Ancient Eclipse is the second slot produced by Bang Bang Games, and it gives the reliable Mayan culture a modern makeover. Wrath of Gods, their debut, shared the studio’s fascination with antiquity but mostly went unnoticed after its release. The publication of Ancient Eclipse through Yggdrasil’s partnership program bodes well for the game’s visibility and the designer’s potential exposure to new audiences and more user engagement. Doing so increases the pressure on the team to produce better results.
They’ve attached the name of a major studio and made a slot that’s quite similar to Red Tiger’s Gonzo’s Quest Megaways and the original Gonzo’s Quest by NetEnt. It’s not the gameplay per se, but rather the setting in Central America and the design of the symbols. Flip your mobile device into portrait orientation to take in more of the temples and creepy vines in Ancient Eclipse. Playing in desktop mode, or landscape, reduces the sense of immersion. The tribal drums in the background are a lovely touch, as are the ambiance created by the sound effects. Both sonically and graphically, Ancient Eclipse succeeds, however it can’t shake the sensation that it’s all been done before.
The 5-reel, 50-payline Mayan adventure may be played on any device, with wagers ranging from 20 pence to $100 or €100. Thank you, Bang Bang Games, for being so forthright with all the data you could possible need. Good numbers include a return to player percentage of 96.53% and a hit frequency of once every 3.4 spins. Medium volatility is available to help individuals who want a challenge without a severe one. Don’t anticipate bonus games to fall like tropical rain, but be wary of the reasonably high free spins hit rate, which we estimate is within Bonanza area.
Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, Three Rock Sculptures, and Two Premium Masks are the first items on the paytable. A payment of four to five times the wager is offered for a line of five masks. Full screen winnings at this rate amount to just 250x the wager, which isn’t a lot but is manageable because to the game’s features and the fact that they may be enhanced by multipliers.
Slot Functions in the Ancient Eclipse
The purpose of the regular game and the bonus game is to amass Sun Frames, which may be used to add wild symbols to the reels. The system operates by placing a golden Sun Frame at the location where a moon symbol has landed. The Eclipse function is activated if a moon icon lands in a Sun Framed position. After that, we make all the unframed spots count as wins. The victory is increased by the product of the number of triggers and the total number of wins. In the original game, frames are deleted after being utilized.
The scatter is the feathered warrior, which appears on reels 2, 3, and 4. When 3 appear in view, the bonus game begins with 10 free spins. When you activate the free spins bonus, any active frame from the main game will be brought over to the bonus round and locked in place with fresh ones. Any remaining wilds from the previous spin will now have a Sun Frame locked onto their location at the beginning of each free spin. During the bonus round of free spins, the Sun Frames will stay in position for the entire time. One additional free spin is granted if a moon symbol appears but does not activate the Eclipse Feature.
Judgment of the Ancient Eclipse
The slot that Bang Bang Games has supplied has both good and bad elements, but the bad starts to outweigh the good after a time. To begin with, the game’s visuals are pleasing, the sound is excellent, and the mood is palpable. Bang Bang Games did a great job with those aspects. On paper, the game’s elements are exciting, but in practice, the experience rapidly becomes sluggish.
It appears that the Eclipse feature consumes a sizable portion of the Return to Player, thus players should try to land as many frames as possible while waiting for their free spins to activate. They can take a long time to activate, so be prepared to wait if you encounter a lengthy cold run. Even though 390 spins isn’t excessive, it’s still quite a while. If the core experience wasn’t so tedious, it wouldn’t be that horrible. Sun Frames under-deliver, with test-run winnings averaging approximately 30 times the wager. Meanwhile, the paylines were confusing and the payouts were little, so the bank account was steadily declining.
The moment the free spins kicked in was like reaching the top of the world’s largest step pyramid. Legs and glutes on fire, it was time to relax and enjoy the payoff. Unfortunately, the outcomes of the free spins were identical to those in the main game. When they were finished, it was difficult to refocus and return to work. However, in Ancient Eclipse’s favor, respectable potential exists, with a maximum win of 4,595 times the initial wager. The game also generates a thorough set of acceptable data, including potential, hit rate, and return to player percentage. However, they haven’t been implemented smoothly into the game. Playing Ancient Eclipse isn’t as much fun as it might be because something was lost in translation from the concept stage to the moment you click the spin button.
Comparing Ancient Eclipse to the Gonzo’s and other classics in this genre reveals significant shortcomings. The free spins, Eclipse feature, and general lack of variety in the gameplay all add up to a lack of excitement. It’s not that players won’t have any luck, but there don’t seem to be many advantages to choosing this game over others set in the South American jungle.