Kingdom of the Sun: Golden Age Slots
There’s no de-Nile that online casino games themed around ancient Egypt are at the top of the popularity pyramid. There’s a huge range to pick from and the Playson company has joined this veritable plague of similar slots with the Kingdom of the Sun: Golden Age game. It’s sure to be a hit with punters who like to see familiar symbols such as Cleopatra and Pharaoh’s in their games, while the unique features, such as Spreading Bonus symbols, a Sun Compass and glowing symbols will surely attract anyone looking for a richly varied gaming experience.
Heaps of treasure sit below the 5 reels, with a view of an ancient city behind them, with palm fronds gently swaying in the breeze to add a little movement to this background image. Symbols are arranged in 3 rows and there’s 15 paylines running from left to right, each of which can be seen by placing a cursor over the line indicators shown on either side of the game. Wins are created when 3 or more of the same type of symbol stops across any line, in an unbroken chain, helped by a special wild symbol that will act as others if needed.
Based in Malta, Playson has been releasing a steady stream of high quality slots since 2012, and to date has some 40+ games in their portfolio, although this number continues to rise. Their slots have been designed from the start to be mobile optimised across all popular devices, while still working perfectly well on desktop PC’s and laptops. All the controls and reels are adapted for different platforms, although you may lose some of the background images when on a smaller smartphone. The whole Playson range is guaranteed to be fair and reliable, backed up by an operating license issued by the UK Gambling Commission.
Golden Winning Opportunities
The reels are filled with cartoon images of Egyptian royalty and statues while the playing card symbols are set against a sand-coloured, patterned reel background. The top prizes are paid out when a smug-looking Pharaoh and the attractive Cleopatra appear across any payline, while the middle-ranking symbols are of a golden bird of prey statue, a cobra, and a black cat.
Filling out the reels, we have the J, Q, K and A card symbols, and while the rewards for landing these will be less than for the others, they will tend to create the more frequent winning combinations.
The golden wild symbol helps to complete extra win-lines by substituting for any other, apart from the bonus icon, so players who need gaps in a run of matching symbols filling in, or extra symbols across the line to get a higher prize, will still be paid if the wild is in the right places. It isn’t worth anything on its own though, but tends to turn up quite frequently, so it’s still a very valuable symbol to land.
Spread the joy, with a Spreading Bonus Symbol
A unique Spreading Bonus feature is triggered any time the bonus icon stops on the left side reel in a base game. All low value symbols adjacent to the bonus symbol, will transform into further bonus icons, all of which will then stay on place while the remaining reel positions spin once more. When this free spin is done, any bonus symbols will then transform into either a high-value Pharaoh, Cleopatra, or the wild, and any new winning combos are awarded.
It’s an interesting feature that can see a high number of symbol transformations and becomes particularly useful if they transform into the wild, as this gives you the best opportunity to complete a win-line, or maybe even several at once. The best part is the fact that the feature plays out until a win is guaranteed, so once triggered, you will be certain to pick up some real cash awards.
Brightening up the Reels with a Sun Compass
There’s yet another unique bonus feature in this game, with any glowing bird, snake, or cat symbol turning into a Sun Compass at the end of a spin. The compass needle will randomly spin, stopping when it points either up, down, left, or right.
Any playing card symbol that it’s now pointing to, will transform into more glowing animal icons and wins are recalculated, although claiming a prize in this round isn’t guaranteed.
In either the Spreading Bonus or Sun Compass features however, it’s feasible that all 15 symbol positions on the reels will be transformed into a single type, which not only pays out multiple line wins, but thanks to an Ultimate Win feature, you also get those prizes doubled in value, just as an extra reward.
Betting Options
A simple set of control buttons are used to adjust bet levels, click to set the reels spinning, or use the Autoplay feature to get them spinning on their own. You can practice on the free Kingdom of the Sun: Golden Age video slots found at online casinos which use Playson software and games or make real wagers from as little as 0.30 per spin.
This equates to 0.02 on each of the 15 lines, and you can raise the stakes to a maximum bet of 105.00 per spin, or 7.00 per line.
Other Egyptian-themed Slots
Quite why there are so many online casino slot machines based on ancient Egypt is something of a mystery but take a look at any site and you’ll find a huge range covering the topic. Many feature almost identical symbols, with scarab beetles and Gods being particularly popular, so let’s blow away the sands of time and have a peek at a couple of them.
Cleopatra is of course the most famous of the rulers, so it’s only fitting that the Cleopatra video slot is one of the most famous games. It’s such as hit that the developer, IGT, has released several versions of the game, including a Megajackpots progressive slot which can award millions in a single spin. There’s free games, instant-wins and a lucky numbers round across the various versions, all of which have proved to be massive hits at IGT-powered casinos.
Although all slot machines are aimed at players over a certain age, A Night with Cleo, by Proprietary Games is definitely for over-18’s, as the beautiful queen rewards players with not just coin prizes, but also a sexy striptease that leaves nothing to the imagination. It’s also got a randomly-awarded progressive jackpot, free spins and a gamble feature, and it’s during this round that our delectable Cleo gets her kit off, with an item of clothing removed for each successful red/black playing card pick.
Our Verdict on Kingdom of the Sun: Golden Age
The Kingdom of the Sun: Golden age video slot may not be the most original-looking game we’ve ever seen, but we think that’s more than compensated for by some unique bonus features. The Sun Compass and Spreading Bonuses are fantastic additions to this game and help to make it stand out from what is probably the most crowded genre going.
If you are one of the many slots players that enjoys seeing classic images of ancient times but want to see some innovative features on your journey, then this game could be just what you are looking for.
