Ever since the success of Big Time Gaming’s Megaways payout mechanic increased the maximum number of payways available in online slots to stratospheric levels, other developers have been trying to find their own way to take the stakes even higher. Enter Northern Lights Gaming, whose Ultraways concept has turned out to be one of the most radical developments so far; this latest example, Guardians of the Pyramids, promises an astonishing “60 million plus” maximum pay ways! This results in a maximum win of more than 11,000x the bet and is backed by a respectable 96.06% RTP.
Of course, an online slot cannot survive on the back of a payout mechanic alone, but it is certainly a promising start. There is a “Wild Mummies” modifier that can trigger randomly after any base game spin, a mystery symbol feature, a symbol split feature that is listed separately on the paytable but is effectively part and parcel of the Ultraways system, and of course, the main Guardian free spin bonus round. A bonus buy facility allows you to skip to the free spins if permitted in your jurisdiction.
So, get yourself ready – it’s time for another trip back to Ancient Egypt, this time for a game that may well sport the largest number of pay ways ever offered in an online slot. Our free demo slot of Guardians of the Pyramids Ultraways is available below:
| Provider | Microgaming |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 3 |
| Paylines | 60,000,000 |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.20 - 20 |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 11,000x |
| Bonus Buy | Yes |
| RTP | 96.06% |
| Our Rating | 7.3 |
Guardians Of The Pyramids Slot Casino Bonuses
Guardians Of The Pyramids Slot Free Play
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Guardians Of The Pyramids Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
Ever since the original land-based incarnation of IGT’s Cleopatra, the lands of Ancient Egypt have been one of the most popular themes used to create slot machines. You only need to check the size of the library of Egypt-themed slots here at Demoslot to confirm this, and that is without the older games we may not have reviewed or the vast number of new Egypt-themed games which are being developed and released each year. It seems that, just as with fruit-themed slots, this is a genre that won’t be running out of steam any time soon.
You have to wonder how it is even possible for a developer to mould a paytable around a potential 60 million-plus pay ways, but Northern Lights Gaming has achieved it. That’s not to say that the result is pretty; even the wild symbol will only pay you 1.1x your bet for the maximum possible combination, which is a whopping ten-of-a-kind in this game! There are four “high-paying” symbols listed on the paytable right after the wild, each of which depicts one of the eponymous Guardians of the Pyramids, and whilst the art style used is unique in sporting a somewhat comic book style – something you don’t often see in online slots – the top payouts of between 1.1x and 0.9x for ten-of-a-kind do not set a good first impression. By the time you get to the lowest-paying symbols, you will only win half of your bet back for lining up ten-of-a-kind – something that barely ever happens anyway. I guess all of this is inevitable in a game that can divide its playfield into upwards of 60 million positions, and the truth is that the numbers shown on the paytable are just about meaningless when you have a payout mechanic that works in this way.
The betting range is relatively small for a major release, starting with a minimum bet of €0.20 per round and topping out at a maximum of €20.00. Whilst this is a smaller range than many other games offer, I still feel these bounds should cater for most players – I certainly don’t know anybody that regularly plays outside of this range.
Base Game & Modifiers
Perhaps you are wondering how a game can include 60 million or more payways? It’s a valid question; the Megaways slots achieved their maximum of 117,649 pay ways by allowing each reel to divide into up to seven segments, so how have Northern Lights accommodated even more ways into their Ultraways system?
Like many online slots, Ultraways games have five main reels of three rows each, but unlike other games, each of the resulting 15 positions can divide into up to four sub-positions, potentially allowing for up to ten-of-a-kind symbol combinations on up to six rows. This is how we reach the insane maximum number of payways and is why the numbers on the paytable are forced to be so much smaller than what you may see on other games.
Super Symbol Splitting
The number of Ultraways on each spin is not just determined by the arrangement that falls on the screen initially – symbols can also begin to split at the end of a spin, with singles dividing into doubles or doubles dividing into quads, increasing the number of ways to win.
The super symbol split feature can occur during both the base game and the guardian free spins, so there really is no way of knowing just how profitable a spin will be until the positions have finished dividing.
Wild Mummies Modifier
Most modifiers will kick in at the beginning of a spin, and whilst there is functionally no difference between those mods and this one, I quite enjoy the fact that you do not know this feature will trigger until a spin has seemingly already been completed!
Wild Mummies will be added to the playfield in random positions and can appear in either single, double, or quad configurations. A quad configuration is the most beneficial, as it will increase the current number of Ultraways.
Mystery Scarab
This is just a typical mystery symbol feature. However, it is still quite exciting if you have a large number of quad mystery symbols on the reels and are waiting for them to reveal which paytable symbol they will transform into!
Guardians Of The Pyramids Slot Bonus Features
Landing three or more pyramid scatter symbols anywhere on the reels will trigger five “Guardian Free Spins”. Want to know more about this bonus feature? Well then, it’s a good job I’ve explained it below, my fellow slot fans.
Free Spins Feature
During this mode, up to a 10x multiplier will be applied to the value of all winning combinations. This is made all the more valuable because every spin is a guaranteed win, too, and the feature can even be re-triggered with additional sets of five free spins by hitting three or more scatters whilst the free spins are active.
Despite all of these advantages, the feature can still end up being quite disappointing, as 10x a 1.1x bet paytable win still isn’t all that exciting – you need to win on a large number of payways simultaneously to score anything truly impressive. I had a few good wins while testing this game, but I couldn’t help feeling a little underwhelmed overall.
Bonus Buy
At the cost of just 49x the current stake, the bonus buy facility available in Guardians of the Pyramids seems like a real bargain. Keep in mind that you only receive five free spins by default.
Guardians Of The Pyramids Slot Review Final Thoughts
It’s great to see slot developers continuing to innovate, but I think that Guardians of the Pyramids demonstrates that more isn’t always better when it comes to payways. Megaways slots were already pushing it with over 100,000 pay ways, and the number offered here is quite simply ludicrous.
This is still a fun game, however, and I have enjoyed some previous Ultraways slots even more than this one, but I am starting to feel as if my love of older, ten-line slots is coming back with a vengeance the more I experience games such as this one. Give Guardians a try and see how you feel – perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did.
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