Cascading reels, bonus game, and that’s it
At first glance, Itzcoatl’s Empire looks like your typical Aztec-themed online slot. At second glance, it still does (why are there so many Aztec slots?). But the new game, launched on Wednesday by Spinberry, has a bonus feature that differs from most and that might divide the player base.
there aren’t even wild symbols
The game is a 6×5 cascade scatter pay where players need to land at least eight of the same symbol to win. That is the entirety of the base game – there aren’t even wild symbols.
The rest of the Itzcoatl’s Empire is centered around the bonus feature, which is triggered differently than the usual options of either a) landing a certain number of scatter symbols, or b) being triggered randomly when hitting a special symbol.
In this game, a miniature version of the reels grid sits to the left of the playing field. If a red gem lands during a spin, it fills in its corresponding spot on the mini grid. Once all 30 spots are covered with gems, the bonus feature is triggered.
In the bonus round, you get ten free spins. They are exactly like the spins in the base game save for two exceptions. First, there are no red gems. And second, every cascade increases a multiplier by one and that multiplier never resets for the duration of the bonus round.
The bonus round can also be triggered through a direct purchase or via a 3×1 mini game requiring you to hit a red gem on every reel.
No tricks, no smoke screens
I said players might be divided on the free spins bonus game, so allow me to explain why. Some online slots players might love it because it is extremely straightforward and hides nothing. Fill in the mini grid and you advance to the bonus feature. No tricks – you know exactly how many red gems you need and in what locations on the reels that you need them.
Some slots games intentionally make it look like you are progressing toward a bonus round when, in fact, it is really just random chance on each spin. I find this aspect of some games very anti-consumer.
But with Itzcoatl’s Empire, everything is out there for you to see. Of course, when and where the red gems land is random, but you have all the information to know how close you are to getting a bonus round.
Feels like bonuses are less frequent
Some players, though, might hate this. Knowledge is power, as they say, but this bonus system also means that you can’t reach the bonus round on every spin. When you only have, say, fourteen red gems on the mini grid, you know that the next spin will not give you a bonus round.
In most slot games with bonus rounds, it is possible to hit it on any given spin. You know you probably won’t, but it’s possible. You might land those three scatter symbols on your next turn. You might get lucky and hit the bonus twice in a row. But in Itzcoatl’s Empire, the only time in the regular game (meaning not using the shortcut methods) that you know the bonus could realistically come on the next spin is when you only need one more red gem to complete the mini grid.
Itzcoatl’s Empire’s basic design and straightforward bonus feature makes it easy for players to decide if they want to try it or move on to a different game.
