Rise of Poseidon

Poseidon was one of the original 12 Olympians of Greek Mythology and he us best known as being god of the sea, although he was also the god of earthquakes, soil, storms and horses too.

While Poseidon was viewed as the protector of seafarers, he also had a bit of a temper on him and if you upset him, as Odysseus did by blinding Poseidon's son Cyclops, he could invoke fierce storms and furious seas at will.

Clearly Poseidon was a god not to be trifled with (as indeed pretty much all of the Greek Gods were). He was the brother of Zeus, Hades, Demeter, Hestia, Hera and Chiron and is perhaps best known for carrying a trident as his choice of weapon.

Given his colorful story line, it is perhaps surprising that more slots haven't been based on Poseidon as he's certainly one of the more interesting of all the Greek Gods but Rival Gaming have done precisely that in their Rise of Poseidon slot, one of their most popular slots in terms of spins played each month.

So how does this 5-reel, 30 selectable lines slot play out? Is this Poseidon a real adventure to play or will it sink without a trace below the waves? Let's take a closer look and find out.

Overview

• Game: Rise of Poseidon
• Developer: Rival Gaming
• Reels: 5
• Pay Lines: 30 lines (selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.01
• Maximum Bet: 75.00
• Jackpot: 10,000
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: No
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Low to Medium

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Presentation

I think the presentation of the Rise of Poseidon slot is one of its strongest features. I like the short introductory animation to introduce the game as it gives you an idea of the gods power, while the way the game backdrop changes from calm to stormy when you land Free Spins is very nicely done too. The backdrop is static though, which is a little dull and I would have liked to see the sea animated. The reels look simplistic and cartoon-style but I think it works pretty well with the slot, although the graphics are not likely to win any awards.

One final positive is the musical backdrop which is very dramatic and is a very enjoyable part of the slot. This is one game that definitely benefits from being played with the sound turned on and the volume up.

What's on the reels?

Somewhat incredibly, there are a total of 16 symbols you can land on the reels in the base game and Free Spins. This is a large number of symbols and it does make the game seem to be more difficult to win on than it actually is when you play it.

The lowest value symbols are the playing card symbols, which range from nine through to the ace and these offer a range of wins from 4 coins up to 100 coins.

The medium value symbols are all to do with the sea and you will find a turtle, an octopus, a boat and a seahorse, and you can win between 12 coins and 500 coins for landing these symbols in various numbers on the reels.

The highest value symbols are Poseidon's queen, a dolphin and lastly a rather fearsome shark, which offers the standard base game jackpot of 1,250 coins. Wins with these higher value symbols start at 30 coins, however the jackpot is not the biggest win possible in the game.

The other three symbols in the game are to do with the Wilds and Scatter symbols and we'll learn more about these in the sections below.

Wild features

The main Wild feature is Poseidon himself and he appears on any of the reels. When he does he can substitute for any of the standard symbols in the game listed above and when he is used as part of a winning line, he will pay a 2x multiplier on any win.

In addition, if you can land two or more Wilds across the reels, then you can trigger pays of between 10 coins and the maximum game pay out of 10,000 coins for five of the Poseidon Wild symbols on a single line.

The Wild turns into an Expanding Wild when the Free Spins round is triggered as we will explore below.

Free Spins features

The trident symbol is the Scatter in the Rise of Poseidon slot and this can be landed on any reel and you need to land three or more of these across the reels in order to trigger Free Spins. Three Scatters earns you 9 Free Spins, four earns you 18 and if you land all five then you win the maximum 36 Free Spins.

Free Spins can be re-triggered within the bonus round by landing three or more scatters once again and the good news is that when you trigger Free Spins, the Wild will also turn into an Expanding Wild on the first three reels, covering the reels and allowing you a chance of more wins, all of which will come with a 2x multiplier.

A final finishing touch is that when you land Free Spins, the backdrop of the slot turns from a calm, summers day on the sea, into a raging storm and this does ramp up the drama of the game nicely.

Other bonus features

Other than the features listed above, the Rise of Poseidon slot does not have any additional bonus features as part of the game.

