The Shadow Order

The Shadow Order (Push Gaming): Review

Aside from Immortal Guild, which is based on the slot Ice Breakers, we've actually not had a unique title from Push Gaming since the summer of 2018 when mega-potential disco hit Jammin' Jars came out. It's not unlikely to think that Push Gaming became slightly overwhelmed by the focus said game brought upon them, and maybe the quick rise to fame even caught them by surprise.

Either way, Jammin' Jars is now considered one of the best online slots ever released, and has been generating one sick win after another like no other slot we've ever seen before. If Push Gaming is feeling some pressure to live up to its recently established reputation as a prime developer, we can certainly sympathise if they've decided to hurry slowly.

The studio's latest creation is a story of mystery and codes, and one that involves an ancient secret organisation lurking deep beneath the surface of modern society. Powered by Push Gaming, The Shadow Order is a 5x5 cluster slot played with cascading symbols where wins are achieved by matching three or more symbols adjacent horizontally or vertically. Following a win, all winning symbols are removed from the grid and replaced by new ones, a chain reaction that continues as long as new winning combinations keep appearing.

The game is packed to the brim with features and can deliver a whole range of modifier extras during gameplay which includes removal of lower-value symbols, added wilds and sticky premiums. You'll also get some help from the four members of the secret order, namely Molly, Billy, Archie, and Amarillo, who can bring with them a series of extras as well. There is also a free spins game with an increasing multiplier with potential to land massive wins. You can play it across all devices from between 10 cents and 100€ per spin.

The Shadow Order is faultlessly presented with phenomenal attention to detail and includes a soundtrack that is a mix of suspense and mystery with a twist of unknown horror. Set in a hedge maze garden of a grand mansion, symbols on the reels include coins, chess pieces, cryptex cylinders, books of the Illuminati and golden coin rings, the latter being the most rewarding giving you 120 times your stake for a 5 of a kind combination. The wild is represented by a gold star featuring the all-seeing eye and yields 300 times your stake should you land 5 of a kind.

The Shadow Order (Push Gaming): Features

The Shadow Order is as feature-heavy as modern slots come these days, so hold on to your hat as we dive right into them all. One of the first things you will notice are the three colourful Orbs above the grid - get on a winning streak of cascades and these magical orbs drop down onto the grid to double as wilds, moving downward and to the right if there is an empty position to move in. The orbs are removed from the grid when no new wins are achieved, but they can also trigger the free spins feature.

You'll also see three hotspot zones spread out across the grid. If an orb reaches a hotspot, it will initiate its feature accordingly:

• Orb of Destruction (Blue) - all lower value symbols are removed and a new symbol cascade is played.
• Orb of Creation (Green) - 3 to 6 wilds are randomly added to the grid.
• Orb of Preservation (Purple) - all of the highest value symbols are held, including orbs, while a series of cascades are played. This continues as long as new matching symbols appear in view.

The Shadow Order centres around 4 characters which all have unique features which you can benefit from in the base game. This is known as the Character feature. With one character activated from start, you can upgrade and unlock the other three by collecting ring symbols which will fill the meter positioned on the lower right of the grid. All of these modifier extras can trigger randomly on any spin to give you the following:

• The Messenger - Molly will fully charge the 1st orb and clear the top row. This will allow the orb to fall in.
• The Gambler - Billy has the power to convert low-value symbols into the premiums that are in view on the grid.
• The Spy - Archie will give you 1 wild symbol on each column.
• The Magister - Amarillo initiates a cascade with high paying symbols only.

Finally, there is the Free Spins game which comes into play when all 3 orbs have been collected by falling downwards on the grid, reaching the collection tile at the bottom right-hand corner. Starting with 5 spins, the orbs symbols remain fully charged and ready to drop into play, becoming sticky wilds when they do. Moreover, when an orb reaches the collection tile, the win multiplier to the right of the grid is increased and if all 3 orbs are collected, 2+ spins are added to your total. Medium variance, you can land wins of over 24,000 times your stake in the free spins feature if you get that multiplier moving.

The Shadow Order (Push Gaming): Verdict

Given all the intricate features, meticulous visual design, and the head-scratching maths that we assume must have required a lot of work, it's not hard to see why it took so long for Push Gaming to finalise The Shadow Order. This is no doubt a complicated slot and one where you will have to read the paytable if you want to know what's going on. If you're too impatient for that, don't worry. As complicated as it is, The Shadow Order doesn't require you to take any active decisions such as to gamble feature or not, so all you really have to do is to hit the spin button and hope for the best.

Having given the game a couple of hours of our attention, we started getting some Moon Princess (Play'n GO) vibes due to how the orbs behave and how you can almost predict if they're going to line up to trigger the bonus or not. Even so, The Shadow Order is a slot that shows Push Gaming at its inventive best and is an essential game in the developers increasingly impressive line-up. Undoubtedly, some will reject it due to its modern design, but if they do give it a shot, they might very well soon find themselves absorbed in this masterfully made game.

Don't Miss

For some more cluster pays action from Push Gaming, be sure to check out their two super hit titles Jammin' Jars as well as the sequel Jammin' Jars 2 which offers wins of up to 50,000 times your bet.