Champions of Rome Slot Review

Champions of Rome is a video slot from Yggdrasil Gaming with 5 reels and 20 paylines. Released in February 2019, you can play this game at online casinos such as PlayOjo, Twin Casino or Mr Green.

Theme and basic information

The theme of Champions of Rome is not difficult to guess. We’re taken back 2,000 years to the ancient arenas in Rome where gladiators fought each other to the death. The scene is indeed set inside such an arena. A few spectators in the ranks, the sun burning from above and the heavily muscled gladiators on the reels. The slot is beautifully rendered, which is the norm for Yggdrasil Gaming, but we love the graphics in this game especially. Perhaps because we’re not getting magic or Vikings or something from the far future. Historical themed slots seem to be a little rarer than many other themes and we have a bit of a soft spot for them, even though gladiators lived brutal lives.

Thankfully, no blood on these reels but plenty of glory, if you’re up for it.

We have three gladiators on the reels: red, green and blue. They pay 1,200, 1,100 and 1,000 coins, respectively, for wins with 5 on a payline. The medium value symbols show us stone lion, falcon and oxen as they may have appeared in reliefs around the arena. They pay out 120, 110 and 100 coins, respectively. Finally, the three low-value symbols are shields, each paying 30 coins for a 5-of-a-kind win.

You can play this game from 0.20 to 100.00 per spin.

Random wilds in the base game

This tends to be a medium to highly volatile slot, depending on whether you have a good run or not. In any case, things are made easier in the base game whenever you happen to land two scatters on the reels.

That will trigger one of three wild features:

• Mace – the green gladiator throws his mace onto the reels, giving you a 2×2 wild
• Swords – the red gladiator will throw his swords onto the reels, giving you a 2×1 and 1×2 wilds
• Trident – the blue gladiator will throw his trident onto the reels, giving you 4 random wilds

You never know which one it might be and there’s no option to choose. Usually, you’ll end up with at least one or two wilds landing in a beneficial spot. But not always.

Two free spin modes to choose from

Once every 200 spins or so (less if you’re lucky) you’ll land the free spins. You need at least three scatters to activate the free spins. More scatters won’t give you more spins but additional coin wins:

• 3 scatters – free spins and 20 coins
• 4 scatters – free spins and 300 coins
• 5 scatters – free spins and 12,000 coins

You can guess just how often you’ll end up landing five scatters.

Be that as it may, when you do get the free spins, you can decide whether you want to play it safe in ‘Training Mode’ and receive 8 free spins without a multiplier. Or if you want to enter the ‘Death Match’ and play to win at least 450 coins, which will then result in a multiplier. You get to choose how many spins you play and what your multiplier will be:

• 7 Free Spins with 2x multiplier
• 6 Free Spins with 3x multiplier
• 5 Free Spins with 4x multiplier

If you don’t manage to win 450 coins during your free spins, you’ll lose all your winnings and receive a consolation prize between 40 and 200 coins. If you win, however, your winnings will be multiplied according to the chosen number of free spins.

It’s possible to earn more free spins, by the way. During the free spin feature, only one of the gladiators will be selected as the high-paying symbol and their weapon will land on the reels (mace, sword or trident) to leave wilds behind. This can potentially happen on every spin. Plus, a special gladiator, The Beast, can appear on reels 2, 3 and 4. He will never be part of a winning combination, but if your weapon hits him, you’re awarded an additional free spin. Often, you’ll get at least one or two more spins that way.

Finally, it is possible to buy your way into the free spins. You’ll pay 1,000 coins at whatever coin value you select to play with before entering the free spins. This can be worthwhile, if you choose the Deathmatch and manage to grab a multiplier in the end. But it can also be a bit of a gamble.

Conclusion: Those who dare may just win in this fantastic-looking slot

The theoretical RTP (Return to Player) of Champions of Rome is 96.40%, which is pretty decent value for such a volatile slot. If you manage to budget carefully, you’ll be feeling like a winner eventually and in such a case, you may not want to buy the free spins but wait for the scatters to show up and enter you into the Deathmatch.

The slot has great potential for some good wins, especially if you feel like a champion yourself and are ready to face the arena. The game looks fantastic and the gameplay is engaging enough to keep you going for quite some time. Another winner from Yggdrasil Gaming!