Medusa: Fortune & Glory

Medusa: Fortune & Glory: Overview

Book a charter flight to the ever-popular shores of Ancient Greece in mythical slot Medusa: Fortune & Glory from Dreamtech Gaming. The last time we crossed paths with the Asian centric developer was with the fantasy-filled extravagance Ice and Fire. No not Fire and Ice from George R. R. Martin, but dragon lit all the same.

That one came out via Yggdrasil Gamings YGS Masters program, as does the subject of today’s review. Now, the storybook Medusa wasn’t exactly famous for fortune as such. She was more into turning wannabe heroes to stone just by looking at them. Will the present incarnation reverse the trend?

Well, it’s an attractive slot, which helps gets things off to a positive start. The 6-reel, 4,096 win ways grid is located in the sunny Aegean Sea where you can virtually smell the olive oil and feta in the air. Dreamtech Gaming has gone for a slot which is more cartoony than photorealistic, something that, along with the traditional greek soundtrack, helps brighten the mood. With a back catalogue full of cartoon/Manga/fantasy style slots, Dreamtech is a studio that has hammered the fantasy thing down to a fine art by now.

Playable from 10 p/c to $/€30 per spin, the RTP is rather generous at 96.62% while volatility hovers in the medium to high range. What is also quite high is a hit rate of 37.04%. So on average at least, more than a third of spins should produce a winner helping keep engagement up.

Prising open the paytable like a rusty old chest we find 9 pay symbols split into beasts and royals. Royals are rocky 10-A icons, while the premium beasts include Pegasus, a winged warthog, the Hydra, and the Minotaur. The mighty Minotaur ruled the Cretan Labyrinth, here, he rules the paytable. Not only is he worth 10x for 6 of a kind, but he also pays out when only two appear. The Medusa symbol is wild, so it can substitute for any regular pay symbol to help make a combo.

Medusa: Fortune & Glory: Features

Medusa: Fortune & Glory has several extras to be aware of. One is the Wild feature jazzing up play while two bonus games remained stashed away until they are triggered. Players can choose which one they would like to run, depending on whether extra wilds or multipliers are more to their taste.

Whenever a Medusa Wild symbol lands in a base game or bonus game spin, there is a chance it sparks the Spreading Wilds feature. If so, then Snake Wilds are added to the screen. Each Medusa Wild is capable of adding up to 3 Snake Wilds each to reels 2, 3, 4, or 5.

Wilds might keep the base game running along, but it’s the Parthenon style Bonus symbols you want. When at least 3 are in view, they trigger one of two Free Games – the Fortune Feature or the Glory Feature. Player’s choose the one they want, and the round begins.

If the Fortune feature is selected, players are given 6 chests to choose from. The selected chest reveals the number of awarded free spins - 8, 12, 15, 20, 30, or 40. Players then select one more chest from a different batch of 6 to collect a win multiplier of x2, x3, x5, x8, x10, or x20. Fortune free spins can be retriggered during the round with 10 extra spins awarded.

The second Free Game is the Glory feature. Like before, players choose two chests to reveal 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, or 20 free spins. The second chest choice provides extra wilds. Up to three regular symbols are selected to also act as wilds. This game can be retriggered as well with 10 extra spins awarded.

Medusa: Fortune & Glory: Verdict

Medusa: Fortune & Glory is more straight forward slot than others in the Dreamtech range, though all the better for it. It seems less emphasis was placed on creating something unusual, so more time was freed up to nail the fundamentals. The result is a visually appealing slot with nice features albeit a little light on anything hugely novel.

It is fun having the choice of two bonus games though. Dreamtech doesn’t mention whether the two games produce different stats or rewards, so it comes down to personal preference there. More wilds, or a win multiplier up to x20? It is a tough decision but a fun one to have all the same. Overall potential is actually another highlight of Medusa: Fortune & Glory. Officially, wins as high as 74,400 times the stake are possible, so the fortune part of the title is covered.

It appears the partnership with Yggdrasil is reaping positive rewards since the game is one of Dreamtech’s better releases. The graphics are top-notch, and the irreverent handling of what could have been a heavy mythological theme may help boost appeal. Medusa herself seems like she’s decked out for a night of clubbing with the girls in a split front dress rather than a session of solidifying heroes into rocks. The theme has been carried off well, perhaps Yggdrasil had some influence in that regard? Hard to be sure.

In summation, Medusa: Fortune & Glory possesses a lot more positives than negatives. Potential is there, while a couple of good bonus games lurk in the shadows waiting to be triggered. Overall, this is about as good a Medusa themed slot as you are likely to come across at the moment.