Aztec Bonanza

Get ready for an Aztec Bonanza on the slot from Pragmatic Play. You will be travelling yet again to Mesoamerica to explore the dense jungle and find the hidden temple where untold riches are said to be held. Yes, it is another Aztec themed slot that is joining hundreds of others that can be found in online casino lobbies as well as land-based establishments. Question is whether Pragmatic Play will stand out from the crowd with their creation? An expanding reel set, tumbling reels, mystery symbols, reel modifiers and a free spins round can lead to wins of up to 19,000 times your bet.

Slot Details

Aztec Bonanza is a cascading video slot in a 2-4-6-4-2 format, giving you as default 384 ways to win. It will expand during the gameplay to reach a maximum 5×6 size with 7,776 ways. Wins are awarded for three to five matching symbols on adjacent reels starting from the left. You can venture to Mesoamerica on desktop or mobile from 0.30 to 150 credits per spin. The game has medium volatility (3.5/5) with a factory RTP of 96.53%. Some operators might offer it with secondary RTP settings in the 92.xx to 94.xx% range. Always read the help file to find out which version you will be playing.

Loading the game will take you to a serene opening in the midst of Mesoamerican nature scene with lush greenery and sprawling waterfalls. The ruins of the Aztec temple can be seen in the background while a totem pole flanks the stone encased game window. The pole will play a significant role in triggering various features. The reels are partially covered with stone blocks in each corner that will shatter as you progress through a number of winning tumbles within a spin sequence. A tribal soundtrack together with stone dropping thumbs are the main audio.

We might have seen confusing pay symbol sets but this Pragmatic Play slot takes the proverbial biscuit. Hard to distinguish, you will find a range of gems in a range of shapes, all held on differently coloured stones that are not separated sufficiently. In ascending order they are in following shapes – clubs, hearts, spades, triangles, rectangles, moon crescents, blue oval orbs and green round orbs. The latter three are premiums marked with golden corners and tribal carvings. Pays for a single five of a kind range from 0.33x to 2.5x your bet. A golden totem is the mystery symbol, while no wilds or scatters can be found on the reels.

Aztec Bonanza Slot Features

If you ever play Reel Rush or Reel Rush 2 from Netent, then you might have a good indication of what to expect from this creation. The aim of the game is to score sufficient tumbling wins within a single spin sequence to open up the full grid and trigger the free spins feature. Along the way, you will receive some support from a range of modifiers that will trigger after every second winning tumble.

Not surprisingly, the Tumbling Reels mechanic is at the core of the gameplay that in itself will trigger the Symbol Unlocking feature. At the start of a spin sequence, symbols drop onto the default 2-4-6-4-2 grid and any winners will shatter to let new symbols tumble into place. The process continues as long as new winners land. The reels will reset to the default after a losing tumble. Wins are accumulated and paid in one amount at the end of a spin sequence.

Keep an eye on the Totem Pole to the right as it will gradually illuminate and unlock as you score consecutive winning tumbles within one spin sequence. Every two winning tumbles will see one corner being unlocked in the order – top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right. At the same time, the number of ways to win increases accordingly up the full 7,776 ways. Unlocking a corner will fully illuminate one totem mask on the pole and award one modifier that will assist in scoring wins.

• Top Left Corner unlocked: A random number of Mystery symbols is added to the reels, revealing common pay symbol.
• Top Right Corner unlocked: One to three low-value symbols are replaced with the corresponding number of high-value symbols
• Bottom Left Corner Unlocked: Reels one and two are combined. Only big 2×2 symbols will appear on the current and all following tumbles within the same spin sequence
• Bottom Right Corner Unlocked: Reels four and five are combined. Only big 2×2 symbols will appear on the current and all following tumbles within the same spin sequence

Unlocking all four corners and illuminating the smiling mask on the top of the totem pole will trigger 5 Free Spins, which cannot be retriggered. The round is played on the full game grid with 7,776 ways and one of the three modifiers – Mystery Symbols, Symbol Transformation, Giant Symbols on reels 1&2 and 4&5  – will be randomly applied on every free spin. The game window will reset to the default once the bonus round concludes.

Final Verdict

Well, that was neither to exhilarating nor totally boring. Aztec Bonanza is a middle-of-the-road slot that warrants a few spins in your next session but it surely will not top the rather large niche for Aztec-themed games. Realistically, the main win potential is in the 250x to 1,000x range with the odd outlier that will deliver in excess of that. The top number of 19,000x bet will be as rare as snow in the Sahara.

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