After becoming a big hit in land-based casinos, Microgaming has given 9 Masks of Fire the online slot treatment. Played using a 5 reel, 20 payline game engine, it comes with a bonus round that awards unlimited free spins where payouts are boosted by 2x or 3x multipliers. Mask scatters can also deliver big rewards. Land 9 of them on the same spin and a massive 2,000 times bet payout will be heading your play. Stakes in this African-themed adventure range from between 20p and £60 per spin.
Unfussy visuals
There’s a hint of Africa in 9 Masks of Fire but the design owes more to the classic fruity than the sub Saharan savannah. The reels include cherries, bars, bells and $ signs as well as single, double and treble bars. Land any combination of 3 or more bars to create a winner. Land 3, 4 or 5 of the triple bar and you’ll pocket an award of 2.5, 26.25 or 37.5 times your bet.
Wilds award up to 125 x bet
Complementing the standard symbols is the diamond which is the wild. This replaces everything bar the scatter and bonus symbols and also offer awards of up to 125 times your bet per payline.
Masks pay up to 2,000 x bet
Central to much of the best action here is the mask scatter. Land 3 or more of them on the same spin and you’ll pocket a bonus prize. This starts at 1 time your bet if you land 3 of them. Find 9 of them on the same spin and you’ll hit the jackpot and scoop a massive award equal to 2,000 times your bet. There are plenty of payouts in between too.
Free spins with payouts doubled or trebled
The other feature in 9 Masks of Fire is the Free Spins feature. It’s triggered by landing 3 free spins bonus symbols on the same spin. You’ll then get a spin of the free spins wheel. Depending on where the pointer lands, you’ll receive 10, 12, 15 or 20 free spins with a 2x multiplier or 25 or 30 free spins with a 30x multiplier. Land 3 free spins symbols results in a re-trigger – with no limits.
Medium volatility
9 Masks of Fire is a rather simple game. That’s the case with both the design and the gameplay. We’ve seen similar features in plenty of other video slots. The free spins, with 3x multipliers, could lead to 7,500 times bet wins on each free spin!
You won’t find much in the way of originality here. For classic, medium variance gameplay, you won’t go too far wrong with this online adaptation. If you want to play popular land-based video slots, IGT’s Cleopatra or Novomatic’s Lord of the Ocean would be my recommendation.
