Across the Universe

As the name suggests, this game takes you on a journey across the universe, into the depths of unknown, outer space. Yet, the theme extends beyond a purely futuristic approach and embraces a slightly vintage touch. It captures the charm of the Space Age, reflected in both its visual style and its soundtrack.

I’m speaking about the period that began in the late 1950s when humanity first began exploring space and lasted roughly into the 1970s. We can say it officially kicked off in 1957 with the launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite by the Soviet Union, followed closely by Explorer 1 by the United States. It was marked by rapid advancements in technology and science and a sense of awe and excitement about the universe. All of this was followed, of course, by a burst of artistic inspiration drawn from the vast expanses of space.

The Space Age influenced culture, fashion, and design. Futuristic aesthetics became popular, with various products often adopting sleek, metallic looks and bold colors inspired by rockets and satellites. Well, the Across the Universe slot is a fresh tribute to that, now bygone and vintage, era.

Across the Universe features a video game-like graphic style with a clean design and bold, bright colors. The palette includes shades of blue, purple, and red, complemented by the dark grey of asteroids. In contrast to the clean graphics of the game grid, the text appearing in the game uses a square, digital font that recalls the look of vintage computer displays.

There’s no grid outline, but instead, as you’d expect from planets and asteroids, the symbols float in space and emit a soft, shimmering glow. Meanwhile, countless stars continually rush toward you, giving you a dynamic sense of forward motion, as if you’re flying through open space. It’s a fantastic touch that adds so much to the experience.

The soundtrack and, overall, the whole audio aspect of the game draws heavily on the old arcade games and their music and clicks and beeps. Even though I like a bit more subtle and ambiental soundtracks, I have to admit that this one is entirely on point. It fits nicely into the whole Space Age game theme.

A small yet charming detail in the game’s design is the quick spin button, featuring an image of a running rabbit. Those little animals are known for their speed, so it’s quite an appropriate symbol for quick spins. You have to appreciate such details!

The volatility level of the Across the Universe slot is categorized as medium. Mascot Gaming itself has rated it at 2 out of 5, suggesting a gameplay experience that leans slightly towards lower risk. This is the impression I had as well while playing. Wins occur every few spins, and it’s not uncommon to connect a streak of several consecutive winning spins.

The RTP stands at 95.15%, which is squarely in the average range. While not exceptionally high, this RTP aligns with standard industry expectations and offers a balanced level of returns. The max win is 12,000x the base bet, which is definitely above average for slot games and especially for medium volatility games, which don’t usually have big max wins.

Whether you’re a new player or a seasoned veteran, I always recommend trying free demo games before wagering real money. No matter the game’s volatility, getting familiar with its gameplay and features beforehand is always wise.

Across the Universe is played on a spacious, standard grid with 5 reels and 4 rows. It utilizes standard slot mechanics with 10 paying symbols, wilds, scatters, and free spins. However, it has its unique twist as well. Even though the terms bonus and scatter are usually used interchangeably for the same symbol, this game features them as two separate symbols with different purposes. The bonus fills the coin accumulation scale, while the scatter fills the free spin accumulation scale — both unique features we’ll discuss in the next section.

The betting range is quite wide and spans from a minimum of 0.20 to a maximum of 40 per spin. This broad selection of betting options ensures that the game remains accessible and engaging for both newcomers and seasoned players alike. Across the Universe includes a total of 20 paylines, which isn’t too much but still enough to land a winning combination every few spins.

The regular symbols and their payouts are displayed in the table below.

Even though Across the Universe sticks to the straightforward, classic gameplay of online slots, it also includes a few innovative features that add quite a kick to the fun.

• Wild symbols – Substitute for all symbols except for the scatters and bonuses.
• Bonus symbols – Each one that lands flies off to the coin accumulation scale to fill it.
• Scatter symbols – Each one that lands flies off to the free spin accumulation scale to fill it.
• Coin accumulation scale – It gradually fills with each bonus symbol that lands, and once full, it rewards a solid coin prize and restarts. It takes 25 bonus symbols to fill it. This acts as a sort of safety net against bigger losses.
• Free spin accumulation scale – It gradually fills with each scatter symbol that lands, and once full, it triggers the free spins mini game. It takes 40 scatter symbols to fill it. This way, free spins are guaranteed to occur more or less regularly throughout the game.
• Free spins – Unlike most slot games where you must land a certain number of scatters at once, the free spins in Across the Universe are triggered by the free spins accumulation scale that gradually fills as you play. They come in a quantity of 10 and can’t be extended. All winnings that occur are multiplied by 3x.
• Risk ‘n’ Buy – As the feature’s name implies, after each spin in the base game, you have the option to either risk or buy. You can choose to risk your current win to enter the free spins right away or purchase direct access to free spins at a fixed price. Of course, this feature is optional, and you can simply continue with regular spins. The Risk ‘n’ Buy feature is not available in autoplay mode.