Lion Gems: Hold and Win

Lion Gems: Hold and Win Overview

Hold and Win slots are quickly becoming the most popular slot gaming format, with every provider pumping out game after game to try and capitalise on the goldrush that these games seem to be triggering. Although this game is of decent quality, you will find that it mimics almost every other hold and win format game on the market, so there is no particular reason why you might pick this one over another. That being said, this game does at least have a free spins game in addition to the hold and win bonus game.

Speaking of the features, these start with the wild symbol, which in this game is the lion. It can substitute for other symbols to help score more wins. The next feature is the free spins round, triggered when players land three or more of the scatter icon on the reels simultaneously. This will award players with eight free spins that can be topped up by landing more scatters within the game. The final feature is the hold and win bonus game triggered when six or more of the bonus blue diamond icons land. All of the features will be explained in greater detail later on in the review.

Theme and Symbols

The theme for this game is a classic African Savannah. The Savannah is an ecosystem unique to the African continent that is made up mostly of tropical grassland with warm temperatures year-round. Trees are sparely distributed and usually have broad canopies with skeletal buttresses and trunks. The most common of these is called the Acacia and is an icon of the African landscape. This game has represented this ecosystem in detail, with all the correct flora and fauna populating this arid yet abundant plateau.

The background for this game is the sunshine blasted grasslands of the open Savannah. In the distance, there are a few rounded hills and mountains that represent the very few elevations that are distributed in isolated stacks in this region of Africa. In the foreground, however, are a few examples of the famous acacia tree, underneath which are a collection of herd animals. From a cursory glance, these animals look like Zebras, a popular and numerous beast in this part of the world.
The playing board for this game is a wooden window with a simple design topped by the jackpot amounts that you can win when playing the hold and win feature.

The symbols for this game are split into low-paying, high paying and special symbols. The low-paying symbols are the J, Q, K and A in playing card royals. The A is the most valuable, paying out at 1.6x the stake. On the other hand, the more valuable symbols are the flamingo, the warthog, the zebra, the lioness, the rhino, and finally, the pride male. In addition to being the most valuable symbol, the pride male paying out at 8x the stake for the top combination is also the wild. The other specials are the acacia tree scatter and the bonus blue diamond icon.

Game Play

Lion Gems: Hold and Win is played on a 5-reel, 4-row machine with 30 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 Lion Gems: Hold and Win is 10p 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 rated in the high range. The return to player percentage for Lion Gems: Hold and Win is 95.55%, which is below average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 3,000x your stake.

Features

The first feature in this game is the wild bonus. The wild icon in this game is the male lion. He can substitute for any other symbol on the board, barring blue diamonds and scatters to help players score more wins.
The second feature in this game is the free spins game, triggered when players land three or more of the scatter icons on the reels at the same time. This will award you with eight free spins. You can also add to your tally of free spins from within the feature by landing additional scatters. Wilds in this bonus game also come with an attached x2 multiplier.

However, the main feature here is the hold and win bonus, triggered when players land six or more of the blue diamonds on the board at the same time. This will start a game with three re-spins and all of the blue bonus icons being stuck to the board for the duration of the feature. Every time that a re-spin lands another blue diamond, your re-spins are reset to three. The idea is to amass as many of these symbols on the board as possible, as each has a cash value that is added up at the end of the feature and paid out in one lump sum.

This feature also comes with the chance to land jackpots by landing multiple jackpot symbols. There is a mini, minor, and major jackpot to be won. This game also has mystery symbols that transform into one of the jackpot symbols when they land. The biggest jackpot is achieved when players fill all positions on the reels.

Conclusion

As you can probably guess, this is a game like many others, with the hold and win dynamic at its core. The theme isn’t bad, but nothing special and the win potential isn’t all that either, considering the poor RTP and top payout. If you are looking for a hold and win slot, there are plenty to choose from that are better than this one.