Gates of Olympus POP

Gates of Olympus POP: Slot Overview

If you thought, or hoped, you'd seen everything Pragmatic Play could squeeze out of its massive Gates of Olympus sensation, you best be thinking again. The studio has taken the bones of the hit game and ground them down into a smaller, mobile-friendly package. At the same time, the resulting slot, Gates of Olympus POP, offers much greater winning potential than the original, on account of added POP symbol prizes. The outcome is a slot that gives and takes away on one hand, as it attempts to attract the eye of jackpot players who have an interest in the scatter pay, multiplier symbol gaming these slots have built their towering reputation on.

The first thing that screamed change was the new, softer, friendlier-looking Zeus than the one found in Gates of Olympus, or as Pragmatic Play puts it, 'A miniature yet mighty Zeus.' He sits, smiling broadly on a throne at the load screen, looking like a deity who wouldn't throw a lightning bolt at anyone. He is surrounded by a treasure horde, so perhaps that's why he is so happy. Click to continue, and the world this Zeus inhabits is familiar, featuring clouds, flames, and columns, though does the scene manage to be somehow more inviting? Gates of Olympus POP is a mobile-friendly game, meaning that on a desktop or laptop, the action is squeezed into a condensed portion of the screen, which is great if you want to take in more of the background imagery, but might feel like a poor use of space for gamblers who would have preferred a fuller screen.

Another obvious difference is the gaming area shuffle. From a 6x5 grid, Gates of Olympus POP pulls things back to a 3x5 play area, which forms a winning combination when 5 or more matching symbols land anywhere in view. Pragmatic Play has reduced the math model volatility to a low setting, yet the RTP holds very strongly at 97.05%. A range of wagers may be chosen from $/€0.10 to $/€250, though special bets and feature buys are conspicuously absent; it's just not that sort of game.

A reduced number of pay symbols land on the reels, as well. They are gold gems, purple gems, red gems, rings, hourglasses, and crowns. When nine or more matching pay symbols land in view, players win 2x to 50x their bet. Like its daddy, wild symbols are not present on any reel.

Gates of Olympus POP: Slot Features

Gates of Olympus POP drops the famous tumble/multiplier combo in the base game before introducing a total multiplier in free spins. Feature buys and special bets are missing, but a POP symbol prize element has been included.

POP Symbols

POP symbols are present on all reels. Landing combinations of 3 scatter or POP symbols triggers free spins. Also, landing 3 scatters with 1, 2, or 3 POP symbols pays 50x, 500x, or 25,000x the bet, respectively.

Tumble Feature & Multiplier Symbols

The tumble feature causes winning symbols to vanish, then drops more symbols down to replace them. Tumbling continues as long as winning combinations appear. Multiplier symbols land with a value of x2 to x1,000, and they stay on screen through the tumble process. When tumbling ends, multiplier values are added together and applied to the win.

Free Spins

When triggered by landing 3 scatter or POP symbols, 15 free spins are awarded to the player. During free spins, when a multiplier symbol lands and the spin produces a win, the multiplier value is added to the total multiplier. Whenever a new multiplier symbol hits and there is a win, the total multiplier is used to multiply the win. Hitting 2 or more scatter symbols in the round grants an extra +5 free spins.

Gates of Olympus POP: Slot Verdict

What with all the sequels and spinoffs, the world might not have needed another Gates of Olympus slot, but Gates of Olympus POP does at least stand out from its siblings, to a degree. Pragmatic Play has clearly designed this version with mobile players in mind, aiming at regions where smartphone gaming dominates, such as Asia and Latin America. In any case, it's coming across as a pocket-sized version that fits on a mobile device like a charm, while dialling up the feel-good factor. The bright Olympus, cheerful Zeus, and reduced layout give the game a casual and approachable personality, while still sticking to the core mechanics that made the original such a popular hit.

In fact, when allowing for the smaller grid size and fewer symbols, the gameplay hasn't changed much. Hits seemed to be quite plentiful, reflecting the lower volatility, which keeps the game moving along quite nicely. What's not small are the multiplier symbol values, and the largest one here (x1,000) is double the biggest found in the original Gates game, though smaller values are far more likely to connect with scatter-paying combinations. Winning potential has been blasted through the roof thanks to the POP symbol addition, and getting three POP symbols to land with three scatters is the game's main goal, similar in some ways to Pragmatic Play's Super Scatter titles, such as Sugar Rush Super Scatter or Starlight Princess Super Scatter, for example. The question did arise as to how potent Gates of Olympus POP can be without its POP symbols, though.

If the very thought of another Gates release causes your gorge to rise, then there is little Gates of Olympus POP does that will negate that reaction. If, on the other hand, a well presented stripped-down version of the Prag mega hit, with a chunky jackpot attached, sounds attractive, then even if Gates of Olympus POP might not replace the original, its new identity and pocket-sized action could be appealing. At the least, fans of the franchise may find a new way of enjoying the familiar features, while newcomers get an 'easier going' entry point into one of Pragmatic Play's most famous slot worlds.