Ogre Empire

Do you remember the famous Shrek film franchise, which starred Mike Myers as the eponymous hero and which proved a smash hit success across cinemas worldwide? That film brought to the wider world a rather grumpy, but likeable ogre and since then, ogres have enjoyed a markedly better press!

That's unusual as for many years, ogres were large, grumpy, nasty and ill-tempered creatures that were prone to bouts of aggression for little or no reason at all. Well the ogre in the new Betsoft slot Ogre Empire is definitely more of the latter than the former, as he has a bit of a temper on him, so much so that during the day the villagers stay locked in their homes, well out of his way.

At night though, the ogre sleeps and villagers will enjoy their life as much as they can. This provides the premise for this exciting new slot which features two different game modes, each with its own bonus features, as well as a gamble feature for any base game wins.

So how does the new Ogre Empire slot look? Let's take a closer look and find out.

Overview

• Game: Ogre Empire
• Developer: Betsoft
• Reels: 5
• Pay Lines: 25 (non selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.25
• Maximum Bet: 25.00
• Jackpot: 400 coins
• Free Spins Bonus: No
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Medium

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Presentation

The presentation of the Ogre Empire slot is superb in both modes. The backdrop to the slot is the poor village being terrorized by the large ogre, who stands tall to the left of the reels in among the wooden houses. In the Day Mode, the ogre is awake and the villagers remain hidden to avoid his temper.

At night mode, the screen changes to a darker setting and the ogre falls asleep and the lights in the houses come on as the villagers enjoy life while the ogre sleeps. It's a simple change but the different in presentation is marked and it looks excellent when you play the game.

The reels are nicely animated and the soundtrack that accompanies the game takes you back to the fairy tale movies involving ogres that were popular a few years back. All in all, this is a slot that looks as classy as it plays.

What's on the reels?

In both modes, there are a number of symbols that are the same on the reels. These are mainly the lower value symbols and include the four 'stone' symbols, which are the playing card low symbols from the Jack through to the Ace and these offer wins of up to 3x your total bet.

Slightly higher value symbols include the Mushroom, the ogre's club and the pile of gold coins which offer wins of up to 8x your total bet.

Alongside these symbols are the three higher value symbols, which are the pot of jewels, the ogre himself and a large blue diamond. These offer wins of up to 16x your total bet in the base game.

However, when the game mode turns from Day Mode to Night Mode, three additional symbols are added to the reels, the Joker (who acts as a 2x multiplier Wild and appears on the middle three reels only) and the King and Queen which are the two highest paying symbols in the game offering wins of up to 40x your bet.

Wild features

There are a number of Wild features in the Ogre Empire slot. The most common Wild triggered is the standard Wild on the reels which is used simply as a substitute for other symbols on the reels and can help you land bigger value wins, however it can only substitute for these standard symbols.

There are a couple of other Wild features and these are based on a flower that appears in the Day Mode and a different but similar flower that appears in Night Mode. In Day Mode, the pink Sun Bloom Wild Flower appears on the reels and when it is landed on the screen it can grow on the reel it is on turning up to three additional symbols Wild.

In the Night Mode, the Night Bloom Wild Flower glows in the dark and instead of expanding on the single reel, it can expand anywhere across the reels turning up to three more symbols Wild anywhere on the reels, which can lead to some big value wins.

During the Night Mode, there is also an additional Wild symbol on the middle reels in the form of the Joker, but we will explore more of what that symbol does later in the review.

Free Spins features

The Ogre Empire slot does not have a dedicated Free Spins feature, instead, it has bonuses available depending on which of the two game modes you are playing, Day Mode or Night Mode.

The game starts by default in Day Mode and it will change when you land the 3-symbol high Night Mode symbol (which is the moon shining over the village) on the third reel in full. This then turns the slot into Night Mode and introduces a couple of unique symbols on the reel, alongside the more standard symbols, plus different bonus features are available.

Night mode continues until you land the Day Mode symbol, which is a bright sun shining over the village, in full across all three spaces on the middle reel.

Other bonus features

There are several bonus features on the slot and let's begin with the two game modes. When the Sun rises on the third reel, you enter Day Mode and you receive a 4x your stake bonus when landing this symbol in full.

When the Moon rises on the third reel and fills the reel in full, you enter Night Mode which pays you 6x your total stake and allows the townspeople out while the ogre sleeps and also gives you a shot at different bonus features.

The main bonus in the Day Mode is the Daytime Ogre Smash bonus, which is a randomly triggered bonus where the Ogre will get into a rage and pick up his club and smash the reels. All the lower value stone symbols on the reels will be crushed and this will allow new symbols to drop down from above to repopulate the reels and giving you the chance at landing new wins.

