Bastet and Cats

Bastet and Cats Overview

If you weren’t aware, Bastet is the Ancient Egyptian God that resembled a cat and had dominion over the worldly areas of fertility, domesticity, and childbirth and had the power to protect households from evil spirits. This feline God is the deity after which this slot game has been themed. Although not the most flattering or high-quality representation of the God and her followers, this game does at least provide a clear and interesting aesthetic. Mechanically, this game takes place on a playing board with five reels and 40 fixed pay lines. The RTP is 95%, and the volatility has been rated around the low end of the spectrum.

The features for this game start with a wild bonus that in this game is represented as the ankh. This symbol replaces all other regular symbols to help form more wins. The second feature is the scatter bonus which is triggered when players land five or more of the scatter icons on the reels at the same time. These scatters reveal free spins and cash prizes. The prizes are awarded immediately, and then the free spins are totted up and played out in a new free spins round. This game also operates what it calls the rockfall feature, which is referred to as the cascade dynamic in other games. Finally, there is also a risk ‘n buy feature, which can be used to buy free spins or risk current wins for access to free spins.

Theme and Symbols

As mentioned, this game is themed around the great Goddess Bastet, the cat God worshipped primarily in ancient Egypt alongside a pantheon of other interesting gods, each of which represents an aspect of Egyptian life. Although we’d like to say there is something of greater substance going on here in terms of the aesthetics represented, it is more likely that Mascot Gaming just needed a convenient and recognisable theme to implement for their new slot. As we all know, Ancient Egypt has been done to death, but at least they have changed the angle slightly with the use of the Goddess as a central thematic hook.

The background for this game is the typical Ancient Egypt scene which includes a desert landscape punctuated by pyramids. The only animated part of the background is the female priest or Pharoah located to the left-hand side of the playing board. She stands there with her hands on her hips for the majority of the gameplay, giving the occasional celebration when you score a win. Interestingly, she has pale skin and blue eyes, suggesting that she is not from Egypt at all and instead a model adapted from another game.

The playing board is a simple stone configuration, made to resemble the façade of a pyramid.

The symbols for this game are split into low-value, high-value and special symbols. The low-value symbols for this game are the modified card royals, including the 10, J, Q, K and A. The most valuable symbol in this group is the A which is worth 100x the stake for the top combination. On the other hand, the higher paying symbols are the pharaoh’s mask, the cats, the black cat, and finally, the Goddess herself Bastet. Bastet is the most lucrative regular symbol, worth 2,000x the stake for the top combination. The specials consist of the ankh wild and the scarab scatters icon.

Game Play

Bastet and Cats is played on a 5-reel, 4-row machine with 40 fixed pay lines. 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 Bastet and Cats is 40p to £40 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 rated in the low range. The return to player percentage for Bastet and Cats is 95%, which is below average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 2,000x your stake.

Features

The first feature in this game is the wild bonus. The wild icon for this game is the ankh symbol. It replaces all regular symbols to help players score more wins.
The second feature available in this game is the free spins game. To trigger this game, players need to land five or more scatters on the reels simultaneously. The scatters each reveals either a cash prize or a free spin amount. The cash prizes are paid out immediately, and then the free spins are added up, and you get to play the free spins round.
This game also has what is called a rockfall feature or what in other games is called a cascade feature. This feature is triggered every time there is a win registered on the board. All the winning symbols are then removed from the reels and replaced with a new set helping players score more wins from the same spin. The dynamic will only stop when a new set of symbols does not score a win.
Finally, there is a risk ‘n buy feature which allows players to buy additional spins or risk the current win they have for access to the free spins game. This option is available after every base game spin.

Conclusion

The most impressive thing about this game is the range of features available and the fun that these offer in addition to the regular game. To say that the graphics and presentation of this game are interesting and original would be generous; however, the theme and looks aren’t the most horrendous take on the ancient Egyptian theme we have ever seen. Do watch out for the low top payout and low RTP.