Epic Gladiators: Best Slot and casino games review

Fans of mobile apps and arcade games have long appreciated games that provide points for aligning matching symbols. Online slot producers have also lately imitated the "cascading" features of Candy Crush, Bejeweled, and their numerous clones.

One such games with a progressive multiplier meter that fills up each time the player strikes a win line is Play'n GO's candy-themed slot, Sweet Alchemy. Even the well-known Bejeweled 2 software has been transformed by Blueprint Gaming into a real-money slot machine. While the basic reels in this game resemble any other 3x5 slot, the bonus game offers payouts if you align similar icons either horizontally or vertically.

Evoplay Entertainment is following a similar path but eschewing the gem and candy motifs. The Bejeweled 2 grid layout and progressive win meter are both used in the Ukrainian developer's Epic Gladiators video slot, along with some adorable cartoon characters for good measure. Let's take a deeper look to see if the title truly lives up to its "epic" label.

Epic Gladiators: How to play

One of the major gaming success stories from Kyiv is Evoplay Entertainment. Since their headquarters is in Ukraine, the group has been creating slots and table games for Internet casinos. Evoplay Entertainment is also pushing the envelope in terms of visuals.

Epic Gladiators still has a professional appearance, despite not having as spectacular 3D visuals as some of its other games. In actuality, it is more like a portable arcade game than a slot machine. But that doesn't diminish the straightforward gameplay in any way.

Theme

This online slot machine is focused on the exploits of a valiant gladiator and his team engaging in combat with a terrifying army of zombie warriors. As you play, the adorable heroes jump and slash their way around the reels.

Symbols are arranged in a 7x7 grid on the playing field. The symbols drop down the screen and stop when you press the Spin button. Any five identical symbols that are linked together either horizontally or vertically will explode. The symbols that are positioned above will drop into place, and the cascade will once more begin. Your payments will be greater the longer you can string victories together.

Players can choose from a variety of coins. The minimum bet is one cent, however, there are 10 different options.

Epic Gladiators: Bonuses

By placing matching symbols in a row or column on the reel grid, the player automatically earns real money. The greatest payouts are reserved for matching 15 symbols in a row; there are eight ordinary symbols to aim for.

The lowest monetary payouts are for the elements. The boulder stands in for the element earth. Five matching symbols get two coins, and 15 matching symbols earn 1,000 coins. While the cloud, which stands for air, pays up to 1,500 coins, the water drop pays three to 1,200 coins. A payout of seven to 2,500 coins can be won by selecting the fire symbol.

The gladiator icons are marginally superior. The helmet of our hero awards 8 to 3,000 coins for five to fifteen symbols. The sword (12-7000) and shield (10-5000) both provide something a little more substantial. The highest payout of 8,000 coins is given by the skeleton shield for 15 matching symbols.

Wild symbols are included in the free Epic Gladiators slot machine as well. The bomb in the game will take the place of all other ordinary symbols.

Epic Gladiators: Free spins

The charming cartoon figures that run about above the reels are amusing, but they actually have a purpose. A row of hearts may be seen if you look above the skeleton warriors' heads. The hearts vanish as you align symbols that match. The hearts will be replaced, though, if your streak of success comes to a stop.

Our gallant gladiator Kilevilus will have defeated the evil spirit if you are able to hit three wins in a row. If you continue to have consecutive successful spins, you may be able to eliminate three skeleton villains.

Now, killing one, two, or three bad guys will activate a free spins slots feature, awarding 10, 15, or 20 free games, accordingly. One gladiator is chosen at random to begin the round, and each of them has unique special abilities:

Maximus

You will receive free spins with a 2x multiplier from this cheeky fellow. The multiplier rises by one for each evil guy slain.

Wild Cricus

After each free spin, the soldier with the dome-shaped helmet will randomly replace three symbols with wilds. He will change one emblem with another for each demonic warrior he dispatches.

Spintacus

Finally, to aid in the formation of winning combinations, this gladiator will switch two random symbols for others. Again, a sign will change places for each skeleton he vanquishes in combat.

Epic Gladiators: Other epic slots

Players of apps have had access to Candy Crush and its imitations for many years. The Candy Crush game series is incredibly well-liked and has had billions of downloads. Fortunately, slot machine producers have caught on. There are already a number of trustworthy online slots with a comparable block structure that can be played for real money.

There is a slot machine named Graffiti: Block Pays in the Fugaso (Future Gaming Solutions) portfolio. Payouts are given for landing clusters of nine or more matching symbols on the 5x6 grid used for the game.

Block victories may at random result in a Clammy Win respin. While the leftover symbols respin around the matched symbols, they are held. This function allows you to entirely fill a set of reels with matching symbols. If you still want more bonus activity, participating casinos additionally offer a progressive jackpot on the Graffiti: Block Pays slot machine.

Don't discount the Bejeweled 2 slot from Blueprint Gaming, either. Up to $250,000 might be won in the bonus game when you place the maximum wager. Special diamonds can also randomly emerge and demolish adjacent symbols to produce larger prizes.

Epic Gladiators: Summary

If you enjoy playing 3D-graphical online slots, Evoplay Entertainment should be on your shortlist of companies to check out. Epic Gladiators may not have fancy cutaways or cinematic intros, but the gameplay more than makes up for it. The straightforward animation is delightful, especially the speech bubbles that appear to show the characters' dialogue.

Although there have been block pay slots for a while, none have had an original bonus trigger like Epic Gladiators. Try the game at a few reputable online casinos to get your own opinion. It's a turbulent slot machine, but there are plenty of coins to be won if you can endure the ups and downs prior to triggering free spins.