Nefertiti HyperWays

Nefertiti HyperWays Overview

Pay line extending game engines seem to be all the rage at the moment, with providers from NetEnt to GameArt using some sort of licensed pay way dynamic that adds a little more interest to the experience. The critic in us wants to say that these game engines such as HyperWays or Infinity Reels give you the illusion of having more pay lines when in reality, they take a game that had the maximum number of pay lines to start with and then add a pay engine so that instead of always having them, you have to work to build your way up to them, and even then it happens very rarely. Then again, being more positive, you might say it's an interesting way to keep anticipation high. It depends on your outlook, we guess.

The features here obviously start with the HyperWays mechanic, which introduces icons with multiplier values on them. These special symbols are in effect, representing how many more symbols the icon says. For example, an icon with x3 on it represents an icon with two more pay lines attached to it. These icons boost the number of possible pay lines available, meaning more chances of winning. This game also has a cascading reels dynamic which replaces winning symbols with a new set to give players extra chances of scoring from the same spin. There is also a Mega Nefertiti feature, which introduces mega-sized symbols and a free spins game. All bonuses will be explained in more detail later on in the review.

Theme and Symbols

GameArt have plunged into the old slot themes bank and have come out with yet another Egyptian themed slot based on the legend of Nefertiti. For those who are a little rusty on their ancient Egyptian history, Nefertiti was a queen of the dynasty of Ancient Egypt in the 18th century and was the wife of Pharoah Akhenaten. The couple were known for their monotheistic religious revolution, making people subscribe to just one god rather than the many that traditionally made up Egyptian gods' pantheon. This slot is based on this period in history and features pyramids, Sphinxes and great temples covered in gold.
The background for this game is one such golden temple. To the left and right of the reels are columns of great size, each of which is covered in hieroglyphics, telling the tales of the people who lived here. Above this temple's vaulted ceilings and proud flags, a huge pyramid is located in the centre of the screen, obscured partly by the playing board. After all, what would an Ancient Egyptian slot be without the obligatory pyramid? The background image is of passable quality and provides pleasant enough surroundings for the action on the board.

The playing board is an Egyptian tablet with a rich dark green interior. The borders are decorated in gold.
The symbols for this slot are split into low-paying, high-paying and special symbols. The low-paying icons are the 10, J, Q, K and A. These payout at a maximum of 0.025x the stake. The more valuable symbols start with the cat god Bastet and jackal god Anubis, which payout at 0.1x the stake. These are then followed by the purple pharaoh, the bird god Ra and the red pharaoh. The red pharaoh is the most valuable symbol on the board, paying out at 0.5x the stake for the top combination. The specials for this game consists of the Nefertiti wild, and the pyramid scatter.

Game Play

Nefertiti HyperWays is played on a 5-reel HyperWays playing board, meaning symbols have extra pay lines depending on the number ascribed to them on the top left-hand side of their image. There are more than 60 million possible pay lines, according to the game. To win combinations, players must land three or more matching symbols on pay lines moving from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.

The betting range for Nefertiti HyperWays is 40p to £100 per spin. To adjust their bet levels, players can toggle their stake up and down using the tool located at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

Further information, including a short tutorial and a display of the paytable, can be found via the menu button in the right-hand corner of the screen. The spin and auto spin buttons are located in the centre of the screen.
Volatility for this slot is adjustable. The return to player percentage for Nefertiti HyperWays is 96%, which is average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 150,000x your stake.

Features

The first feature that should be explained here is the HyperWays multipliers. With every spin, some icons will turn up with a small number on the top left-hand side of their picture. This basically means that this symbol has many more symbols stacked on top of it, taking up the same respective positions on the reels.

The next feature is the Mega Wilds feature. Wilds in this game can appear in both regular and stacked configurations. These symbols substitute for all other regular symbols to help form wins.

The next feature is the cascade feature, triggered every time you find a win. When this happens, all the winning symbols are removed from the board and replaced by a new set from above. These new symbols fall into the places of the previous symbols. This dynamic gives players multiple chances of winning prizes from the same spin. The dynamic will only stop when a new set of symbols does not form a win.
The last feature is the free spins round. You need to land a pyramid scatter on every reel to trigger the free spins. You are then given eight free spins, with a mega symbol guaranteed to show up on every other spin. You can also buy your way into this feature; however, this option may not be available depending on the country you live in.

Conclusion

A classic theme with some fun features and a really enticing pot, what's not to love? Yes, the free spins are basically impossible to trigger, but there are plenty of other activities, and the HyperWays mechanic does add a layer of fun. However, wins are still relatively small as the symbols are worth little.