Casino Bonuses
| Provider | Pragmatic Play |
| Reels | 6 |
| Rows | 5 |
| Paylines | Scatter Pays |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.20 - 100 |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 10,000x |
| Bonus Buy | Yes |
| RTP | 96.40% |
| Our Rating | 8.1 |
Latest Slots
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Game Overview
Fans of Pragmatic Play are probably familiar with their Gates of Olympus online slot, one of the studio’s most successful games. Perhaps the developer isn’t doing quite as well this year, despite many high-quality releases, as their new game Sword of Ares looks very much like a minimally tweaked update to Gates of Olympus. Sword of Ares does away with the traditional payout mechanics of pay lines and payways, opting to treat all symbols as scatters instead. The largest payouts are reserved for spins with 12 or more matching symbols in view, whilst the RTP is an above average of 96.40%. The winnings cap of 10,000x your bet does feel a little bit low for a high volatility game in today’s market but is still far more than I have managed to win this year on any game, so it probably isn’t a huge issue!
Rolling reels, cascading reels, or – in this case – tumbling reels are all terms used by different developers to describe the same thing. These games remove winning combinations from the reels immediately after they land, creating space that can then be filled with new symbols, allowing you to win several times from each spin. Sword of Ares adds to this mechanic by introducing a multiplier feature that increases in value depending on the number of winning symbols removed from the reels in that spin. This single gimmick is enough to make this game work, with three multipliers available during the base game and six enabled whilst the free spin bonus round is in play.
This is another high-quality slot, just as we have come to expect from Pragmatic Play by now – why not try our free demo slot of Sword of Ares for yourself? It’s available to play below:
Sword Of Ares Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
If you aren’t quite sure who Ares is or was, then you may be curious to read this Wikipedia page that talks about Ares’s place in Greek mythology as the god of war and courage. I’ve seen Ares’s name so many times during the last couple of decades but never taken the time to look him up to find out anything about him. I suspect that many people would know little about Thor, Loki, and the ASGard if it wasn’t for Marvel’s film franchise – perhaps Ares will get his own superhero film franchise at some point? I certainly wouldn’t rule it out!
Looking at the paytable for Sword of Ares, everything feels suspiciously familiar – this definitely is a clone of Gates of Olympus for the most part, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on whether you have already played that game to death or not in the past! The highest-paying symbol on the table is a Roman soldier’s helmet, paying 20x your bet for the maximum winning combination of 12-30 matching symbols. All the symbols in this game seem to be based on Roman artefacts, with the second-placed position going to a horse-pulled cart which will pay you 10x for 12 or more in view simultaneously. A shield is next, paying 7.5x for the maximum combination of those, and, curiously, the sword is the lowest paying of the picture symbols with a return of 5x your bet for every set of 12-30 matching symbols appearing on screen.
Pragmatic Play has become quite predictable regarding the wagering options in their slots, with €100.00 becoming something of a standard as far as the maximum wager in their games goes. The minimum bet in Sword of Ares is set at a sensible €0.20, which results in a wide enough range of wagers for every player.
Base Game & Modifiers
The base game takes place on a huge 6×5 playfield, creating 30 possible positions on which symbols can land. With just four picture symbols and four royals, the maximum combination of 12-30 matching symbols always feels tantalisingly within reach, but in practice, these maximum hits do not occur often.
You will also see three multiplier slots positioned above the reels; these slots will unlock after 20, 50, or 100 symbols have exploded as part of winning combinations from a single spin, but the exact amount of the multiplier they contain can vary between spins, as explained below.
Multiplier Collection Feature
During the base game, the three multiplier slots at the top of the screen can contain multipliers of 2x-4x, 5x-8x, or 9x-15x, respectively. Once you unlock the necessary number of symbols, these multipliers become available, and your winnings from that round will be multiplied by the largest number currently unlocked. During the bonus round, the number of multiplier slots increases from three to six.
Bomb Symbols
There are four different bomb symbols which each have a different pattern that is applied to the layout when they explode. Bomb symbols will stay dormant on the reels until no more winning combinations or tumbles are left. All visible bomb symbols will simultaneously explode at that point, potentially creating further winning combinations and tumbles.
Sword Of Ares Slot Bonus Features
The base game of Sword of Ares is relatively simple, as we have just explained, but despite this, the single free spin bonus round feels like plenty to keep you entertained. Some slots cram in as many features as the developer can think of, which can make for a very exciting and entertaining slot, but the downside is that the available RTP has to be divided between all of these different features.
Free Spins
During this mode, the number of multiplier slots displayed above the reels will increase from three to six, with the following rules:
- Slot One – 2x, 3x, or 4x, unlocks after 15 exploded winning symbols.
- Slot Two – 5x, 6x, 7x, or 8x, unlocks after 27 exploded winning symbols.
- Slot Three – 9x – 15x, unlocks after 39 exploded winning symbols.
- Slot Four – 16x, 17x, 18x, 19x, 20x, 22x, or 25x, unlocks at 55 symbols.
- Slot Five – 26x, 28x, 30x, 32x, 35x, 40x, or 50x, unlocks at 85 symbols.
- Slot Six – 500x, unlocks after 235 exploded winning symbols.
The bonus round cannot be retriggered, and the multiplier slots will reset at the end of each free spin. I never managed to unlock slots four and above during my game testing, and I suspect you would need a near-miracle to get anywhere near the 235 symbols required to unlock the 500x multiplier. Nevertheless, I am sure many players will be willing to take on the challenge of getting there someday!
Bonus Buy
If permitted within your jurisdiction, you can purchase a free spin feature for a cost of 100x the regular price per spin. The number of scatters that will land is determined randomly, as in the base game, but this only affects the size of the cash payout that accompanies the feature – every bonus round always starts at 15 free spins.
Sword Of Ares Slot Review Final Thoughts
There may not be much new here, and some will accuse Pragmatic Play of lazily repurposing one of their most popular games to make a quick buck. There may be some truth to those claims, but you can’t deny that Sword of Ares is a great fun online slot with bags of big win potential – and isn’t that what it’s all about?
- Game Types:
- Bonus Buy Slots
Author Bio
Not made an account yet? Register here to join the conversation.
Log in to share your thoughts