Caligula Slot
As you’ll have gathered from the design of the title, this is a thoroughly Roman inspired real cash slot; it’s given away in the first few moments of the loading screen, with a figure that looks like Caesar. But wait, the name of the title is Caligula? Well, all you history buffs will probably be aware of this already, but Caligula was another name for the Roman Emperor.
Going off of the aesthetics alone, this title looks to be a big leagues experience – they’re 3D and animated, allowing for greater immersion and thus a more exciting playthrough. But as many of us know, looking good is only half of the battle, to be a good all-rounder, a slot needs to bring variance as well.
In this title you have minimal variety, with only two special features included among the basic paytable. That being said, what you get in return is a wealthy game that can chuck out some serious wads of cash… as long as you pay the right price.
An Unknown Leader
The story of Julius Caesar is a well known one, if not always one accurately told, with his stabbing the most infamous and remarked act of betrayal. In this slot, he takes on the form of the wild symbol, which is sort of appropriate, given his turbulent time in power; although a powerful and military minded man, he wasn’t known for playing by the rules.
As the acting wild icon, he can bring in a sum of money that ranges from 0.50 all the way to 750 credits, depending on the amount you play with. What is more, the wild can move the other symbols out and replace them with tiles that gift you a winning combination, with the scatter the only exception to this rule. Those of you well versed in slot machines will know the drill by now.
Golden Bonus
The paytable is a little deceiving when it comes to what the scatter gifts players; according to the brand, a bonus feature is triggered when three or more are found. However, that’s an ambiguous statement that makes it sound like you’re getting a whole new mini level, when in fact you’re getting free games.
How do we know this, besides playing? It’s in the way Caligula comments on the bonus tile being isolated to the fifth reel when the feature is in effect.
Normally free games are something to get excited about, but here, with so much work having gone into making this game look the part, it feels like GameArt could have done something extra. Even a Pick Me level would have been enough, which isn’t what we tend to say everyday, but no matter, it simply wasn’t meant to be.
High Volatility
Those of you looking for an easy ride aren’t going to find it with this game because the volatility is off the charts. Our first playthrough heralded one successful combination, of which the payout was tiny – one! That’s not the sort of thing you want to see if you’re hoping to walk away with buckets of money, which means that those of a causal disposition needn’t bother trying.
If you want an easy to play game with high rewards, Caligula isn’t for you. It simply isn’t relaxed enough.
Even the benefits of a low betting range go to waste here, for you’ll end up spending well over what you bet just trying to make a win. Take that low wager of 0.10, which is 0.01 over the 10 winlines, that’ll go within the blink of an eye, and if you go for the top amount of 5 credits (which granted is still low), you want to hope a win comes round quicksmart.
The Betrayal of Caligula
Oh how the tables have turned here, rather than us betraying Caesar he has betrayed us, and he’s done so by presenting such an attractive matrix on which to play.
Its above average looks make you believe you’re getting a thoroughly detailed title, when actually you’re getting a highly challenging game, with limited variance. The only comfort is the betting amount, and even that pales when you recall the taxing nature of the 5-reels.
