Yggdrasil is a champion of turning a theme used many times before into something completely unique. Inspired by gladiators that used to entertain audiences in the Roman Empire, the developer has created the Champions of Rome slot which lets players buy into free spins, benefit from 3 unique Gladiator Wild features and win big if brave enough to play in Deathmatch free spin mode.
Step into Yggdrasil’s arena where masked champions fight for glory and, very likely, their own lives. The reel area placed within a Roman amphitheatre and flanked by two marble columns offers 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 paylines to win over. The 3 brave Gladiators pay substantial amounts while 3 stone carvings and 4 kinds of coins dish out more modest rewards. At least 3 identical ones need to appear on the same payline, starting with the leftmost reel, for you to win. In case one or more are missing, Wild substitute can take their place.
Players can bet $0.10 to $100 per spin by setting the coin value between $0.005 and $5. They have an option to activate Autoplay and adjust visual and audio settings, display value in coins, use Space bar as a spinning tool, and define criteria for stopping Autoplay sooner than initially planned.
Buy Bonus feature allows one to buy into free spins for a measly cost of 1,000 coins. If you’re not ready to pay the price, you’ll have to wait for at least 3 Free Spin symbols to turn up at the same time. In addition, 3 triggering symbols will pay 20 coins, 4 will add 300 coins to your balance, and 5 will deliver a majestic cash prize of 12,000 coins.
Players are offered to choose their free spins mode and play safe in the Training mode which lets them keep all wins generated by 8 free spins, or pick the Deathmatch mode which requires a win of at least 450 coins to keep the winnings. They can select one of three Deathmatch modes and increase the total multiplier by decreasing the number of spins – 7 spins are combined with a 2x multiplier, 6 spins with a 3x multiplier and 5 spins with a multiplier of 4x. Failing to win the minimum of 450 coins, the player gets a random consolation prize of 40 to 200 coins or 5 Training mode free spins.
When an intimidating character wearing a mask adorned with horns and called the Beast appears, it’s time for the Free Spins Battle. The Beast only shows up on reels 2, 3 and 4 while you’re spinning on the house. One of the three Gladiators will replace all high-paying symbols and throw their weapon at the reels to award Wilds on every spin. Should the weapon hit the Beast, you’ll get an extra spin on the house.
The Gladiator feature is active on every free spin but can also be triggered in the base game by landing 2 Free Spin symbols. One of the three weapons are thrown at the reels to award 4 Wilds – Red Gladiator’s sword adds 2x1 and 1x2 Wilds, Green Gladiator’s mace 2x2 Wilds, andBlue Gladiator’s trident 4 random Wilds.
Champions of Rome will wow you with high-quality graphics, superb animations and a dramatic soundtrack while its RTP sits at 96.4%. The base game delivers pretty meagre wins, even with the help of the Gladiator feature which is triggered often enough, so the only money-making opportunity worth getting excited about is the free spins bonus round. This is also where one can impact volatility by picking between the safe Training mode with a smaller win potential and the risky but potentially highly lucrative Deathmatch mode with a choice of different multiplier-spins combos.
