Secret City Gold

Trek deep into the jungles of Mesoamerica in Secret City Gold, the new game from Pragmatic Play and search for hidden treasures beneath the thick undergrowth and dense canopy. This game welcomes adventurers of all types to try their luck and find life-changing fortunes. With a vibrant and detailed playing window and an exciting playing experience on offer, players will soon find themselves lost in a world of spins, prizes, and even Mayan gods. Mechanically, this is a five-reel, four-row game with 25 pay lines and an RTP of 96.06%. This game is available across tablet, laptop, and desktop platforms.

Secret City Gold Overview

The bonus features for this game begin with the shape wins feature. After every spin, players are given a chance for a random shape to appear on the board. All the symbols that fall into the interior of this shape are then transformed into a new symbol. If these new symbols score a win, the resulting payout will be boosted by a random multiplier of 1x to 10x the stake. The other main bonus feature in this game is the free spins feature. To trigger this bonus, players must simultaneously land three or more of the Gold Monkey scatters on the reels. Finally, this game also has a bonus buy option. All features will be explained in more detail later in the review.

Secret City Gold Theme and Symbols

The Mayan culture inspires the theme of this game. It is a popular theme that has had various interpretations, not many of which have been culturally sensitive or accurate. The Maya are a group of Indigenous people of Mesoamerica and northern Central America. They have a long and rich history that dates to 2600 BC. The Maya are known for their advanced knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and engineering, as well as their art, architecture, and hieroglyphic writing. It is from this visually arresting and amazing culture that this game has derived its aesthetic.

The background for this game depicts the interior of a Mayan temple. A typical Mayan temple was a large, stepped pyramid structure built of stone and earth. The pyramid's steps were often steep, and the top was a flat platform. On the platform, the Mayans built a temple with a small room inside. The temple was usually painted in bright colours and decorated with intricate carvings. Inside the temple, a small altar was used to make offerings to the gods. Here the designers have tried to recreate their own intricate carvings and art style similar to that of the original culture. The playing board for this game is a golden framed reel matrix with a deep green interior that connotes the lush jungle climate where this game is set.

The symbols are split into low-paying, high-paying and special symbols. The low-paying symbols are the 10, J, Q, K and A in playing card royals. The most valuable of which was the A symbol worth 1x the best for the top combination. The more valuable icons are the various statues in the shape of animals. These include a frog, jaguar, snake and lion. The lion is the most valuable, worth 3.2x the bet for the top combination. The specials for this game are the Jade Cicada Mask wild and the Gold Monkey Scatter.

Game Play

Secret City Gold is played on a 5-reel, 4-row machine with 25 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 Secret City Gold is 25p to £125 per spin. To adjust their bet levels, players can toggle their stakes 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 Secret City Gold is 96.06%, which is above average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 10,000x the stake.

Secret City Gold Features

The first feature involved in this game takes place after every spin. After the spin has been completed, a shape might fall onto the board. The icons within that shape are then transformed into different random icons. This may help to score a win. If a win is registered, the consequent payout is boosted by a random multiplier in the range of 1x to 10x the stake.

The other main feature of this game is the free spins feature. It is activated when players simultaneously land three or more free spin scatters on the board. The number of scatters that you manage to trigger the feature with, though, is important as it will influence the size of the instant cash payout that you receive. The more scatters used, the larger the initial payout. The game will then award you with eight free spins. Throughout the free spins, feature shapes can appear randomly on each free spin, just like in the base game. With a random multiplier (between 1-10x) being applied, the multiplier is added to a general multiplier that is applied to wins of current and all future shapes. In addition, for every supplementary scatter you find, another free spin is added to your total.

Finally, this game also has a bonus buy option. This allows players to purchase their access to features. This option, however, is not available in all territories.

Conclusion

Although not the most innovative free play slots regarding its aesthetic, theme or features, every facet of this online slot is completed with a level of detail and quality that players are sure to appreciate. In addition, the payout potential for this game is solid. The RTP is above the industry average, the top payout is excellent, and the broad betting range gives players plenty of scope to bet big and win more. Try also Buffalo, a fun demo game full of bonus.