Indian-themed Ivory Citadel slot released at Microgaming casinos

Game developers are always looking into ways to appeal to the Asian market and Microgaming has been one of the most prolific producers of games that are designed to appeal to this part of the world.

They have already produced a few cracking Asian-themed games and now there could be another with the release of the new Ivory Citadel slot.

One slight difference to the majority of Asian-themed slots is that this slot focuses more on the Indian sub-continent with the types of creature featuring in the game, the look and the sound all having a strong Indian flavour. That's great because while east Asian influences are numerous from Microgaming, Indian titles are fewer in number.

The setting is the verdant forests of the subcontinent and it appears that the creatures that roam the country are the main inspiration behind the slot. The slot is a standard 5x3 reel game, with 20 pay lines in play. Spins start at just 0.10, which is good value for a 20-line game, but you can ramp that up considerably to 100.00 per spin if you prefer.

So how does the new Ivory Citadel slot shape up? We decided to take a look to find out.

Overview

• Game: Ivory Citadel
• Developer: Just For The Win (for Microgaming)
• Reels: 5x3
• Pay Lines: 20 (non-selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.10
• Maximum Bet: 100.00
• Jackpot: 1968.9x
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Medium

Presentation

The presentation on the Ivory Citadel slot is very nicely done. The backdrop is of what looks like a large limestone Karst, which is covered in forest and vegetation. The reels are superimposed over this and are transparent so you can still see the picture in the background. It isn't a dynamic picture, which is a pity, but it is pleasing on the eye.

The sound is also nicely done, taking a generally Indian sounding ambience and giving it a bit more of a westernised rhythm. The resulting mix is a blend of cultures and, although this could have been a bit of a mess, it actually works very well, creating a sense of awe and wonder. The animations in the game are also nice and smooth, with flames highlighting the winning symbols on any spin being a nice touch.

Overall, as we have come to expect from Microgaming, this is a pretty nifty slot in many respects with the usual high standard when it comes to production values.

What is on the reels?

There are a few different symbols on the reels and they start with the four lowest value symbols, which are the playing card symbols. They range from the Jack through to the Ace and they offer wins ranging from 0.3x your stake up to 4x your bet.

The higher value symbols on the reels, of which there are also four, ate the snake, the buffalo, the tiger and lastly, the Ivory Citadel logo, which is the highest paying standard symbol in the game. Wins on these symbols range from 0.8x your bet up to 20x your bet on a single pay line.

What should be noted here though is that all the eight lower value symbols can be stacked up to three high on the reels, and as such, you can win across multiple pay lines to increase the total value of a win.

Wild features

It is easy to spot the Wild symbol as it is the one on the reels that has the word Wild written large across the front of it! It can be used with standard symbols to help create winning lines as a substitute symbol, but as it also appears across all five reels, it can also generate wins too. Wild wins are among the biggest in the game starting at wins of 2.5x your bet for three on the reels, going up to 20x your bet for five across the reels.

One positive with the Wild symbol is that it does land on the reels very frequently, so you can pick up some decent value wins when you land one, or especially more, across the reels on a single spin.

The other bonus symbol on the reel is the Mystery Symbol, which is the question mark. When this lands in the base game, it will transform randomly into one of the standard symbols or if you are lucky, the Wild, in the game. This can lead to additional wins (if you can match with other symbols across the reels). However, during the Free Spins bonus, the Mystery symbol does have a more significant role as we will explain below.

Free Spins features

The elephant symbol is the Free Spins (Scatter) symbol and if you land three, four or five of the Scatter anywhere across the reels, then you will trigger 8, 10 or 12 Free Spins respectively. However, be warned that you do have a lot of 'near misses' with this symbol, hitting two but not the third, which is a little frustrating.

When you do land Free Spins, then for this bonus round, the Mystery Symbols will turn into Sticky Mystery Symbols and they will remain in play on the reels. If you can turn a reel all into a Mystery Symbol during the bonus, then this will turn that reel completely Wild and it will remain in place for the rest of the bonus round.

Obviously, the more reels you can turn Wild, the better your chances of landing one of the bigger value wins on the slot.

Best feature of the Ivory Citadel slot

The Ivory Citadel slot has a lot of good features and it works very well together as a slot. While the Free Spins bonus round is undoubtedly the most lucrative part of the game, it can be a little difficult to hit and I think over the longer term, those important Wild symbols are the key feature in the game as they are the key to some of the better value wins in the base game.

Conclusion

Ivory Citadel, as you have come to expect from Microgaming, is a very highly polished slot and it is one that works very nicely. The slot is simple to follow, can be played for smaller or larger stakes and offers a nice mix of low and higher value wins as a good medium variance slot should. It may lack a huge jackpot prize, but it is engaging and playable and is certainly one of the better slots I have played in recent times.

You can play the Ivory Citadel slot at any of the casinos here on MegaMoolah.com!