Updated
Staff Writer
Rise of Maya by NetEnt is a medium to high volatility 5x3 reel slot with 10 fixed paylines. The slot immerses you in the world of the Mayan ancients with minimalistic reels displayed over the image of a torch-lit stone temple facade. South American tribal drumming echoes in the background, pulling all the thematic elements together. The symbols are rich in detail and crisply rendered, as expected from NetEnt. This title has a fairly standard base game, with most of the action happening in the bonus features. The slot boasts wilds, free spins, and a bonus bet second chance scatter features to assist you on your way to winnings.
Software:
Release Date:
Reels:
Volatility:
Game type:
Paylines:
Min coin:
Max coin:
Free spins:
Wild symbol:
Progressive:
Multipliers:
Serpent Wilds Over and above the normal wild, the serpent symbol operates in a few different ways Ӣ Expanding wild serpent symbols expand either upwards or downwards, possibly covering the entire reel Ӣ Serpent wild stacks only land while free spins are active and cover the entire reel
Free Spins
Free spins are activated by getting 3, 4 or 5 serpent scatters / serpent wilds, giving you 10, 15 and 20 Free Spins, respectively. The reels containing the serpent symbols change into hot reels for as long as free spins are active. Hot reels change any serpent wilds that land on them, making them cover the whole reel. Wilds landing on other reels will transform those reels into hot reels and you will be handed an extra 2 spins.
Scatter nudge This feature will randomly activate when you do not land a winning combination. It nudges any wilds or scatters that are not fully on the reel either up or down to help you achieve that winning combo.
Bonus bet: Second chance scatter feature The bonus bet is essentially a buy-in option that doubles your wager as a trade-off for increasing your chances of activating free spins. Once you land 2 wilds or scatters, reels without these symbols will spin individually with a heightened chance of landing the third symbol.
Rise of Maya slot is a good-looking title with a deceptively bare-looking bonus feature selection, but once you give it a spin, the true, complex nature of the mechanics of the game unfolds. Getting your reels filled with wilds during free spins mode is your best chance of unlocking the game's ultimate winnings of 6000x your stake.
The hot reels innovation is essential to this. Rise of Maya online slot has an RTP of 96.12% which increases ever so slightly to 96.42% with the use of the Bonus Bet feature a but be sure to keep an eye on your balance while this feature is active, as doubling your bet can take an unintended, heavy toll on you bankroll! The slot leans towards high volatility so there is the possibility that you could spin for ages without a favourable result. But the winning potential contained within this game might just be worth the risk for you.
The game does not have any standout special features, but any additions might have cluttered your experience as the game, within itself, is a bonus feature wrapped around an online slot concept. While the novelty value here is compelling, whether you will come back to play again is hard to say, and only time will tell whether people can get past the sparse feature offering and enjoy what feels like a purist's slot.
