Play Faust for Free

It has to be said that old legends from old German folklore rarely pop up as themes in the slot machine world. But then again, Faust is an age-old story of a man who sells his soul to the devil for earthly pleasures – a narrative device that has been drawn upon in many modern day books and films. Remember that Simpson's episode in which Homer makes a deal with Satan for a Donut? Exactly.

This Faustian slot machine takes the story back to its roots by presenting an array of symbols related to the narrative of the timeless fable. There is one icon depicting vials and flasks of chemicals, representing Faust's boring scholarly work. But there is a similar icon which shows a goblet of wine, a beautiful rose and a temptingly appetising apple. Obviously, the second image represents how our titular character really wants to be spending his time!

You will also come across the characters of the story as you spin the reels. There is the beautiful and innocent Gretchen, the bored and discontented Faust, and the demonic Mephistopheles. Even though the slot machine does have a somewhat dated appearance, these character symbols are quite realistically rendered. Moreover, these images will spring into life when they land on a winning line. Just wait until you see Faust giving the most awkwardly forced smile ever. Poor fella, he must really be fed up.

This online slot has 10 paylines laid out over the 5 reels, but players can opt to decrease this amount to as little as 1 single payline running straight through the middle of the reels. The minimum bet per line is 4 but this can be increased all the way to 1,000, giving players of all experience levels a good amount of scope to find the best bet for them.

Once you have settled the wagering terms of your spin, you are ready to make a deal with the devil! Spin the reels and wait for the symbols to land. If you line up three or more of the standard playing card icons then you will be in for a small win which could potential pay you up to 150 times the bet on the pay line. If you find five matching still life images (the chemistry set and the plate of food), then you will multiply the line bet by 750. Five Gretchens will reward 2,000 times the bet on the winning line, as will five Mephistopheles characters. That leaves Faust, five of whom will pay out a jackpot multiplier worth 5000x. So, you could win up to 5,000,000 credits if you put down a total bet of 10,000.

In the original German legend, Mephistopheles was a messenger sent by the Devil to tempt Faust into selling his soul. In this game, the demonic character serves to tempt players by possessing a couple of very enticing characteristics. First of all, this character is a wild symbol which substitutes for the 9 other game symbols in order to fill winning combinations. Very intriguing indeed. But the devil's work is not done yet, because the demon symbol will also reward 10 free spins if three or more appear anywhere on the reels.

At the start of these free games, a normal reel symbol will be selected at random to take on special expanding properties. Whenever this symbol appears during the free spins, it will grow to cover three reel positions. This mephistophelean trick might just be enough to persuade punters to take a spin of this literary slot machine.

Players can also make a deal with fate by playing the Faust gamble game. This simple double or nothing side game asks players to guess whether a face down playing card is black or red. It sounds easy, but it takes a lot of nerve.

This slot machine has an obscure literary theme which will surely appeal to many well-read spinners. However, even if you aren't familiar with the Faust story, this Novomatic game is still worth taking a punt on, especially when you consider that there is a chance to win that 5,000,000 jackpot. What's more, the free spins feature with expanding symbols makes this a wicked slot machine that is very hard to refuse.