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There are only two people I know of that seemed to have an owl in their company at all times. The first is Harry Potter (although as a delivery service, I am not sure Owl mail will really catch on) and the second is the Greek goddess Athena, who was always accompanied by her little owl.
Now experts and philosophers are in some disagreement about why Athena had an owl as a companion. Some claim that it was because she was descended from a goddess that was associated with birds. Others say that this isn't the case and that the owl represents wisdom and their ability to see in the dark hints at Athena's powers.
Others, less romantically, claim that it is simply due to the fact that at the time these legends were being created, the area around Athens was a home to many different species of little owls. So much so that the creature is still the city's patron and of course, Athens is named of the goddess too.
Betsoft have used this story as the basis for their new slot, the Golden Owl of Athena, but I'm at a loss to explain where the golden part of the title comes into it. I can only assume they have taken inspiration from the 1980s film Clash of the Titans, where Athena gifted Perseus a mechanical and enchanted Golden Owl (named Bubo) to aid him on his quests.
Anyway, the slot was released at the end of June in 2018, so let's take a look at how it shapes up.
Overview
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Presentation
The presentation of the Golden Age of Athena slot is a real mix. In terms of the visuals, I was a little disappointed. The backdrop and graphics are not the sharpest or greatest in quality and you do tend to notice that on higher definition screens. However, the soundtrack that accompanies the slot is excellent and when you land some of the features of the game, the animations are smooth too (although the animations that trigger when you land a bigger value win are somewhat generic too). Overall, the presentation is OK, but could have been better and I think with better graphics, it would appeal more to players.
What's on the reels?
There are essentially three tiers of symbols on the reels, Standard, Mid Value and High Value. The Standard Value symbols are the four playing card symbols, Jack, Queen, King and Ace and in truth these only offer small value wins. When playing for just 0.10 per spin then you will only win more than your bet if you land four or more on a line, wins of three symbols pay just half your bet.
The Mid Value symbols are the chalice, the glowing dagger/sword and the helmet and these symbols offer small pays when you land two on a pay line. The good news is that three or more landed will offer you a win of 3x your bet, but you can win considerably more if you can land four or particularly five on a winning line.
The Higher Value symbols are the enchanted Olive Tree, the Acropolis and Athena herself who offers the top prize in the game of 500x your stake. These symbols also pay out smaller wins for two on a line but bigger prizes for more symbols.
There is just one other symbol on the reels and this triggers both the main bonus features of the slot.
Wild features
The Golden Owl symbol is the in game Wild (as well as being the Scatter) and it can be used to substitute for any of the low, mid and higher value symbols to create winning lines. Furthermore, if you land three or more of the owls anywhere across the reels then you can trigger a win of between 2x and 200x your stake.
Free Spins features
The Golden Owl symbol also acts as the in-game Scatter and when you land three, four or five of these symbols across the reels, then you will receive 8, 12 or 20 Free Spins. At the start of the Free Spins feature a special reel is spun and one of the symbols on the reel is selected as your Special Symbol.
This Special Symbol is blessed by Athena and when it appears on the reels it acts as a Wild and can expand to fill the reel to create better value or multiple winning pay lines.
However, you don't have to wait until you spin three or more Scatters to play the Free Spins bonus game as you can elect to use the Buy Feature option. This comes at a price (it's 90.3x your usual stake, so a 0.10 stake means a 9.30 price) but when you elect to play this feature, you receive 20 Free Spins and trigger the bonus immediately.
Other bonus features
The other bonus feature on the Golden Owl of Athena slot is the Gamble feature which can be used on any standard win and allows you the chance to play a simple prediction game to try and double your winnings. This is more beneficial on those lower value base game wins which don't cover the cost of your initial bet.
Best feature of the Golden Owl of Athena slot
Without a shadow of a doubt the best feature of the Golden Owl of Athena slot is the Buy Feature. This feature may come with a very high premium (90.3x times your standard stake) but the ability to access Free Spins whenever you like is superb. Not only that, but when you access the Free Spins bonus in this way, you get the maximum available 20 Free Spins, whereas if you trigger the bonus in the base game, you are likely to land much less. This is a brilliant option to have on any slot and it lifts this game hugely.
What does the Golden Owl of Athena slot lack?
For me, I think the Golden Owl of Athena slot lacks a couple of things. Firstly, the graphics are a little dated. Nowadays, you can tell when a slot was made in the late 1990s or early 2000s as the graphics look dated, not high-definition and somewhat cartoon style. Newer slots tend to be sharper, more in focus and more realistic, but the Golden Owl of Athena graphics are more from the earlier years of online gaming. Secondly, the base game would have benefited from a randomly triggered bonus element to make that a more attractive way to trigger Free Spins as at the moment, it is just to tempting to hit the Buy Feature.
Conclusion
The Golden Age of Athena is a somewhat quirky slot in many respects. It has superb sound and music but the graphics leave me a little cold and look somewhat dated. The base game itself is very generic, with simply a Wild symbol and a Free Spins game to aim for, but then you have the Buy Feature, something I've not seen on a slot before, which offers you instant access to the Free Spins round. The end result is that this lifts this slot above the norm and makes it hugely fun to play, but be aware that triggering Free Spins does come at a hefty premium (wagering at 0.10 per spin requires you to make a 9.30 bet to trigger Free Spins) so if you can trigger Free Spins within 93 spins in the base game, it works out more cheaply to do it that way.
Ratings
Good Luck!
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