John Hunter & the Aztec Treasure

Intrepid adventure games are really taking off in popularity with the likes of Gonzo's Quest and Jungle Jim both really capturing the imagination of slots fans around the world. It's therefore not surprising that other companies are seeking to produce their own 'Indiana Jones' styled slot and for Pragmatic Play, this comes in the form of the new John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot.

Now we have come across John Hunter before in another Pragmatic Play slot, John Hunter and the Secrets of Da Vinci's Treasure, so this is his second outing for the company and this time he is off to central America, where he will be investigating the lost treasures of the famous and fearsome Aztec civilization.

The set up of this slot is slightly different to usual. We have the same five reels, but there are up to six symbols on each, I say up to six because symbols come in a range of sizes, single symbols, doubles and trebles. There are also no pay lines in play as you can win up to 7,776 ways across the reels, which is good news for fans of the all-ways wins slots.

So does this new look for a slot game translate into a game that players will enjoy, especially with mid to high variance in play? We decided to take a closer look to find out.

Overview

• Game: John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure
• Developer: Pragmatic Play
• Reels: 5x6 reels
• Pay Lines: Up to 7776 Ways to Win
• Minimum Bet: 0.20
• Maximum Bet: 100.00
• Jackpot: 9,000
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: No
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Medium to High

Where can I play the John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot?

If you want to try your hand at this game, or indeed any of the other slot games currently available from Pragmatic Play, such as the Monkey Warrior slot, then the place to head to enjoy these games and a fabulous starter bonus when you sign up, is Spartan Slots Casino.

All you need to do to receive your first bonus is register your details with the casino. For this you will receive 25 Free Spins, no deposit required, which you can then use to trial one or more of the different slot games on the site. You can then call a halt to your gaming if you so wish, but if you want to carry on playing, then you can qualify for another bonus when you make your first deposit.

That bonus is a 200% Matched Deposit Bonus, which means that when you make your first deposit of anything up to $1,000, the casino will match your deposit with a bonus worth twice as much. So if you deposit the maximum $1,000, you would earn a $2,000 deposit bonus. All of which you can use when you play on site.

With so many great games to play and a good selection of other bonuses available to customers throughout their membership of the site, it is easy to see why Spartan Slots remains a top choice for so many slots fans.

Presentation

The presentation of the John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot is surprisingly basic. The main controls of the slot are all located at the foot of the reel and there is a fast spin option available for those that want to play through their spins quickly.

The soundtrack to the slot is a mystical and mysterious sounding tune which plays in the backdrop, although you get other snippets of music and sound effects when you spin the reels. There's no real visible backdrop to the slot other than the reels which are decorated in a dark green color and the only embellishment is the gold framing around the reels.

This does give the slot a somewhat sparse look to be honest and it isn't as eye-catching or inviting as some of the other slot games we have seen recently. But does that also translate to the symbols used on the reels?

What's on the reels?

There are a total of ten symbols on the reels and the first four of these are the playing card symbols which are the lowest value symbols in the game. What you will notice in the game is that the win value per line is much less than other slots, five of the lowest value symbols (the jack or queen) for example pay you less than half of your total bet.

There are four mid-range symbols which include a flaming torch, the adventurers hat and bull whip, a toucan and a snake and these offer slightly higher value wins but again, even the highest value win is just a third more than your total bet.

The two highest value standard symbols are the blank panther and John Hunter himself, who offers wins of up to 4x your total bet.

There are two other symbols in the game, the bonus (Scatter) symbol and the Wild which both link in with the games two big bonus features.

Wild features

The Wild symbol is the Aztec golden artifact which I presume to be some kind of dragon or lion. The Wild only appears on the middle three reels but it can be single, double or treble in size and of course, the more you land on the reels on a single spin then the more chance it has of triggering you multiple pay line wins, which are the secret to landing the bigger value wins on this slot game.

Free Spins features

The Scatter or bonus symbol is the key to the Free Spins bonus in the game. It appears on all five reels and it will award you the Free Spins bonus round should you land three or more of the Bonus symbols across the reels on a single spin.

The amount of Free Spins you can win in the bonus round is decided at random, though the more Scatters you trigger the bonus with then the more chance you have of a greater number of Free Spins. Land three Scatters and you can win between 5 and 25 Free Spins, land 4 and it is between 10 and 25 Free Spins and land all five and it is between 15 and 25 Free Spins.

