Developed by Merkur Gaming, the slot game Ancient World Deluxe transports players back in time with its 5 reels and 3 rows setup, providing 10 distinct pathways for securing wins. This game intricately combines elements of prehistoric times with the thrill of slot gaming, featuring an array of symbols that start with the traditional 10, J, Q, K, and A. These symbols, representing the lower end of the pay scale, offer players the chance to win up to 15 times their stake for achieving a five-of-a-kind match along any of the pay lines.
Progressing up the value chain, the game introduces more thematic symbols such as dinosaur eggs and a mosquito preserved in amber. These symbols significantly increase the potential payout, offering up to 75 times the player's stake for a full match of five on a pay line. The excitement further escalates with the inclusion of exploding lava mushrooms and the formidable dinosaur symbols, which yield even more substantial rewards. Landing five of the lava mushrooms on a pay line grants players 200 times their stake, whereas the dinosaur symbol, a centrepiece of the game's prehistoric theme, offers a staggering 500 times the stake for the same achievement.
At the heart of Ancient World Deluxe's gameplay mechanics is the Wild Scatter symbol, depicted as an active volcano, which is both dynamic and multifunctional. This symbol serves a dual purpose; as a wild, it has the power to substitute for all other symbols, aiding players in forming winning combinations. Additionally, when it appears as a scatter, landing three or more of these symbols across the reels not only triggers the Free Spins Bonus round but also awards instant win multipliers of 2x, 20x, and 200x the bet for three, four, or five scatters, respectively.
Upon entering the Free Spins Bonus round, the game adds an extra layer of excitement by randomly selecting one of the paytable symbols to act as a Special Expanding Symbol. The chosen symbol's capability to expand vertically across the reels enhances the winning potential, as two or three of these symbols landing on a spin will expand to cover three rows each, thus filling the reels. This feature operates on the principle of scatter pays, meaning that, for instance, achieving three reels dominated by the Dinosaur symbol results in a payout equivalent to a three-of-a-kind win across all ten lines.