In Night Mode, you. Have a trio of new symbols on the reels, the King, Queen and Joker symbols and these offer you the chance of bigger value wins than are available in the Day Mode. The Joker acts as an additional Wild and it appears on the middle three reels, awarding a 2x multiplier on any wins that it is part of.

Finally, there is also a gamble feature which you can use on any standard win in the base game which allows you the chance to try and double your money, however if you guess incorrectly, as with all gamble options, you lose your winnings.

Best feature of the Ogre Empire slot

For me the best feature of the Ogre Empire slot is the fact that it has two game modes that is triggered from within the game itself. Each mode has a few different symbols to the other mode and the bonuses available in each are also very different, although in truth, neither mode tends to pay out higher than the other. On some sessions, night mode has paid out more for me, on others day mode has been the better. These modes and the associated bonus keep the game fresh and ensure that you will keep coming back to play time and time again.

What does the Ogre Empire slot lack?

The obvious thing that the Ogre Empire slot lacks is a Free Spins bonus game and there will be those that perhaps give this game a miss because of that. However, that would be a mistake as this is an excellent slot game and in truth, you don't miss the Free Spins bonus game as there are other bonus features in both game modes, that make up for it. So yes, this slot may lack Free Spins, but in truth, I think if you give it a try, you'll agree with me that it doesn't really matter.

Conclusion

I have to be honest and say that at first, when I heard that the Ogre Empire slot didn't have a Free Spins game, I thought it would lack appeal to players, but having played it, I actually feel the game benefits from the different bonuses available to usual. Of course, some Free Spins fans will pass this game by as a result, but that would be a mistake as in terms of medium variance slot gaming, Ogre Empire is as solid as any other game and the bonuses that are available and the two different game modes, more than make up for the lack of Free Spins.

Ratings

• Presentation: 17 / 20 - The presentation of the Ogre Empire slot is absolutely first class. The graphics are excellent and very nicely realized, fitting in snugly with the cartoon styled theme. The animations are smooth and fun, the reels spin well and the backdrop to the slot in both game modes is very nice too. Add to this a very enjoyable soundtrack that doesn't grate on the nerves anywhere near as much as other games, and you have an excellent slot that will appeal to plenty of player simply by how it looks.
• Game-play: 14 / 20 - I found the game play on the Ogre Empire slot very enjoyable, although my one gripe was the number of lower value wins that pay less than your bet. That aside, you do punctuate these wins with some bigger wins and the fact that the game mode changes as you play, and thus the bonuses available in the game also change, does make for an entertaining game, although I would have liked to see the different game modes triggered a little more quickly than actually happens in the slot.
• Bonus Features: 16 / 20 - I have had to deduct a couple of points for the lack of Free Spins games which is something that is integral to most modern slots, but in truth of all the games I have played without Free Spins, Ogre Empire is the one which I didn't really miss them on. The different bonus features in the two game modes are radically different and make playing the slot interesting and exciting. These bonus games have been well crafted and put together very nicely with the base game to produce a very enjoyable game, although some of the rewards you get are not the biggest at times.
• Entertainment Factor: 15 / 20 - Ogre's have made a comeback since the hit film series Shrek and it is clear that this is where Betsoft have taken their inspiration for the slot from and the Ogre even bears a slight resemblance to the famous ogre from the film. A lack of Free Spins will dent this slots appeal to some but the different bonus features available in the two game modes mean that the slot does have long term appeal and it is fun checking them out in a base game that pays out a nice mix of wins.
• Play Value: 11 / 20 - As a medium variance slot, Ogre Empire offers a nice mix of wins, although it has to be said that the majority of wins are often smaller than your initial bet, however you will occasionally get a better value win, usually when one of the bonus features in the two different game modes triggers. Play for long enough and you should get a nice balance of wins, although if you budget too much for your budget per spin, you can find that this is one Ogre that eats up all your money. Sensible bankroll management and you should get the most from this slot.
• Overall 73 / 100 - There's lots to like about the new Ogre Empire slot and you have to credit Betsoft for taking the initiative and offering a slot which is not only very nicely realized and presented, but which eschews the typical Free Spins bonuses and offers something different and in keeping with the theme of the slot. The two different modes gives the slot longevity, but I think the lack of Free Spins does detract from its appeal as the bonuses that are included in the game don't seem to pay as well as a comparable Free Spins round would. That said, if you want something different to your typical slot, then Ogre Empire is well worth a closer look.

Good Luck!

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