Nirvana, which was released on October 24, 2016, is a Buddhism-inspired casino game made by Yggdrasil Gaming. Yggdrasil’s Valley of the Gods (August 2017) is another relatable slot game. Nirvana’s rival games include Nirvana in Fire from Inteplay, Sea of Tranquility from Williams Interactive, and Serenity from Microgaming.

“Nirvana”—it is also called nibbana, and is an equivalent of Christians’ heaven–is a Buddhist term, which refers to the everlasting peace that results from death and eventual rebirth, thereby ending earthly problems and material wants. Nirvana players match three, four, or five symbols.

Nirvana Game Characteristics
Nirvana has a volatility rating of between 40% and 50%; on its 5X3 grid are the 20 fixed pay lines, alongside the thirteen Nirvana symbols. First, the four high-paying symbols are: a red-and-golden phoenix bird that is mythically associated with rebirth; a cute green snake that represents deity Naga, symbolizing rebirth in Buddhism; a white jackalope (a jackrabbit with spike-like horns) in a pink cloth; and a half-hawk, half-cat with blue feathers.

The four low-paying symbols are: a red hearts suit, a green spades suit, a purple clubs suit, and a blue diamonds suit. The five Nirvana special symbols are: a flowery “Free Spin”, a blue “Wild” (substituting) orb; a “nudge reels” human with a phoenix’s head; a “Mega reel” sun-faced woman raising her hands; and a four-handed “Wild Seeds” goddess holding four blue crystal balls in all four hands.

The starting page encourages the players to experience Nirvana’s three unique features—namely wild seeds, mega reel, and nudge reels—and advises them to combine features so as to trigger the big wins. After tapping that page and being directed to the user interface, the Nirvana players choose from these coin value options: $0.01, $0.02, $0.03, $0.05, $0.07, $0.10, $0.20, $0.30, $0.50, $0.70, $1.00, $2.00, $3.00, $4.00, and $5.00.

The Nirvana’s total bets are: $0.20 (the minimum total bet), $0.40, $0.60, $1.00, $1.40, $2.00, $4.00, $6.00, $10.00, $14.00, $20.00, $40.00, $60.00, $80.00, and $100.00 (the maximum total bet).

These are the Nirvana payouts for three, four, and five matching symbols. The red-and-golden phoenix bird pays X30, X100, and X250. The green “Naga” snake offers X25, X80, and X200. The white spike-like horned jackalope pays X20, X70, and X175. The blue part eagle, part cat has X20, X60, and X150.

The red hearts suit offers X7, X25, and X75. The green spades suit gives X6, X25, and X70. The purple clubs suit has X5, X20, and X60. The blue diamonds suit pays X5, X20, and X50.

Two, three, four, and five flowery “Free Spin” symbols give: one free spin; ten free spins; ten free spins plus 1000 coins; and ten free spins plus 5000 coins, respectively.

Moreover, 3+ “Free Spin” features activate the three wilds-creating spinning modes—namely Wild Seeds, Mega Reel, and Nudge Reels—from which the player chooses one mode, and these features can be re-triggered once or twice. The maximum win in Nirvana is $80,000.

The Nirvana software is good. The colorful animated graphics understandably portray the Buddhism perception of afterlife. The ambience sounds blend in with the theme, especially the Buddha soundtracks that create an aura of meditating Buddhists.

Luck in Nirvana
A game of chance, the return to player rate of Nirvana is 96.2%, while the house edge is 3.8%.