Temple Cats Slot
Temple Cats is yet another casino video slot to feature Egyptian cats. There’s more to it than that, though – a lot more. The lurid 5-reeler runs on the Endorphina software platform and includes ten paylines. Gamers can elect to sample Temple Cats for free online, where it is playable in both desktop and Flash formats, or give it a go at a brace of traditional land-based gambling dens.
Cats crop up a lot in slot games – Cat Scratch Fever is perhaps my favourite – but Temple Cats is a welcome addition to a genre that’s admittedly near saturation point. The game is classic in design, featuring as it does a 5x3 grid, though the animation is better than you might expect. The reels are home to a number of porcelain Temple Cats, the kind we’ve become accustomed to seeing in films about Ancient Egypt.
Cat Stakes
To buy your way into the game, you’ll need to determine what you’re willing to bet. The coin value in Temple Cats ranges from 0.01 to 1, meaning this is something of a penny slot – even players on a shoestring budget can get involved. That said, you can choose to stake up to 100 coins for all ten paylines. Players eager to get on with it will be pleased to know that you are able to increase the rolling speed of the reels. You can also elect to play using the AutoPlay function. The game’s return-to-player percentage is reportedly 96%.
Entering the Temple
Temple Cats takes place – funnily enough – in a temple. The reels are located either side of elaborate colonnades and hieroglyphics are etched into a tablet in the background. The game is visually attractive, though there’s not a whole lot going on. Symbols include various cats, each of which is linked with different pay-outs on the win chart. The highest-paying cat symbol is the one whose neck is encircled by gold. This pays 2,000 for five-in-a-row, 400 for four or 40 for three. Another well-paying symbol is that of a pair of black cats facing in opposite directions: this yields 2,000 for five, 200 for four and 20 for three-in-a-line.
The best-paying character symbol is that of the pretty princess. Land five to scoop the 5,000 jackpot, four to receive 1,000 or three to win 100. The game’s least impressive symbols are the playing cards. There are five of these, going from 10 to Ace. Even at their best, they only pay 150 for five-in-a-line.
On a more positive note, you can beef up your winnings during the free spins round. There’s also a wild symbol to help you form winning combinations – it is able to substitute for all but the scatter – though the lack of a second-screen bonus game is a missed opportunity.
The game’s wild is the aforementioned twin cats. The scatter, meanwhile, is the ruby. To win free spins, all you need to do is land three or more scatters across the five reels. You’ll receive ten free spins to begin with, although you’re also given the chance to select another symbol which has a propensity to expand and cover all position on the reel it occupies. This is a nifty feature and certainly assists when it comes to making winning combinations. It’s a bit disappointing, though, that ten free spins is your limit – particular considering some games offer as many as 25.
Take a Risk?
If you feel like pushing the envelope and seeing how far your luck can take you, you can hit the Take Risk button after any pay-line win. At this point, you’ll come face-to-face with a croupier, who is standing over four face-down playing cards. All you need to do is choose a card and hope to hell its value is higher than the one the dealer is clutching. If it is, your winnings are doubled. If it’s not, you lose the lot and the gamble feature comes to a short, brutal end.
A Cat’s Home is Its Temple
One has to concede that Temple Cats is a fine slot – although it’s certainly not immune from criticism. The lack of multipliers and second-screen bonuses, for instance, is disappointing – although partially mitigated by the presence of scatters, wilds and expanding symbols. As far as the design goes, it’s solid if unspectacular, with decent graphics and pleasing gameplay. As with all casino games, it’s worth taking this one a test drive before you commit real moolah.
