Gates of Olympus 1000

One of the standout titles in the realm of scatter pays online slots is Pragmatic Play's Gates of Olympus, steeped in the mythology of ancient Greece. Released early in 2021, it not only attracted a devoted following but also inspired a slew of successors, including its fair share of imitators. Among them was Starlight Princess, an anime-themed slot featuring multiplier symbols and scatter wins, starring a cartoon heroine in lieu of a Greek deity. Shortly thereafter came Starlight Princess 1000, essentially the same game but with a higher maximum multiplier and greater potential for wins. Now, Gates of Olympus 1000 has arrived on the scene. Given the history of replication that would make Emperor Cleon I proud, it should come as no surprise to learn that Gates of Olympus 1000 is a clone of Starlight Princess 1000.

Visually, there are some differences, although they are not particularly striking since they have been borrowed directly from the original Gates of Olympus. This means Zeus looms beside the game grid within a columned setting adorned with flaming braziers and other elements. It's a pleasant enough sight, with little to complain about, aside from the fact that Gates of Olympus 1000 feels like vaguely tepid déjà vu.

The game's statistics remain unchanged, featuring a highly volatile math model boasting an RTP of 96.5% under normal betting conditions or when the Ante Bet is activated. Alternatively, the RTP stands at 96.49% when purchasing free spins for the cost of 100 times the bet. The ante bet increases the base bet by 25% to introduce more scatter symbols onto the reels. Base bets range from 20 cents to $/€100 per spin. Initiating the game reveals 30 symbols cascading onto a 6x5 aligned grid matrix, where a win is achieved with at least 8 identical pay symbols on display.

Following a winning combination, symbols are removed from the grid by the tumble feature, allowing new symbols to cascade from above and fill the empty spaces. There are a total of nine regular pay symbols, consisting of five low-value gems of varying shapes and colors, as well as a cup, a ring, an hourglass, and a crown as the high-paying symbols. Landing 8-9 matching scatter symbols yields a payout of 0.25 to 10 times the bet, while a win with 12 or more scatter symbols is worth 2 to 50 times the bet. Wild symbols are not featured in Gates of Olympus 1000 at any point.

Gates of Olympus 1000: Slot Features
Multiplier Symbols
Multiplier symbols appear on all reels during all phases of play, with each symbol randomly assigned a value ranging from x2 to x1,000. At the end of a tumble sequence, the values of any multiplier symbols visible on the grid are aggregated and applied to the total win for that sequence.

Free Spins
Landing 4, 5, or 6 scatter symbols awards a payout of 3x, 5x, or 100x the bet, respectively, along with 15 free spins. During the free spins round, each multiplier symbol that appears and contributes to a winning spin is added to a cumulative total multiplier. This total multiplier remains in effect for the duration of the round, multiplying any subsequent wins accordingly. An additional 5 free spins are awarded whenever at least 3 scatter symbols land during the free spins round.

Reflecting on the genesis of Gates of Olympus 1000 is akin to encountering a piece of code stuck in an infinite loop, without a functional exit strategy. The reason being that Starlight Princess was a clone of Gates of Olympus, which was subsequently followed by Starlight Princess 1000, thereby setting the stage for Gates of Olympus 1000 to emerge as yet another clone. It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario, although it's relatively straightforward to trace the lineage of these slots. Clearly, Gates of Olympus 1000 is a derivative of the Starlight Princess variant, so from a review standpoint, it doesn't offer much in terms of novelty.

The changes are primarily numerical, and somewhat speculative at that. The maximum win potential has increased to 15,000 times the bet compared to the original Gates of Olympus' 5,000 times the bet, owing in part to the introduction of the 1,000 times multiplier. However, one might wonder how frequently this feature will come into play. Based on our observations during continuous bonus buys over a span of 4 hours, the highest single multiplier drop we encountered was x20. Nevertheless, for players seeking the Gates of Olympus experience with higher stakes on the line, Gates of Olympus 1000 delivers precisely what they desire. It boasts appealing visuals, offers smooth scatter wins gameplay, and has the potential to introduce substantial multipliers onto the grid, provided luck is on your side. Mission accomplished?

And thus concludes the review of Gates of Olympus 1000, which unfolded more or less as anticipated at the outset of our session. Our expectations were informed by our experiences with Gates of Olympus, the original iteration, as well as with Starlight Princess 1000, so there were no surprises to be had as Gates

• Title: Gates of Olympus 1000
• Developer: Pragmatic Play
• Reels: 6
• Rows: 5
• Paylines: Scatter Pays
• RTP: 96.50% | 95.51% | 94.50%
• Free Spins Freq: 1 in 448
• Max Win: 15,000x
• Max Win Probability: 1 in 697,350 (freq)
• Volatility: High
• Min/Max Bet: 0.20/125
• Release Date: December 14, 2023