Top Casinos with Cleopatra
Overview
When you fire up this classic from IGT you won’t just be taking a trip back to Ancient Egypt, you’ll also be opening a window on a key moment in the history of online slots. Themed around one of the most famous rulers in history, Cleopatra is a 20-payline, five-reel slot that set the template for modern video slots. Multiple selectable paylines, an emphasis on free spins, and obsession with powerful historical figures – this was one of a handful of slots that started it all. It’s getting a little long in the tooth now, but given its enduring popularity we thought it was well worth taking a fresh look at this legendary slot.
Rating
Gameplay and Features
You’re not going to find any novel gameplay features here, which is unsurprising given how old this game is. What you do get is a well-balanced game that rises above the sum of its parts.
You can choose between playing 1, 5, 9, 15 or 20 paylines, with line bets ranging from 1.00 to 100.00. The wide range of coin values available means the slot is suitable for recreational and high stakes gamblers alike.
The slot’s two main features are Cleopatra Wilds and the Death Mask Scatter symbol. The former substitutes for any symbol in the game, and doubles any win when they part of a winning payline.
The Death Mask Scatter symbol triggers the Cleopatra Bonus. The Cleopatra Bonus consists of 15 Free Spins with all wins tripled, and a possibility of a Free Spins extension up to 180 Free Spins.
On the negative side, it’s worth noting that the five Cleopatra Wilds combination, which triggers that top payout, is not tripled during the Free Spins, so no super 30,000-coin jackpot. On top of that, the slot pays back just over 95% to players, which while certainly not dire, is a bit on the low side.
In Cleopatra’s base game there are a variety of Egyptian-themed symbols that pay out some decent amounts if you get five of them on one payline.
The slot’s highest paying symbol is, naturally, Cleopatra. If you get five on any payline you’ll take down the 10,000-coin jackpot, while the Scarab Beetle, the second most valuable symbol, pays out 750 coins for five on one line.
More recently, a Mega Jackpots version of the game has been introduced. It features the same underlying game as the regular version, but adds IGT’s famous progressive jackpot into the mix for the chance to win a really big prize. The prize pool can easily reach seven figures, but the RTP takes a hit when the Mega Jackpot prize is taken into account.
Graphics and Sound
If you’ve come expecting breathtaking visuals that whisk you back in time to the Days of the Pharaohs, you’re going to be disappointed. This is, after all, a very old game by slots standards.
Queen Cleopatra’s voice cheers you on as you play, which is pretty cool, if a little creepy sounding and silly at times. And with few animations, and the graphics looking every bit as dated as you would expect, Cleopatra is certainly not a slot that can boast its audiovisual identity as a selling point.
Review Summary
Cleopatra is not exactly what you would call a state-of-the-art slot in any sense. Both visually and in terms of gameplay, it is quite outdated, missing the cool features and immersive graphics of its more modern competitors. Of course, there are plenty of slots players who actually enjoy the simplicity, not to mention that sweet nostalgia hit, which is why Cleopatra is still among the most popular video slots around.
If you’re a history buff and love the mythology of Ancient Egypt there’s no reason not to give this slot a whirl. After all, its longevity speaks for itself. But the relatively low 95% payout percentage should give you pause for thought. You’d be better off seeking out the sequel, which improves on the original in every way.
