Astros

Astros: Slot Overview

Somewhere deep in the bowels of Red Tiger's workshop resides a department tasked with dreaming up weird and wonderfully new ways of entertaining gamblers, providing them with alternative methods for betting online. It's from these mysterious oubliettes of creative thought that games such as Astros arise. Okay, we made that up, but you never know; ideas spark from all sorts of environments, and Astros uses a method not often seen when playing online slots. In this game, the goal is to hit consecutive winners to unlock rows on a pyramid-shaped grid in order to reach its top prize, perhaps hitting a special Seven Prize bonus feature along the way.

When using a pyramid-shaped gaming grid, game makers are pretty stuck with using an Egyptian or a Central American theme, as these two parts of the world are strongly linked to structures of this shape. Or, there's always the choice of doing a volcano slot like Play' n GO's Gold Volcano or Push Gaming's Mount Magmas, perhaps. But no, Red Tiger has gone for an Egyptian flavour this time, meaning pyramids, gold light, and the exotic music typically heard in one of these slots, which Astros brings together in one logically constructed location.

The gaming area consists of 5 rows, which, from bottom to top, have 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3 symbol positions. Multipliers appear beside rows 2 to 5, and up top sits a 5,000x prize value, though this is not the game's maximum winning potential, far from it, actually. Astros takes bets of 10 c to $/€2 per spin, and this highly volatile machine comes with a default RTP of 95.72%.

As you can see from screenshots or videos, Astros is not your standard multi-reel simultaneously spinning slot. Each row is its own separate level, while the initial spin takes place on the bottom row. Symbols display bet multipliers of worth 0.1x to 100x. When at least 3 of the same kind hit, these symbols become active, and the prize from the first 3 matching symbols is awarded. However, if additional active symbols land, the amount displayed on them is added to the total prize. For example, hitting 3 of the 10x prizes awards 10x the bet, but landing another 10x symbol awards a total of 20x.

Landing 3 matching symbols on the first level unlocks the next level, and hitting at least 3 symbols of an active kind is needed on each level to unlock the next level. Symbols on level 2 or higher are only active if there are at least 3 of the same symbol type on the previous level, and landing less than 3 matching symbols on any level ends the spin, awarding the total win amount.

Astros: Slot Features

The extras to be found while playing Astros are its wilds, level multipliers, and Seven Prizes bonus.

Wild

Wilds may land on each level of the pyramid, and they substitute all symbols except the scatter symbol.

Level Multipliers

Each level except the first base level has a multiplier displayed to the right of it. Levels 2, 3, 4, and 5 have a multiplier of x2, x5, x10, or x50, respectively. When matching active symbols land on level 2 or higher, the amount added to the overall win is multiplied by the corresponding level's multiplier.

Seven Prizes Bonus

Bonus symbols may land on level 3. Landing at least 1 bonus symbol triggers the Seven Prizes bonus. In this bonus, bet multiplier prize symbols are shuffled on 7 positions. A random prize appears on all positions, and the overall amount achieved by the even prizes is paid out. Possible prize values for each of the 7 positions are 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x, 20x, or 100x. If more than 1 scatter lands on level 3, then the prize from the Seven Prizes bonus is multiplied by the number of scatters that triggered the feature. Landing 3 active symbols on level 5 unlocks the final 5,000x prize, which is added to the win accrued so far and the total paid out.

Astros: Slot Verdict

If Astros' aim was to be different, it certainly achieves its objective. It's not freakishly different, though, since a vaguely similar row-building action was already available in Rome Supermatch and Grim Reaper Supermatch from Nailed It! Games. Astros is a simpler slot than those two in some ways, though, possessing little in the way of special symbols or having masses of add-on features. The gaming largely boils down to trying to hit enough matching active symbols on successive rows in an attempt to gain the 5,000x prize at the top, collecting wins along the way, and building a final prize pot.

During the review, the top prize was not achieved, and it was tough to gain access to higher rows. For the majority of the time, progress would stall when hitting the second reel at best. When reaching the third row, the pace slows down so players can savour each position as it spins and lands symbols, building a bit of tension in the process. One can only imagine how intense the spinning on the top row of positions might be, as matching symbols tighten their grip on the 5,000x prize, or not, and players watch it slip through their grasp like trying to grab smoke. As mentioned, the prize up top is not Astros' full potential, though it would make a helpful contribution to achieving the 25,900x max win.

Players may find themselves staring at the bottom row, maybe the bottom two rows, for the majority of the time when playing Astros, throwing objects at the screen in an attempt to crack higher levels. But Astros' novel way of doing things, plus its substantial maximum winning potential, might provide the motivation needed to keep battling away in an attempt to stack rows in order to possibly reach it.