5 Lions Reborn

5 Lions Reborn: Slot Overview

Reborn, huh? Must have missed 5 Lions Demise, which wouldn't be hard to do these days since software provider Pragmatic Play has designed a fair few of these 5 Lions slots by now (we're leaving 5 Lions Dance aside for this review). Today's example is 5 Lions Reborn, and it sees the return of optional bonus rounds where players choose their preferred combination of free spins and win multiplier, but in this one, the multiplier actually increases following wild symbol wins, and super free spins are another technical, enticing possibility.

If there is one thing that unites these 5 Lions games, it's their artwork. They tend to have a bluey, purpley wavey design in the background and a foreground gaming area covered in classic Asian iconography, animals and so on, either real or more fantastical. 5 Lions Reborn is as guilty of cliche or as glorious as the rest of them, with further links to the series provided when free spins trigger, and gamblers must pick which combo pulls them in.

The last one of these slots that came our way was 5 Lions Megaways 2, which was played on a much larger grid than 5 Lions Reborn. For this iteration, a 5x3 matrix has been set up, with 243 ways to win, landing winning combinations left to right from the leftmost reel. The stake range is 30 c to $/€240, and players can expect a theoretical RTP of 96.5% at the most and a highly volatile math model.

Symbols have held steady throughout the series and are made up of 9-A card ranks, turtles, fish, frogs, phoenixes, and dragons. Five-of-a-kind royal wins pay 1.33x to 5.33x the bet, and premium winning combinations award 8.67x to 26.6x the stake. Lion wilds replace any regular paying symbol, and they land only on the 3 middle reels.

5 Lions Reborn: Slot Features

The base game's got nada, so it's not until the requisite number of scatters hit that 5 Lions Reborn really starts doing something. Scatters appear on any reel, and there is a regular scatter, a golden scatter, and a super scatter. Hitting 3 or more scatters awards a monetary reward and entry to the free spins round. Hitting a golden scatter in the base game means free spins may randomly trigger, and every time a super scatter hits in the base game, it may randomly trigger super free spins. Before the free spins round starts, players choose 1 of 7 options:

20 free spins with an x2 starting wild multiplier, 15 free spins with an x3 starting wild multiplier, 13 free spins with an x5 starting wild multiplier, 10 free spins with an x8 starting wild multiplier, 8 free spins with an x10 starting wild multiplier, 6 free spins with an x15 starting wild multiplier, or a mystery number of free spins and wild multiplier drawn from the above options.

The feature starts with the applicable wild multiplier. Whenever at least one wild hits and is part of a win, the multiplier is applied to the total win of the combinations it is part of. Following this, the multiplier increases by its starting value. Randomly, when this happens, +1, +2, or +3 free spins may be granted. If super free spins were triggered, players get 20 free spins and an x15 starting wild multiplier.

Feature Buy

Two feature buys are available to players. The cheaper one costs 80x the bet to trigger free spins with 3 scatter symbols, or 500x the bet buys entry into the super free spins round.

5 Lions Reborn: Slot Verdict

Pragmatic Play has obviously hit on a formula that resonates with a good enough number of gamblers for the studio to want to string the 5 Lions series along. One thing linking these games is their multi-choice bonus rounds, where users pick the free spins/wild multiplier feature combination that appeals to them. From there, the developer has experimented with various grid matrices and side effects while retaining the looks and the core bonus round characteristics. The twists found in 5 Lions Reborn are actually quite good ones and should be more than enough for returning or new fans to give the game a spin.

No one's likely to accuse 5 Lions Reborn of being an outlandishly wild trendsetter, but two things do stand out. One is the way the wild multiplier, instead of being static or awarding a value from a set list, actually increases following wins involving the lion wild symbol. Since the multiplier increases by its initial value, picking which multiplier to start a bonus round with might be a little bit harder to decide. Rising win multipliers are no new thing in slots, but as a way of extending the 5 Lions shelf life, it's a smart inclusion. The other smart inclusion is super free spins, which awards the full 20 free spins, x15 multiplier whack all in one go. During the review, getting a few wild wins under the belt could really pep the multiplier to levels chunky enough to pop out sizable hits. Ways rather than a paylines win system is a final cherry on top.

So is a 5,000x win cap, which might've been higher, but considering 5 Lions Megaways 2 had an 8,000x cap, it's not so bad in the grand scheme of things. Most likely, it's an attractive enough figure for players who have enjoyed where the 5 Lions slots have gone before and are looking forward to seeing where 5 Lions Reborn and its adding up wild multiplier may take them.