).

So while it may not earn many points for originality, it’s also hard to pick out real weaknesses. It’s a true avalanche/cascade fan’s playground thanks to the win multiplier being active in both the base game and the bonus game. Overall, for straightforward gameplay with polished features, decent potential, and an unusual theme, Vault of Fortune checks the right boxes.