Wild Gladiators

There's been a fair few Roman Gladiator themed slots in the past, including one that was named after the famous Ridley Scott film of the same name that starred Australian Russel Crowe in the title role. However, Pragmatic Play have come up with a rather new idea for their new Wild Gladiators slot.

No this doesn't mean that the Gladiators have been freed to go and live in the countryside somewhere, instead, the Wild refers to the key bonus features on the slot, one of which offers you the chance to win up to 100,000x your coin bet, which is a not inconsiderable sum considering you can bet up to 125.00 per spin (minimum bet of 0.25).

This is also a slot with six reels, the five that are customary on a slot and the sixth is a Multiplier Bonus Reel, which offers a chance to increase any win in the base game or Free Spins as well as a shot at unlocking the Super Wild feature, which is how you can land that massive jackpot prize, if you are lucky.

So will this particular Wild Gladiator be battling hard to attract customers? Will it receive the thumbs up or the thumbs down? Let's take a closer look and find out.

Overview

• Game: Wild Gladiators
• Developer: Pragmatic Play
• Reels: 5x3 plus Win Multiplier Reel
• Pay Lines: 25 (non-selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.25
• Maximum Bet: 125.00
• Jackpot: 100,000x
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Medium

Where can I play the Wild Gladiators slot?

If you would love a chance to pit your wits against the new Wild Gladiators slot from Pragmatic Play then there is no doubt that the place you should head is to the appropriately named Spartan Slots, especially when you consider that this slot is also about famous warriors.

As a new customer at Spartan Slots you can sign up with a fantastic value starter bonus. Simply register with the casino, either via its downloadable software or on mobile and when you register you will receive 25 Free Spins, no deposit required, what better way to enjoy some of the games on offer at the casino at no risk to your own cash.

Then if you decide you want to then make a deposit to play more games, then you also receive a fantastic 200% Matched Deposit Bonus on your first deposit. You can deposit up to $1,000 in this bonus and receive up to $2,000 in bonus cash, which you can then play through along with your bonus cash at the casino. This is the standard welcome bonus available for all new Spartan Slots players and it can be yours today.

Presentation

If there is one aspect of the Wild Gladiators slot that I think was a little disappointing then it is the presentation. It's not so much how the reels are set up as that is fine, I just feel the graphics for the symbols look a little dated and look as if the game was first released back in 2004. I'd have liked to have seen some more appropriate symbols on the reels for the lower value wins as the playing card symbols, while easy to recognize, are a little out of place in this Roman-themed slot. The music though is very stirring and does add an excellent atmosphere to the game.

What's on the reels?

There are a total of ten standard symbols on the reels, as well as a couple of other symbols that are linked in with the main bonus features of the slot. The lower value symbols are the playing card lows, which range from the 10 through to the Ace and which offer smaller wins, often just a fraction of your total bet for a three symbol win and with these symbols you need to land five across the reels to either recoup your bet stake, or win slightly more than you wagered.

There are also five higher value symbols and these are the Roman shield, the Chariot, the tiger, the Roman lady and the Roman Emperor. Again you can win up to 8x your total stake with the higher value symbol here but of course, there is the sixth Reel, the Win Multiplier reel, which can have a massive effect on how much you win on any spin (as we will explore when we look at the bonus feature below).

Wild features

The Gladiator symbol is the in game Wild and when landed in the base game it can act either as a standard Wild, replacing for another symbol on the reels (but not the Scatter) but it can also be an Expanding Wild when it lands in the middle of the reel and when it does, it will expand to cover the entire reel, which can result in some sizeable wins.

There is also a Wild feature on the Win Multiplier Reel as we will explore in the Other Bonus Features section below.

Free Spins features

The Free Spins bonus feature on the Wild Gladiators slot is triggered when you land three Scatter symbols, which are the Coliseum symbol, on the first, third and fifth reels on the same spin. When you do, this triggers 10 Free Spins, which are played through as standard spins with the sixth Multiplier Reel also spinning in this bonus feature. You can also re-trigger this bonus feature from within Free Spins which is a nice touch. The wins from this section in the game however can vary tremendously from very small amounts to much larger wins.

Other bonus features

The main bonus feature of the Wild Gladiators slot is the Multiplier Bonus Reel. This is an extra reel that sits to the right of the five main game reels and which spins every time you hit the spin button. On this reel are a number of different multipliers ranging from 1x up to 10x and when you land any win in the base game, the multiplier you land on will be applied to that win.

