Maya Gold Slot Review

The Mayans were quite some civilisation back in the 750 – 500 BC old days. They were responsible for things like their own calendar, writing system, architecture and art. Which makes them a great theme for Maya Gold, a fun high-variance slot game by Spielo with a Bonus Round, Free Spins and a very literal Wildcard.

Gold Diggers

The quick logo page is there and gone in the blink of an eye, along with the quick intro music. The hunt is on and there’s no time to waste. At the top of the screen the message of ‘Click Spin or Bet Max’ flicks in and out, and is up at all times, except during Spinning or Winning. This sense of urgency continues with the winning line numbers each flashing up top to bottom. This happens both when you’re spinning and without. The right-hand side of the top part highlights what’s needed for the Bonus Round.

What’s also noticeable is how much the reels dominate the screen. No pale colours background or big image to dominate. The 5 reels are where the action is. The little bit of stone from the tomb and grass is not going to take anything away from the action on screen, especially as the symbols are all so vivid and colourful. The graphics may not be too modern, but are very appealing visually.

Going for Gold

There are plenty of gameplay options. As the number either side of the screen make clear, this is a 25-payline game, with diagrams on each on the Paytable. You can reduce this if you like as clicking on Lines enables you to pick any odd number between 1 and 25. Careful though, as while the numbers of the paylines you are playing are highlighted next to the reels (with the others greyed out), all numbers light up during a spin.

If you’re feeling confident there’s the Bet Max button worth 250 credits each spin.

There aren’t too many extra options, apart from volume level and Autoplay, which gives 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100 spins. A faster spin option would be useful. There is plenty of variety with the images though, as all the symbols relate to the Mayan theme or overall exotic environment. While all the symbols are eye-catching, you’ll most want the golden statue as its worth more than double the joint next in line, the golden coins and Mayan statue. The skull may be the joint least valuable symbol, but with its sinister look and menacing laugh it’s the one that leaves the biggest impression. The symbols coming to life are all a delight though.

Prepair for Bonuses

How cool is it that the Wildcard is actually a wild animal? You won’t need to be afraid of the long-tailed jaguar as he’s on your side, replacing everything except the two Bonus and Free Spins cards. The Free Spins possibilities are very impressive. The golden Mayan medallion offers 8, 20 or 100 spins if you get 3, 4 or 5 spins respectively.

There’s also a little added extra before the main delight. While there are no fruit cards, you can get credits through getting 3 mini slot pictures. While you can also get them on reels 4 and 5 they have to be on reels 1, 2 and 3 to get the bonus. When this happens you get to the Mini Slot Bonus where you choose one of the first 3 reels. If you’re on Autoplay, the game stops while you decide. You will get either 3 cherries, oranges or bard for a credit prize. Nice in that you are guaranteed a credit win.

But the main bonus is where the main action is, along with the main credit prizes. By getting 1,000 bonus points which are clearly highlighted when accumulated you get to the Memory Bonus. You have 4 attempts to find 2 matching pairs from 15 overturned cards. You have 7 pairs made up of 100, 300, 500, 800, 1,000, 1,500 and 2,500. The other card is the memory symbol itself which if found doubles your win.

Worth a Go

The graphics may not be the shiniest but this is a game that still manages to sparkle. With a nice set of visuals (including the very colourful symbols), varied gameplay options, plenty of fun extras and a well-rewarded bonus game that relies on skill and luck this game is well worth a step back in time.