Shield of Athena

Rich Wilde and the Shield of Athena is the latest slot from the Swedish developers at Play ‘n’ Go. This is the fifth slot to feature Rich Wilde as he goes on another exploration to unearth the secrets of Atlantis.

Overview of Rich Wilde and the Shield of Athena slot

According to history, Athena had a special Shield that was known as the Aegis which she would lend on occasion to her favourite patrons. The most famous without doubt is Perseus, who is said to have used the Shield to look directly at Medusa. His victory could be why Medusa is pictured on the Shield, and who knows what other powers the Shield may have. If you are ready to join Rich on his journey the chances are you will uncover these powers.

In this slot you will join Rich Wilde the Explorer and his daughter Cat Wilde who could be described as a cross between Lara Croft and Jennifer Aniston, and although she may appear too old to be Rich’s daughter this is what you can call true poetic licence.

Gameplay & Statistics

Previously this series of slots has used the cascading grid format however in this slot the developers have returned to a more conventional 5-reels, 3-rows, and 10 fixed pay lines. Surrounding the grid on the games screen you will see Greek columns with water that cascades in the background to create an intense scene. When it comes to placing your bet, the minimum is 10p per spin up to the maximum of £100 making this a slot that will appeal to all types of player.

Symbols

The rules of the slot are easy, to create a win you need to land three or more matching symbols starting from left to right on any one of your pay lines. The symbols are well executed and there are 5 low paying and 4 high paying. The low payers take on the form of the usual playing card symbols 10 through to Ace and these are expertly executed out of stone which has been dipped to create a colourful effect. The high paying symbols are even more defined, and you will come across a pendant of courage, a Golden owl, a ring of wisdom, the helm of Athena and the Shield of Athena.

Landing 5 standard Shields across your pay line will pay you 500x your bet and double if this turns into a wild Shield. Rich is the regular wild in this slot and worth 1,000 times your bet if you land 5 on anyone line. The Wilds can substitute for any of the other symbols to create winning combinations.

Players who are fans of basic gaming with plenty of volatility will certainly find it in this slot. The volatility rating is 10 out of 10 therefore as high as it can get, and this creates a potent combination when combined with the other game elements. The return to player stands at 96.25% as per the default setting. It is possible to lower the return to player and it is vital, that you read through the pay table to clarify elements before you begin to play.

Rich Wilde and the Shield of Athena Features

Although the features in this slot are based around re spins and free spins which work together or on their own, they can be very lucrative. The first is the Medusa respin feature which is activated on any spin where the Shield of Athena wild lands on your reels. Once this feature is activated, you are rewarded with one re spin and the Shield of Athena symbol turns into a wild. During the re spin, all Shield of Athena symbols and any winning symbols will stay in position. If you land more Shields or winning symbols these will be locked into place on the reels for a further re spin. The respin in this feature will continue until no winning symbols or Shields have been landed and it is at this point that the wins will be paid out. Should you land should you land the Rich Wilde wild or Cat Wilde scatters these will all transform into wild Shields.

The next feature is the Medusa’s Gaze free spins and you will be pleased to learn that this feature has nothing to do with Medusa turning heroes into stone. This feature is activated when you land 3, 4, or 5 Cat Wilde scatters in view and you will be awarded with 10, 12, or 15 Medusa gaze free spins. In this feature you can benefit from the Medusa respin remaining active throughout the entire round. This feature can also be activated indefinitely, so landing 3, 4, 5, scatters will reward you with another 10, 12, or 15 free spins, respectively.

Conclusion

This slot is incredibly well made, and whilst there is nothing brand new everything it offers has been brought together perfectly. From the superb quality graphics to the pay table and excellent features with many ways to create wins. Although there are only 2 features in this game, they really can go mad particularly the Medusa respin when you land a stack of wild Shields.

Shield of Athena seems to have gone back to the developer’s original roots with straight forward gameplay, a traditional set up, and plenty of winning opportunities of up to 10,000x your bet being possible. Personally, I feel that Shield of Athena is one of the best in this series to date. Whilst it is simple it offers well created features and has no major flaws. The gameplay matches the math model, and this coupled with the high paying symbols assure to provide you with some excellent gaming.

I enjoyed playing Riche Wilde and the Shield of Athena immensely, the gameplay with smooth and within a short while I was landing wins. I can recommend this slot to all players whether fans of the Rich Wilde series or not.