Champions of Rome Free Play in Demo Mode by Yggdrasil Gaming

Champions of Rome review

Theme and Storyline

"Are you not entertained?" bellows Russell Crowe at an arena full of blood thirsty Romans in Ridley Scott’s 2000 blockbuster Gladiator. Whether or not the gladiatorial blood lust comes through in Yggdrasil Gaming’s Champions of Rome might be up for debate, but its attempt certainly manages to be entertaining on the surface.

Set in the world of Roman arena combat. Champions of Rome provides the player with a range of competitors for the role of champion of the colosseum.

Graphics, Sounds and Animations

This is an Yggdrasil Gaming slot machine which means the design will be impeccable even in one of their minor slots, as this undoubtedly is. Though not as flashy as some of their output, when matched against most slots, the music, visuals and programming are top quality.

Gameplay

The main game for Champions of Rome almost feels like an afterthought to the complex options for the bonuses (details below). It is a pretty normal five reel slot machine, with an almost painfully low rate of payouts.

This probably explains why the option was included to bypass the main game altogether and buy your way into the bonus directly.

This innovation means that for those with the bankroll to stomach 1,000 coins per bonus round, can really jump in and enjoy the high risk, high reward bonus rounds exclusively.

Wilds, Bonuses and Free Spins

Once you have bought into the bonus round you are presented with a choice. Training or Deathmatch, the key difference here is that in Training you get 8 free spins and keep all your winnings regardless of the outcome. In Deathmatch you must win 450 coins minimum or else lose it all (this is not quite true, there is a consolation prize randomly assigned from between 40 and 200 coins or five Training bonus spins).

In Deathmatch you get a further choice between higher multipliers and fewer spins and more spins at a lower multiplier.

To add further variety, you are then assigned a random gladiator who will each give you four Wilds in various patterns every spin. If the Wild lands on the Beast symbol, they will also give you an extra Free Spin.

Free Spins can be triggered from the main game (along with a coin prize) by hitting three or more of the "Free Spins" Scatter symbols.

Wilds play as any symbol except the Scatter symbol.

Bet Sizes, RTP and Variance

The return to player is a middling 96.40%. This would be pretty average apart from the fact that by choosing the higher multiplier bonuses you can turn this from a medium volatility slot into a high volatility slot.

On the site we tested you can buy into the bonuses for as little as £/$/€5.00 with a maximum cost of £/$/€2,500.00.

The main game, if you opt to play as you would on another slot, offers a spread of betting options from £/$/€0.10 per spin up to £/$/€100.00 per spin. As a result, this is going to work for bankrolls of almost any size.

Conclusion

The main appeal of this game is the ability to buy into the exciting and varied bonuses. If you chose to play the main game, you get a rather slow and very typical Rome themed slot machine.

However, opting to play the bonuses transforms this slot machine into a delight that we can recommend. Just remember to follow our slot strategies and go high variance with your game choices.