Mayan Chief Slots
Mayan-themed slots can be big business for slot machine developers so it is no surprise that Konami Gaming have added Mayan Chief to their portfolio of games. The 5-reel machine is available in 20, 25, and 30-pay-line configurations so it offers flexibility to the casinos to offer whatever version they want.
You'll find high-volatility slot machine gaming when playing Mayan Chief. This will be great news for those of you that love a bit of a roller-coaster ride when playing your slots. Indeed, if you have experience of playing other Konami Gaming slot machines then you will be pleased to see the inclusion of the Action Stacked Symbols which can really crank up the intensity on the reels.
Available to play on the K2V platform it comes in a range of cabinets including Podium, Podium Slant, and Podium Goliath. It is a slot machine that has been around for a while and has built up quite a fan base over the years.
Theme
The Mayan theme is a common one in the slot machine world. Konami Gaming have dipped into the genre often enough, as is proven with releases such as Mayan Carnival, Mayan Heart, and Mayan Pride all being released onto the market with a familiar Mayan theme.
Symbols on the reel include a range of Mayan-related icons. The Mayan Calendar acts as the Scatter and the Mayan chief himself is Wild. Other Mayan artifacts and wild animals that you might stumble across in Central America fill up the reels along with the regular 9-to-Ace symbols.
The reels themselves are set against a mystical Mayan temple which really adds an atmosphere to the game. That is magnified by the night-time backdrop which emphasizes the Mayan ambiance.
This slot will be popular with those of you that have played other games under the Konami Gaming umbrella such as Rhythms of Rio and Lion Festival. They might not be Mayan-themed but they certainly play in a very similar style to this slot machine.
Features
Mayan Chief has a couple of intriguing features which will interest fans of the Mayan-themed slots that have been released by Konami Gaming before. These come in the form of the Free Games Bonus and the Balance of Fortune Feature.
Action Stacked Symbols – it's always a pleasure to see these included on a Konami Gaming slot machine. This feature allows any symbol to appear stacked across the reels during regular game play so the enhanced wins can be triggered on any spin.
Free Games Bonus – the free games on Mayan Chief are triggered by hitting Mayan calendar symbols across the reels. It is possible to earn 15 free spins on every active pay line so there is scope to earn some high numbers in free spins if you trigger the right symbols.
Balance of Fortune Feature – this neat little feature gives you the chance to pick your destiny. OK, so that sounds more epic than it is but you will get the chance to choose between earning a mystery cash prize and playing the free spins.
It feels a bit like Deal Or No Deal. The game does give you a ball park figure for what you could win with the mystery prize by stating a minimum and maximum cash prize win. This can help you decide before you play but ultimately it's going to come down to how courageous you are.
It should be noted that if you choose the free spins you can still go back to the Balance of Fortune Feature at any point to choose a mystery cash prize over your remaining free spins if you so wish.
Summary
Maya-themed slot machines are a guilty pleasure of mine. I am often reluctant to follow the crowd and show a love for these mainstream themes. The likes of Egyptian-themed and Greek mythology-themed slot machines can prove to be a bit hit and miss for my liking but I always seem to get great pleasure from these Mayan slot machines.
Konami Gaming have found the habit of delivering slot machines that can keep players coming back for more. Certain slot machines have been duplicated with a different theme which is a pet hate of mine but I can totally understand why developers do it. I mean, I just admitted I sometimes choose a slot machine based on its theme and I know I am not the only one.
Mayan Chief proved to be so popular with players that it forced Konami Gaming to release an additional slot machine under that name - Mayan Chief: Empowered Reel of Itzamna. It's certainly a slot that has legs and will appeal to a lot of you out there. Give it a try and don't be surprised to still be playing it in a week.