During your Free Spins an additional feature is the random selection of a multiplier value. This happens on every spin and the multiplier value selected can range from 2x up to 10x the standard amount. Any wins during that particular Free Spins are subject to the multiplier landed in that spin too.

You can also trigger additional Free Spins by landing two or more of the bonus or Scatter symbols during the Free Spins bonus. You only need to land two or more in this part of the game to earn up to 15 Free Spins. Like the triggering bonus, the more Scatters landed, the higher the chances are of you landing more free spins, where between 3 and 15 additional spins are available.

Other bonus features

Other than the Wild and Free Spins bonuses outlined above, there are no additional features on the John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot game.

Best feature of the John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot

This is an unusual slot, with an above average number of symbols on each reel and a massive number of ways to win across the reels too. It is a higher volatility slot as a result but I also feel that it offers decent game play and Pragmatic Play will be happy with the balance the slot has. I feel it has excellent risk and reward, you never feel you are too far away from a big win and though you can go a few spins without a win, you do tend to hit a more sizeable win to make up for it. I feel this balance of the slot is its strongest asset, perhaps more so than even its special features.

What does the John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot lack?

The only addition I would have liked to have seen added to the slot game would have been a randomly triggered base game bonus as I think it can be somewhat repetitive at times to keep spinning the reels in the hope of trigger the Free Spins bonus. Even if the bonus had been a lower value one, or perhaps even just a random award of a multiplier on a random win, it would have made the base game a little more exciting. It would have been nice to bring in the adventure theme in this bonus too as there is not a lot about that in the actual slot itself.

Conclusion

Despite not being the best looking of Pragmatic Play slots, the John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot does have plenty going for it. The base game is beautifully balanced and there is a nice risk and reward feel to the game that makes it eminently playable. The main bonus can take a little patience to unlock, but when you do it can be very rewarding and you do feel like your efforts are duly rewarded most of the time. I don't think this is the best Pragmatic Play slot they have released over the years, but it is also by no means one of their poorest. It is a solid, enjoyable, higher variance game.

Ratings

• Presentation: 13 / 20 - It has to be said that the John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot isn't the most eye-catching game. Indeed, without any real backdrop to the slot and only very limited links with the theme of the game through the symbols, you could be playing any slot on any game. The soundtrack is decent though and the symbols are nicely done, however Pragmatic didn't really do an awful lot with the theme of the game which is a little disappointing as this is something they usually excel at.
• Game-play: 16 / 20 - Although the John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot feature many more symbols in play on each spin than usual, and a far greater number of ways to win than most slots, the good news is that despite its high variance, you don't feel like you are ever too far away from a win. This makes the slot very playable. The fact that symbols are a mix of sizes (one, two or three high on a reel) also makes landing multiple wins across the reel on multiple lines possible (and the best way to land better value wins).
• Bonus Features: 14 / 20 - Essentially, what you have here are a very simple couple of bonuses. You have a Wild symbol which appears on the middle three reels alone and then on top of that you have a Free Spins bonus, which is given added excitement by the random multiplier generated on each Free Spin. This does give the Free Spins bonus an added edge, as does being able to earn extra spins by landing more Scatters in the bonus section of the slot.
• Entertainment Factor: 15 / 20 - The lovely balance that the base game has between non winning and winning spins, their relative value and then the bonus features means that this is a very enjoyable slot to play, especially if you are a fan of those higher variance slots where you can land some sizeable wins. Of course, this is a game that can play tight at times and you need to be aware of that, but usually you will find in the course of a session you land a win that makes you feel like you have been justly rewarded for your efforts.
• Play Value: 13 / 20 - As a mid to high variance slot, I don't feel that the John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure slot is anywhere near as punitive to players as some other games. I found that wins tended to come along at relatively short intervals, although many were small value wins, they are punctuated by larger wins which do help improve the bank roll. As higher variance games go, this one wasn't too draining on the resources.
• Overall 71 / 100 - John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure is a very decent slot game. Its unusual set up and many different ways to win may make it sound complex but the way the game has been designed makes it as simple to play as any other slots. The bonuses are a tad generic and uninspired and the presentation not that great, but the mechanics of the slot are sound and make for a very entertaining session or two.

Good Luck!

Next Offer: Naughty or Nice Spring Break