Soldier of Rome? Slots
To all reel warriors and wannabes, here’s the perfect game to join the Roman legions for a fearless gaming session. Stand proud with the soldiers of Rome as they expand to cover 10 rows on Mighty Reels™ in a unique reel format that can lead to wins of up to 500x the initial bet. The action on the battlefield is heightened with free spins, Mighty Reels™, Money Burst™, and Lightning Spins features. Plus, a Big Bet mode with added extras provides not just a higher RTP, but also the potential for more frequent big wins.
The Roman Empire was at its height at the turn of the 1st century AD, stretching from Britannia to Africa and the Middle East. Fearless legions of soldiers were at the forefront of the countless wars to conquer new countries and satisfy the expansion drive of their emperors. They were professionally trained in war crafts since childhood, and they were equipped with the most modern weapons. Advanced battle strategies gave them a clear advantage on most battlefields to defeat even the most ferocious opponents.
The Roman Reel Battlefield
It was not an easy task for the design team at the Barcrest studios to produce a video slot worthy of those fierce warriors. The result is a unique reel set adopted from their sister company WMS, featuring a game window with 2x2 Money Burst™ reels at the front and a stretched 3x10 window for the back reels. The base game is played on 50 paylines with 50% of the back window behind bars. Activating the Mighty Reels™ or the Big Bet feature will expand the game grid to open all 10 rows with 100 fixed paylines.
A soldier in full armor stands proudly on the left, fielding his sword on Lightning Spins to add super-stacked symbols to the reels. The entire game window is engulfed in flames rising in front of ancient columns and a partial map of the Roman Empire. Barcrest added some distinctive features that are all capable of awarding mega wins. Money Burst™, Lightning Spins, and Mighty Reels™ can be triggered on any spin.
Battlefield Stats and Numbers
Soldier of Rome is a video slot with medium volatility and a variable RTP of 94-98%, depending on the betting strategy used in play. Bet sizes start at 0.50 coins and peak between 100 and 500 coins, based on the operator’s choice. The slot has 10 pay symbols. At the low end, they are clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds. The medium-paying level has a set of words and a helmet, the Roman SPQR emblem, a coin and a chariot. The top-paying symbols are a Roman nobleman and a noblewoman.
Scatters assume the form of an intricate tile with a Roman soldier and the slot logo. They appear in several color variations on the front and back reels, as well as in the base game and during free spins. Pays for a single five of a kind in standard play range from 1x to 5x your bet, while in Big Bet mode they are lower at 0.4x to 2x bet. A minimum of three symbols from the left are needed on a payline to score a win.
Mighty They Stand
The centurion is the wild symbol and it appears in 2-row stacks. In the standard base game, it will expand to open up all 10 reels, when it appears in full view on a reel. During free spins and the Big Bet features, landing in partial view is sufficient to trigger the expansion.
Lightning Strikes Three Times
Hitting four matching symbols or symbols in combination with wild symbols on the front two Money Burst™ reels will trigger one Lightning Spin. The game window expands to the full 10 rows before lightning strikes each of the three back reels, adding super-stacks of the same symbol. This is the very moment when the game can produce full screens to award the maximum win on a single spin.
Battle of the Free Spins
Three to six scatters will award up to 25 free spins, which can be indefinitely retriggered. During the bonus round, a partial wild soldier symbol landing on the reels will expand to open up the Mighty Reels™ with 100 paylines. A different reel set with added high-value symbols is in play during the free spins, providing more potential for mega wins.
The Big Bet Battle
The Big Bet feature is a common appearance on Barcrest slots. Players can take a higher risk by paying a fixed amount for five consecutive spins. During the feature, the RTP is increased to the top limit of 98%. Wins are accumulated and paid at the end of the last spin.
The 20-coin option is played on 50 paylines. The wild symbol will expand when it lands in partial and full view, opening the Mighty Reels™ to the maximum size of 10 rows. The 30-coin option includes the extras from the 20-coin option, and all low-value symbols are removed. Big wins will happen more frequently with only high-value symbols on the reels. The 50-coin option includes the extras from the first two options, plus the Mighty Reels™ are active throughout the five spins. Overall, this is the best chance to hit free spins or mega wins.
Other Mighty Reels
My first memory of giant reels goes back to the release of the Bruce Lee and Zeus 1000 slots from WMS, part of the Scientific Games group which also includes Barcrest. Try Hercules High and Mighty, the first slot in its range using the same game engine.
The Mighty Verdict
Defeat or victory? One can easily say the latter, as the legions of Roman soldiers were highly combative battle units. However, are they capable of repeating that on the reels on this Barcrest slot? I would opt for a draw. The slot is well made, graphics and animations are crisp, while the game engine and features provide suspenseful play sessions.
However, the win potential is not really worthy of those ferocious fighters. At only 500x the stake on a single spin, it won’t be a big reward for all the bravery of the soldiers of Rome. Still, the medium volatility should ensure that medium to big wins happen rather frequently.
