Chambers of Ancients

Chambers of Ancients: Slot Overview

Must be the day of portals. Not long after reviewing Pragmatic Play's Fire Portals, we've now got Play'n GO's online slot Chambers of Ancients, which displays what appears to be a portal in the background. There, the two games' similarities mostly end, with the exception that they both touch on metaphysical subjects. In Chambers of Ancients, this means Gods from a range of different cultures. According to the Net, there are something like 4,000 to 10,000 religions in the world. That's a lot, and several belief systems are represented in Chambers of Ancients, a slot which honours Gods with their own bonus chambers, as well as providing a hold 'n Coin feature and free spins.

Chambers of Ancients begins the session in a lovely outdoor spot bordered by towering mountains as Gods leap forth from a portal-type thing in the middle of a meadow. Bonus games take place in chambers which are decorated depending on what God triggered them, while free spins are held somewhere else, draped in Borealis lighting. The settings are almost as diverse as the list of Gods, meaning there is plenty for completists to tick off their lists. In general, the visuals are of a high standard, as is the haunting music, all fit for a slot focusing on five very different Gods.

In the base game and free spins round, play is held on a 5-reel, 3-row gaming area with 10 paylines for evaluating wins. Hitting the minus or plus buttons on the menu bar is how players may choose a stake suiting them of between 10 c and $/€100 per spin. Best be in the mood for a highly volatile slot when messing with Chambers of Ancients, and be aware that five RTP models are available, where the default value is 96.31%.

Coin wins would appear to be the most desirable method of evoking thrills, but regular line wins occur when matching symbols land along a payline on adjacent reels from the leftmost side. The pay symbols are 10 through A card ranks as lows, then Eset, Caishen, Ganesha, Athena, and Thor are the highs. Hitting a 5-of-a-kind royal win gets you 5 times the bet, no matter the type, while a line of 5 matching high pays is worth 10-30 times the stake. The golden star symbol is wild and appears on all reels, expanding onto their reels to help form more wins. The wild can substitute any regular pay symbol or award wins of itself worth up to 40x.

Chambers of Ancients: Slot Features

Line wins, they're okay, but bigger adrenal jolts are likely to come from features which are Bonus Keys, Bonus Chambers, and free spins.

Bonus Keys

Gods and the wild symbol have their own unique keys associated with them. The Wild master key substitutes for all keys. If 3 or more identical keys land on a single spin, a Bonus Chamber opens up. If 3 or more master keys land, all chambers are opened, one after the other.

Bonus Chambers

Bonus games are played on a 3x3 laid-out grid where Coins may land in each position. Here, 3 free spins are granted, and this number resets if a Coin lands in any position. Each chamber has different value Coins and all special Coins. Coins may be held and/or activate special abilities. If all positions are filled, Coins are counted, removed, then the free spins counter resets. The God Coins are Thor, Athena, Ganesha, Caishen, and Eset, awarding 25x, 12.5x, 7.5, 5x, or 2.5x the bet, respectively. The special Coins are these ones next, and they activate in the order of Mystery Coin, Value Booster Coin, Single Multiplier Coin, Multiplier Coin, and Collector Coin:

• Collector – removes value Coins and collects their values.
• Value Booster – reveals a random value, adds it to a Coin, then vanishes.
• Single Multiplier – applies a x2, 3x, 4x, or 8x to a single Coin then vanishes.
• Multiplier Coin – doubles all Coin values on the screen then vanishes.
• Mystery – reveals a special or a God Coin.
• Value Coins – award 0.1 to 5x the bet depending on the active bonus chamber.

Free Spins

Hitting 3, 4, or 5 mask scatters grants 8, 10, or 12 free spins, respectively. During free spins, all God symbols wear their masks and bring more keys, while all wild symbols bring their keys. Free spins can be retriggered, and it is possible to win up to 50 free spins. Free spins and bonus games can trigger on the same spin. In this case, bonus games play first, followed by free spins.

Chambers of Ancients: Slot Verdict

Isn't it a bit, not sure of the right word here, um, thought-provoking that there are so many different beliefs, but they tend to claim they are the one true system while all others are wrong? And it isn't even more, um, thought-provoking how people's beliefs are often shaped by where they grew up. Like, they are right; everyone else on this rock is wrong and destined for a boo afterlife. Maybe all belief systems contain a grain of truth, maybe none of them. Maybe all have evolved from the same root belief, a proto-truth that gives everyone who walks the planet the chance to touch divinity if they can see through the trappings to the grains of wisdom residing within?

Or something. Bringing things back to the now, for anyone intrigued by world beliefs, students of theology perhaps, Chambers of Ancients is quite a feast. Gamblers are well acquainted with slots starring Thor, Athena, or Caishen, for example, but getting them all together in place is far less common. Each God is linked to their own Bonus Chamber, but to be honest, they all look kind of the same and function the same, too. Not a criticism, just saying. The 3x3 grid might feel small for a streak respin style feature, but Chambers of Ancients squeezes good mileage out of it. Big thanks to the Collector or filling the screen for freeing up space, though all of the special Coins are helpful.

Big potential is on offer, too, as wins of up to 20,000x the bet are advertised. It's hard to visualise this playing out in real life, but ah, well, no one's arguing; that's the official figure to aim for. A rather significant total it is, too, and a fitting figure for a slot starring so many towering deities from across eras and countries, which may tempt hold 'n win players or those with an interest in the divine.