Empires Glory Slots
Ancient Rome and in particular gladiatorial battles are the theme of this slot. Viaden produce many titles which are optimized for mobile (smartphone) use as well as computers. These types of games tend to be simple, with the emphasis on the game play – rather than having multiple break-out bonuses or complex on-reel behaviour. After playing this game I am wondering whether they have gone too far in the plain and simple direction. There is only one interesting feature in the form of a special ‘Wild Around’ symbol, which can give your wins an occasional huge boost.
The design is solid, without being too special. You’ll see part of the coliseum at the sides of the frame, which is itself a building with imposing stone pillars. The reels spin over a plain stone background. These are the usual Roman fare and include a gold coin with Caesar on it, various gladiator images, 2 different helmets and a silver coin too. There are no real animations for this game, the win lines simply get highlighted with coloured lines. One nice touch is the scroll to the right of the spin button, which unrolls after you win to allow you to access the ‘gamble’ game.
Sounds are dominated by a dramatic backing track, which is like something from a film. This is on a fairly long loop, which means it does not get old too quickly. There are metallic clicks and clunks when you spin the reels. You’ll also get a cheer from the crowd when you hit a winning combination.
There are no free spins or pick-em bonuses on this slot; all of the action is centred on the reels.
Setup and Play for Empire’s Glory
This game uses the standard Viaden setup of 5 reels, 3 rows and up to 9 winning lines (you get to choose). The smallest coin size is 10c and the biggest on the version I played is 50c, giving you a 90c through to $4.50c range for the full amount of lines. You can gamble any wins on the flip of a playing card (suits or red / black). Auto-play lets you configure rules and then take up to 2000 spins following these.
You’ll want to see the gladiator with a golden helmet in a circle land as often as possible. This is the best paying symbol, with 1000 coins for 5 on a line, 100 for 4 and 20 for just 3. The other two gladiators come next on the table. These are worth 500 coins for 5, 60 for 4 and 10 for 3. The helmets get you 200 coins for 5 and the coins make up the smaller wins with 100 for 5.
There is one symbol which will make a huge difference to your wins – the ‘wild around’ shield symbol. This only appears occasionally, and when it does it makes all the positions on the reels around it wild. If it lands on the middle row, this makes up to 3 reels completely wild. If this hits the middle position on reels 2 or 3 in particular you are in for 9 wins with a minimum of 4 of a kind, and possibly some 5 of a kind wins too. If it lands on the first or last reels, then only 2 reels go wild. And in the top or bottom rows on any reel then just 2 of the 3 positions on the reels turn wild.
The random nature of the ‘wild around’ adds some interest to this game – big wins coming from nowhere are always welcome!
Empire’s Glory – Conclusion
For me this one works much better on a smartphone than it does on a computer. The graphics and straight forward game play are perfect for small screens, and you will not get interruptions while bonus games download each time. On a computer, this slot has to complete with many of the better Roman themed slots out there. Compared to many titles this game is rather plain, and I do not expect it would hold your attention for too long. On the positive side the wild-around is excellent. Hopefully Viaden will include this concept into their future titles too.
