Legend of the Nile

The mysteries of old Egypt have always fascinated a great deal of people. A civilization old enough for the ancient Greeks to have documented it, that has vanished from the modern day after Arabic invasions, and left behind treasure troves of mysteries. If it were not the Rosetta Stone, hieroglyphs would still not be translatable. The pyramids are a popular tourist sight to this day, and the depictions of old Egyptian Gods and old Egypt itself has been covered multiple times in popular culture. It seems Betsoft wants in on the action, as Legend of the Nile deals with just that. A 7×7 reel set awaits those willing to brave it, where wins follow clusters rather than paylines and symbols blow up to give way to different ones to fall in from the top, as part of the rolling reels mechanic popularized by Gonzo’s Quest. On top of that, Legend of the Nile also has three additional meters that can be filled up – which activate amazing bonuses.

We love the graphics in this slot. From the subtle, breathing motions of the three Gods, to the fully unique symbols littered with Egyptian icons, the soft, calming music that befits gazing down a valley through which the Nile flows, and the beautiful backdrop with pyramids and the sphinx, the glimmering sun off in the distance and the calm waters slowly flowing beneath. Betsoft outdid themselves when it comes to presentation. The user interface is also adjusted for the title, while also laying out everything clearly.

On the gameplay front, it takes a different approach to many other titles with the rolling reels mechanic. Rather than using its special features to clear up the reel, and increase the chances of players chaining wins together, the bonuses in Legend of the Nile are slowly gained by collecting Anubis, Isis, or Ra, the three Egyptian Gods, and all three give you several free spins alongside multipliers. Ra is common enough, but getting him to a high enough level takes a lot of luck, while Isis and Anubis are a trial of patience – then again, they don’t have a large fixed jackpot, or the promise of 400x one’s wager behind them.

It’s playable for $0.30 up to $150. The wins mostly come from the bonuses, as we haven’t had much luck chaining together the rolling reels to really accomplish some awesome wins like we did in other titles with similar mechanics. It feels like somewhat of a waste, but the combination of high volatility and rolling reels feels interesting enough that we won’t complain too much. That said, it might be a bit too high volatility for some – as waiting to collect enough symbols to activate a feature may not be someone’s idea of fun.

We liked the symbols in Legend of the Nile. They’re all unique and draw inspiration from real hieroglyphs. You’ll find the Eye of Horus, an ankh, birds, crops and waves printed onto coins, as well as jewels and mummies of pharaohs – all crowned, of course, by three diety icons, Ra, Isis and Anubis.

The features are relatively simple. The first, Ra, is collected straight away, and you need at least 8 to win 8 free spins. Getting additional two Ra Scatters adds two more free spins, and this grows to a certain point where you can win a win that’s 400x your wager, or the jackpot! The other two, Isis and Anubis, are slowly collected from winnings, until their meter fills up. Alongside the meter is the growth of their multiplier, which comes into play when the meter is filled up and the free spins are awarded.