Best feature of the Rise of Poseidon slot

I like the fact that the Free Spins bonus can see you win up to 36 Free Spins and that can re-trigger from within the bonus game. The Wilds also play a key role in the slot with the standard 2x Multiplier Wild playing a big role in the base game, while in Free Spins this turns into an Expanding Wild which allows for even greater wins. I also like the little cut scenes at the start of the game and how the weather conditions change from calm to stormy when you land the Free Spins bonus.

What does the Rise of Poseidon slot lack?

I like how Rival Gaming have used the bonus features of the Rise of Poseidon slot, but I would have liked to have seen a couple more features in the game. Perhaps one linked directly to Poseidon where he could turn one or more of the reels Wild in the base game, or perhaps a different randomly triggered base game option. I think either of those features would have given the base game more variability in play, which is important given how long it can take to land the Free Spins bonus.

Conclusion

Like most slots, the Rise of Poseidon slot from Rival Gaming has its plus points (a very solid Free Spins round, especially if you can land the four or five Scatter trigger, plus those crucial Wild symbols in the base game and the Expanding Wild in Free Spins) but I also feel it has a couple of negatives (too many symbols on the reels being one). That said, the way the game is structured means it is easier to win on than you would expect and I like the way the wins are structure with a nice mix of mainly lower to medium value wins in the base game. However, triggering Free Spins can take time and it is this which is the game's biggest drawback.

Ratings

• Presentation: 14 / 20 - There's a short but entertaining introduction to the slot which gives you a glimpse of the power Poseidon holds and then when the game starts you are presented with a backdrop of an azure blue sea and the five reels. The sea isn't animated, which is a pity but the design is simple but effective. The symbols on the reels too are not the most technically advanced, but the slot itself works nicely. It won't win any awards for presentation but Rise of the Poseidon looks and sounds decent enough when you play.
• Game-play: 13 / 20 - When you start playing the game, after a few spins you will think to yourself that there's a fair few symbols on the reels. That's because there are (including all the bonus symbols) 16 on the reels in total. However, you still win relatively frequently although when playing maximum lines (30), you do tend to find that the majority of wins are generally small and perhaps less than your original bet. However, the frequency of wins is a positive and occasionally you will hit a decent win which will keep you spinning the reels.
• Bonus Features: 14 / 20 - The main bonus feature on the slot is the Free Spins round and this can be somewhat lucrative, especially if you can trigger the 36 Free Spins on offer when you land 5 Scatters across the reel. However, this is rare and you will land 9 Free Spins for three Scatters most often. Triggering Free Spins however can be tricky which is a drawback. The two Wilds are both very important in the base game and Free Spins as they can lead to some of the bigger wins in each part of the game.
• Entertainment Factor: 13 / 20 - Overall, I felt that the Rise of Poseidon slot was a decent medium to low variance slot but I think it lacked a little extra to make it a truly enjoyable game. The main issue was that Free Spins are so difficult to hit at times and it can take many, many spins to land the bonus and when you do, there's no guarantee it will land you a sizeable win. However, there are times when the slot can pay out some nice sums too and when you hit a win on the game, you do feel like your efforts have been duly rewarded.
• Play Value: 14 / 20 - As a lower to medium variance slot you know that you are going to win relatively frequently on the Rise of Poseidon slot, but in truth I didn't find the game pay out as many wins as I would have expected. However what I did find was that there was more likelihood of a medium range win, say 2x to 5x your bet, than simply landing lots of lower value wins and I think this made for a better value for money experience. Certainly, it feels more rewarding for the player when you land one of these better value wins in the base game in particular.
• Overall 68 / 100 - There's lots of nice touches in the Rise of Poseidon game. I like the way the action on screen changes in Free Spins and I like how the pay-outs have been structured in the game as it keeps you playing and maintains your interest in the slot. The sheer number of icons on the reels makes it seem harder to win than it actually is but the Wild symbols, especially the Expanding Wilds in the Free Spins round can lead to some very decent wins. Overall, this is a solid slot, perhaps not one of the very best but one still worthy of playing through a few spins on.

Good Luck!

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