Rise of Olympus

We love mythology as much as the next person, but it’s always amusing how much of it has been lost in translation or tuned out thanks to our modern sensibilities. Nobody really talks that much about the fact the titan Cronos, father of the three brothers you see in this title, had a nasty habit of eating his own children before Zeus was hidden away from him and ended up coming back to kill him and free all his siblings. And while we’re still on the topic of Zeus, how about the fact his lust created a mass of demi-gods, including the popular Hercules? In fact, a great deal of stories of Greek mythology started because Zeus couldn’t keep it in his pants. Sadly, Rise of Olympus isn’t keen on giving us these types of stories. Instead, the title showcases the three powerful brothers – Zeus, Poseidon and Hades – on a 5×5 playing field with cluster wins and rolling reels. Any completed wins will remove winning symbols and you’re rewarded for chaining wins in the form of multipliers and clearing the board in form of free spins, which are also offered in different varieties.

This is a really visually impressive title that Play’n Go made for their loyal fans. Once the Hand of God feature fires, the backdrop changes completely to accommodate the deity currently on the reel. You get an underground hellhole with Hades, an underwater city with Poseidon and the esteemed mount Olympus with Zeus. All of these transition into each other with ease. The awesome animations also extend on the reels, as each win will see the reels cascade and clear away with bright, golden flashes.

The gameplay is quite nice, as well. We’re usually big fans of cascading reels like Rise of Olympus offers, though we’re not sure how thrilled we are with forcing the reels to be cleared in entirety to activate the free spins. The Hand of God and Wrath of Olympus bonuses are, thankfully, a lot more easy to happen, though their wins can range from amazing to very poor. This Play’n Go release boasts a high volatility, so keep that in mind as you’re playing the game. With a 96.5% RTP, it stands above average for most video slots, so it’s really a matter of luck if you score the right wins before the game catches up with you.

You can play Rise of Olympus for as little as $0.20 up to $100 per spin, which is a standard range for Play’n Go titles. Such a range gives the many gamblers that want to try their slots options to budget accordingly. Our personal recommendation to budget-starved gamblers is to try something a bit less volatile, as this slot isn’t forgiving to one’s budget and you may have to spin for a while before you see any of those juicy features. Still, with a 5,000x bet jackpot, it’ll be more than worth the trouble.

The game has a completely unique set of symbols, which we quite like. Keep an eye out for the lightning, trident and horned helmet icons, as they are affected by the Hand of God features. On top of that, you also have the three god brothers – Hades, Zeus and Poseidon, who can take the place of each other to complete winning combinations.

Hand of God has a different effect depending on which god is currently on the reels. Hades will replace one set of symbols with another, Poseidon will spawn one or two Wilds, and Zeus will destroy two sets of icons from the playing field. Each time a Hand of God feature is played, that deity is replaced with the next one, and they keep cycling.

Wrath of Olympus is triggered when the meter on the left is charged completely. Only wins with God symbols affect it. Once the meter is completely filled out, it activates the Hand of God feature, making each god perform his bonus, so you have all three happen in quick succession.
Once the playing field is cleared entirely, gamblers are given a choice between three free spins. Each one is associated with one of the three gods, so your choice not only affects the amount of free spins, but also which Hand of God bonus you will see on the playing field.