The Ancient Romans were one of the most contradictory cultures for us to try to understand today. The moral and ethical side of their minds produced some of the world’s greatest works of art, literature, and architecture. On the flip side, evidence of extreme violence in amphitheaters from across the ancient world is difficult to fathom in light of our sensibilities. This was just accepted as the norm by most Romans. The similarly perilous slot game Rome: The Golden Age by developer NetEnt transports players into this realm of blood and conflict.
The major action takes place in what amounts to an old version of a corporate boardroom. In other words, a terrace with a marble floor and marble columns that provides an unrivaled vantage point of the bloody mayhem below. The wicked elements of a reel set arranged in a 3-4-5-4-3 formation are discreetly hidden by marble sculptures on all sides. It’s a wonderful scene, but it doesn’t do anything to hint at the massive figures that are to follow.
Players may don their armor and choose from 10 percent to 50 dollars or euros each spin on any gadget. All sorts of numbers are provided, with a default RTP of 96.06% (however it may be changed, so be careful). Hit frequency is 17.50% and volatility is rated as medium/high. You’ll find that the Frame Collection feature helps make up for what could otherwise seem like a significantly cheaper price. The free spins bonus round triggers about once every 195 spins, and the main objective is to amass as high a multiplier as possible before then.
Players use 20 fixed paylines across the irregularly arranged grid to complete winning combinations of 3 or more symbols. The lowest-paying symbols are the 10-A signs; higher-paying symbols include swords, golden helmets, rings, eagles, and tigers. Five of a kind premium wins are only worth 1.2 to 5 times the stake, therefore the value isn’t great. Wilds have their own payout structure, paying out at 5x the wager for a full house while substituting for other symbols to form winning combinations.
Gameplay Features in the Rome: Golden Age Slot
Several of Rome: The Golden Age’s features are fine on their own, but really shine when they complement one another. A Frame Collection system, Multipliers, and Free Games are all part of this.
When artifacts from the Golden Age make an appearance, they are surrounded by a frame. The Rome frame may be activated if, at random, one of the Golden Age symbols changed into a Rome symbol. On the following spin, the location containing the Rome sign will act as a wild, making any nearby spots containing frames also wild. The surrounding places can be turned into wilds up to five times by these new wilds. When wilds are utilized to complete a winning combination, the frames disappear.
Symbols from the Golden Age also have another advantage. The progress indicator above the reels is updated by 1 of 4 possible points whenever one lands. Once 200 points have been accumulated, the Free Spins Multiplier will grow from x1 to x2, x3 to x5, x7 to x10, x12 to x15 to x20 to x30 to x40 to x50 to x75 to x100 to x200 to x300 to x500 to x750 to x1000. This multiplier has no effect during normal gameplay but is used once free games have ended.
Three scatter symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4 activate free games. All framed or active positions on the reels that did not go wild on the triggering spin remain in place throughout the free spins, and their value is randomly determined to be between 0.5 and 50 times the wager.
Any new Rome symbols that appear during free spins are stuck in place while the remaining empty spaces spin independently. Each time a fresh set of symbols lands, the initial three free spins will be awarded again. Unlocked Rome symbols pay off between 0.5 and 50 times their original wager in the end. All the values are added up and then multiplied by the current Free Spins Multiplier. In the original game, it reverts back to x1 to start over. Finally, but most importantly, completing the feature with all symbols filled in doubles their worth.
Slot Verdict in Ancient Rome’s Golden Age
There hasn’t been a game like Rome: The Golden Age released by NetEnt in quite some time. Despite sharing a similar structure with Jumanji, Rome: The Golden Age is an own unique adventure. As opposed to the low-volatility jungle adventure that was the branded slot, Rome: The Golden Age is the kind of slot that enjoys hacking the unsuspecting into gory bits like a slave facing up against Rome’s best. On the opposite side, when everything falls into place, it may unleash massive victories. Whether you’ll get a thumbs up or down is completely unpredictable, like the whims of a capricious ruler.
It will require a lot of effort to obtain the former. It would take an incredible stroke of luck to get the multiplier anywhere near 1,000x during the free spins bonus round because it resets after each round. This is supported by data from NetEnt as well. To start off on a positive note, Rome: The Golden Age has the potential for winnings of over 100,000 times the stake, placing it on par with NetEnt’s other heavy hitters like Dead or Alive 2. However, confidence is undermined by the fact that the maximum victory was only achieved once every 166 billion simulation spins.
The trip there is exciting, but risky, in itself. Low symbol values make the process more difficult and limit the size of even full-screen victories. The Frame Collection system helps fill in the blanks, and the function activates frequently enough to keep you afloat. While the concept of framed positions going wild is not new, the method in which it spreads in this game is novel and makes for a thrilling crescendo as wilds pile up around a common sign to form a victory.
Following in the footsteps of Big Time Gaming’s ‘collecting’ mechanics like Holy Diver and Kingmaker, Rome: The Golden Age lacks the ‘go for you guns’ mentality of games like Dead or Alive 2 yet sharing the same epic potential. NetEnt hasn’t made the concept come alive with the same ferocity. Rome: The Golden Age has a rather civilized first impression, belying the potentially fatal games and ludicrous numbers it generates. Don’t let your guard down, like when you stepped onto the sandy floor of the Colosseum in the middle of a sea of gore. This game has no trouble ensnaring its players in a heavy metaphorical net and then beating them senseless with a trident with three spikes.