In addition, on the reel is a Super Wild symbol and when you land this you trigger the Super Wild Bonus, which is a free spin of the reels with an Expanding Wild available to land on each of the five reels. Land this across the reels and a 10x multiplier on the reel and you could win up to 100,000x your line bet, which is the biggest value win in the game.

Best feature of the Wild Gladiators slot

There's no doubt that the best feature on the Wild Gladiators slot is undoubtedly the Multiplier Bonus reel. The fact that this is in play on every spin and gives you access to the very lucrative Super Wild Bonus, which can produce some of the biggest base game wins, alongside multiplier wins of up to 10x the standard, this means that on every spin you feel like you are getting a little bonus alongside the standard game. The Free Spins bonus game is OK, it can produce some big wins and is re-triggerable but it can also only produce a small win too.

What does the Wild Gladiators slot lack?

I think the main thing lacking on the Wild Gladiators slot is that initial 'wow' factor as when the game gets going you realize just how much fun and how potentially lucrative the game can be. It is certainly a case of a slot you need to try for yourself, rather than judging it solely on how it looks as although this does look like an older game, the features it possesses are bang up to date and make the whole slot a really fun and occasionally rewarding game to play.

Conclusion

Wild Gladiators is a rather fun slot that will certainly have you coming back for more time and time again. After initially being somewhat disappointed with how the slot looks, it is very much a case of don't judge a book by its cover as beneath the rather unappealing graphics, lies a hugely entertaining slot which has plenty of bonus features and that Wild Multiplier reel which is a real game changer when it comes to making the base game entertaining. This is a fantastic slot to play and with a range of bets available, it is suitable for lower and higher stakes players equally.

Ratings

• Presentation: 14 / 20 - I was hoping to see something a little more spectacular from Pragmatic Play's Wild Gladiators slot to be honest. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing awful about how the game looks or plays, it's all just rather safe. The music and sound effects are decent enough and the graphics do the job but everything is all rather generic and if you have played any Roman/Gladiator slot before, it all feels a bit too much like the other games. That said, the Multiplier Wheel and its associated bonuses does liven things up a little, but that is more a feature of the slot rather than a major aspect of its presentation.
• Game-play: 15 / 20 - After being slightly underwhelmed by the presentation I didn't hold out too much hope for the game play but in actual fact Wild Gladiators is a fun and enjoyable slot to play. Wins come relatively frequently, as you would expect in a Medium variance slot and the size of the wins can vary greatly, thanks chiefly to the Multiplier Bonus reel. Bigger base game wins come from triggering the Super Wild Bonus and the Free Spins part of the slot is enjoyable although the wins you can land vary in size quite dramatically.
• Bonus Features: 16/ 20 - At first when you think of a game that has a rather bog standard Free Spins bonus round and then a Wild in the game, you'd assume it wasn't packed with innovative new bonuses but the game is livened up considerably by that Multiplier Bonus Reel. It is very satisfying to land a 3x or 4x multiplier on any win and then when you hit the Super Wild Bonus, that can trigger a very sizeable base game win, and this livens the whole game up considerably.
• Entertainment Factor: 16 / 20 - Wild Gladiators is a slot that definitely grows on you the more you play it and as such, I think it has excellent entertainment value. At first glance, it may not look like much but the devil is in the detail and as you start to play and trigger the main bonus features of the slot then things become a lot more interesting. There's no real need for a random base game bonus thanks to the Multiplier Bonus reel and this feature alone makes the game hugely interesting to play.
• Play Value: 13 / 20 - As a medium variance slot, Wild Gladiators is never going to be the cheapest game to play, but that said, lower stakes players won't find anything here that is going to put them off playing the slot. At higher stakes, your losses can be more acute especially when you hit a run of low or non-paying wins but if you persevere then you will often find that you'll get your reward with patience. As such, while this is not the most expensive slot to play, it isn't the cheapest either but it does sit nicely in the middle of the pack.
• Overall 74 / 100 - Pragmatic Play have a history of producing high quality slots and they have done so once again with Wild Gladiators. The main disappointment with the slot is the graphics and animations as I feel much more could have been done, but the actual essence of the game itself is excellent and it is a slot that you will want to keep coming back to play time and time again. Add into that a lovely mix of different value wins, medium variance and the ability to play for small to much larger bets and this is a slot that should have universal appeal. It is a definite thumbs up for the Wild Gladiators from this slots Caesar!

Good Luck!

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