Shield of Sparta: Slot Review & Theme

Imagine a windswept Peloponnesian plateau spearing down into the rough wintery waters of the Ionian Sea. A wizened soothsayer puts his hand on a warrior's shoulder and tells him of the great battles he will win, the lands he will conquer—and one day, a long time hence, there will be online slots based on this same story. Not that he could have known that back then, but we know it now because there are plenty of Ancient Greek slots available for play. Here's another one from Pragmatic Play carrying the name Shield of Sparta.

The background of the reels is set in ancient Greece, with the columns on a rocky coastline framing the action. The overall color scheme is gold, and all symbols have elements of gold in their design, from the soldiers' helmets and shields to the details on the horses' bridles and shields on the warships. All lower-tier symbols from Ace to Jack contain golden sword blades incorporated into their shape. The soundtrack is reminiscent of movies set at the time.

Shield of Sparta: Slot Feature

Shield of Sparta, this slot game offers players a 5-reel and 3-row grid featuring 20 pay lines for three to five-of-a-kind landing combinations across the table. The first four pay symbols on the table are J, A, K, and Q cards; then come chariots, catapults, ships, and warriors as the four high-pays.

Only a wild warrior's headshot appears on all the slot reels, which substitutes for all symbols except the bonus symbol.

About Shield of Sparta at BC.GAME

Shield of Sparta is a game created by Pragmatic Play. It has five reels, three rows, and 20 pay lines. The wild symbol substitutes for all other symbols except the scatter, represented by Sparta's shield. Free spins are randomly awarded when three or more scatter icons appear on the reels. Shield of Sparta offers a multiplier that can be won randomly or by collecting five shields in any position on an active pay line. The game's RTP is 96.50%, and its volatility rating is high.

Three RTP values are possible for Shield of Sparta, depending on the version offered. The game offers a 96.5% RTP, while the 95.5%/94.5% variants offer payouts at a lower rate. This slot game may be played on any device, with bet selections from 30 p/c to $100 per spin.

The Rules of Shield of Sparta

Customizing the slot to suit your playing preferences is generally worth taking a few seconds.

• You'll immediately be taken to the main menu when the game loads. You can continue playing on this screen or return to the lobby.
  
• In the settings menu, you can adjust your bet and speed of play. Sound effects can also be toggled on or off here.
  
• To read more about the rules and features of the game, touch the information button. You'll find six pages of information explaining how to play and payouts for each of these features.
  
• Touch the bet button to play and select a coin value (0.01 to 0.20 credits).
  
• Touch the spin button to initiate a round and watch for three symbols in a row, either vertically or diagonally, on adjacent reels. If you win, the corresponding payout will be added to your balance.
  
• Just so you know, this title does not have a loss limit setting, so please keep an eye on your balance and stop playing before you need to to avoid losing more than you planned.
  
  

Paytable and Bet Size

Bet sizes range between 0.20 and 100 coins per spin, and a player can wager on up to 20 fixed lines at once. Table payouts are calculated by line; the highest-paying symbol on the paytable is the soldier with the red cape, which pays out 500x your line bet for 5 of a kind.

The paying symbols on the reels are J, A, K, and Q card ranks, which pay five times the stake for five of a kind; then come chariots, catapults, ships, and warriors as the following highest paying symbols, each worth fifteen to twenty-five times the bet for five of a kind. A close-up headshot of a wild warrior symbol appears on all reels, which substitutes for all symbols except the bonus symbol.

Feature of Shield of Sparta

Shield of Sparta offers a bonus symbol respin in the base game and a free spins bonus round with a total win multiplier component.

Bonus Symbol

During the base game, if two bonus symbols of any type land on the reels, they will remain in place while the reels respin once.

Free Spins

Three, four, or five bonus symbols trigger ten, fifteen, or twenty free spins. Before the free spins start, the symbol positions of each triggering bonus symbol are framed in bronze. If a bonus symbol is framed and tagged with a magnetic symbol, the symbol's value is multiplied by two.

If a bonus symbol lands within the frame during free spins, that frame is upgraded to silver. If the same symbol lands within the frame again, it is upgraded to gold. Any bonus symbol that lands on the same reel as a magnetic frame will draw into the frame to upgrade it.

Framed positions are converted into multipliers at the end of the free spins game.

• Bronze: 1x, 2x or 3x;
  
• Silver: 5x, 6x or 8x;
  
• Gold: 10x, 12x, 15x or 20x
  
  

If the free spins feature is triggered and the player receives at least three bonus symbols during the free spins, those free spins will be retriggered at the same bet levels.

Shield of Sparta: Summary

Pragmatic Play's Shield of Sparta online slot is a standard 3x5 game with free spins triggered by a scatter. The two types of bonus symbols and the three frame levels add depth to an otherwise ordinary experience. An exceptionally lucky free spins round has the potential for big wins, but equally, the feature could yield just three 1x multipliers and no wins.

The number of Shield of Sparta's free spins could be more impressive. Still, it is commensurate with the rest of what the game delivers: a basic gaming set in an unimaginative yet eye-pleasing slot world. Pragmatic Play has created a framed position/multiplier feature for Shield of Sparta's free spins phase showing creativity. Still, this is not one of their priority features.