Hell. It's generally considered not the place to be. Regardless of whether your vision of hell is in line with Dante's epic tale, the Christian view of the domain of the devil, or perhaps the Roman version, which saw Pluto take over from Hades as the ruler of the Underworld, in general, it is probably best avoiding a trip down there.
Admittedly, a trip to purgatory may not be everyone's idea of a topic for an online slot game, but that is the task that Microgaming took on when designing the newly released Hot as Hades slot. How can you persuade your loyal customers to take a trip into hell?
Well the answer is far simpler than it initially appears as thanks to some innovative game design and a clever, cartoon-style approach to the theme, Hot as Hades manages to make a trip to hell, even if it is just to play a few spins on the slots, undeniably appealing.
The first thing you'll notice is that the slot takes a similar approach to the subject of the Greek Underworld that the Disney Film Hercules took. Indeed, there are a number of similarities between the two. Hades may not look like James Woods, he's far chunkier, but the flaming hair is very much in evidence.
The slot is a 20 payline slot, where all the paylines are in play. This means you can play from as little as 0.20 per spin, and you can increase your wager right up to the maximum sized bet of 50.00 coins per spin.
This means that Hot as Hades is certainly a slot that the vast majority of slot players can enjoy, though the real high rollers who like to wager more on a spin may find the high bet limit a little too small for their liking.
Another useful feature is the Autoplay feature, which is especially useful if you are busy doing something else but want to get the reels spinning in the meantime.
The slots feature the usual low symbols of the playing cards from 10 through to Ace and it is fair to say that they are somewhat bland characters and not really in keeping with the Greek underworld theme. Yes they are colourful enough, but given the number of times you see them when spinning the reels, a little thought into having symbols that matched the theme a little better would have enhanced the game.
There's not a huge amount to win on the low symbols side of things, with wins starting at 0.05 for the minimum bet amount (0.20) and increasing to 2.00 if you land five aces on a payline.
There are five high symbols on the reels and these offer higher payouts. Hades trusted canine companion, the three-headed dog Cerberus, Medusa, Poseidon, Zeus and finally Hades himself all offer base game payouts from 0.25 up to 10.00 for a 0.20 spin.
What does help the game-play however is that winning on Hot as Hades is a relatively regular occurrence with 20 paylines in action on every spin. Those smaller wins do soon add up and you can find yourself enjoying a relatively lengthy time spinning, picking up smaller wins, but without spending huge amounts of your bankroll.
Another bonus feature which helps increase your return is the Hot as Hades logo. This is the Wild symbol and it can substitute for all high and low symbols on the reel and when it does, it increases the amount won by that payline by 2x.
In practice, the base game plays superbly well and it is a hugely enjoyable game with the regular wins helping you to pass the time quickly. The experience is livened up by some nice touches, which see Hades and Cerberus appear at the side of the reels randomly throughout the game.
The quality of the graphics are exceptional and Hot as Hades does very much have the feel of a 'next-gen' slot, certainly when compared to some of the more traditional style video slots that have been released of late.
However, there's more to Hot as Hades than simply the base game and in many ways, the two additional features, the Quest for the Crystal Helm and the Super Mode are what gives this slot added attraction.
In the first of these bonuses, three, four or five of the Crystal Helm symbols across the reels triggers the Quest for the Crystal Helm bonus game. Instead of free spins, what you are now presented with is a cartoon, where you follow Hades on his quest to locate this fabled artifact.
There are several stages to the quest and each sees Hades pick from one of five different objects to reveal either a cash prize, or a block symbol, which will signal the end of the quest. Avoid the block and pick up a cash prize and the cartoon resumes with Hades meeting Medusa, Poseidon and Zeus on his quest. Each of the characters having their own selection game which Hades must pass to progress.
As you progress further in the game, the number of blocks in each round increases until you either complete the quest, or select a block button ending it.
What is immediately recognisable in this section is the quality of the graphics once again, with the cartoon telling the story of the quest beautifully realised and a real treat to watch.
The second feature is Super Mode and this is randomly triggered in the game. When triggered you receive 5 free spins and during the feature, three Wild positions are awarded on the reel and an additional Wild symbol can be awarded with each spin. Each Wild you land on the reels remains in place for the duration of the round giving you the chance to collect a big win.
Given the combination of outstanding graphics, clever animations, beautifully realised characters and a genuine sense of humour evident in the presentation, Hot as Hades takes what could be an awkward theme for a slot game and turns it into a triumph. Marrying all the elements together to create a fun to play slot that is affordable and which rewards the player at the right level to keep them playing.
With a potential game jackpot of 100,000 up for grabs too, Hot as Hades is a game that can reward you with a bigger win, but smaller regular wins are what will keep players playing.
If you haven't tried Hot as Hades yet then it is well worth a look as it is a gem of a game and certainly one of Microgaming's best releases in recent months.
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