John Hunter And The Mayan Gods: Review & Theme:
Hold on to your artifacts, the "man with the hat" from Pragmatic Play has returned, this time to take on the steamy jungles of Central America. Moreover, he has immersed himself in the Mayans, one of the most popular ancient cultures in the world of slots. Although the title is catchy, the game does not feature a large number of actual gods. In John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure, John has not had to travel far from his previous adventure, which centered on the Mayans' neighbors. Where this slot went a bit overboard, Pragmatic Play has reined in Mayan Gods. Here, the gameplay is much simpler, there are fewer features, and the potential has been drastically reduced.
The splash screen's five lightning bolts indicate that John Hunter and the Mayan Gods is a highly volatile adventure. During testing, there were no doubts about this statistic, as the game both challenged and rewarded players in equal measure. Mayan Gods has a solid RTP, as is typical for Pragmatic Play, with a 96.46% return to player percentage.
Pay Table and Bet Sizes
In keeping with the preceding game, John Hunter and the Book of Tut, Mayan Gods are played with a 5-reel, 3-row layout and 10 paylines on which to land winning combinations. As you can see, Pragmatic hasn't exactly gone all out on this theme, which consists of crumbling buildings and jungle vistas hidden behind a grid. It is bright, and the Indiana Jones soundtrack from a 1930s matinee adds excitement, but overall it feels a bit rushed.
Individual line victories are advantageous across the board. Even the low-paying J-A royals, which are tribally patterned and offer payouts of 10 times the wager for five of a kind. Each has an identical value. The premiums consist of cups, knives, rings, a Quetzalcoatl symbol, a king with a plumed headdress, and, of course, John Hunter. The payout for a premium five-of-a-kind is between 20 and 50 times the bet.
John Hunter And The Mayan Gods: Game Features:
Progressive Free Spin – The Free Spins feature is triggered by scatter symbols. When three, four, or five of these symbols appear in a single spin, you will receive an instant payout of 2, 20, or 50 times your wager, as well as the chance to play 12 free spins. This number is expandable.
During the free spins feature, wilds will award additional free spins and improve the quality of the images.
- 1 wild symbol yields one free game.
- 2 wild symbols will result in three free spins.
- 3 wild symbols will grant you five free spins.
In addition, if one to three wild symbols appear in a single spin, premium symbols will be upgraded to the next level of value. There are a total of six upgrade levels. This will upgrade all premium symbols to John Hunter, the most valuable symbol.
Expanding Wilds – Expanding Wilds is only activated when wild symbols appear on the second, third, and fourth reels. The standard function of these symbols is to substitute for all other images besides the scatter. In addition, when the wild contributes to the formation of a winning combination, it will expand and cover the entire reel where it appeared.
Summary
Mayan Gods is another game in John Hunter's collection that draws inspiration from other sources. During free spins, this slot features a symbol upgrade mechanic inspired by the Eye of Horus. Many developers occasionally borrow ideas, which is not newsworthy; however, John Hunter's three instances in a row give the impression that he is becoming lax.
It took some time for the first bonus game to activate, but once the seal was broken, they appeared relatively frequently. However, neither triggering the bonus nor reaching the final level guaranteed anything. Numerous rounds resulted in wins worth less than 10x the wager, which was not very entertaining. Nonetheless, the feature occasionally activated it; the key was to upgrade symbols as soon as possible. This not only adds a large number of additional free spins but also brings you closer to your ultimate objective of filling the screen with John Hunters.
