Athena Ascending
The Greek Goddess of strategic warfare is the star of the show in the Athena Ascending online slot. All of the symbolism and most of the background of this key Olympian are shown on the reels in this title with wild multipliers and an exciting free spins bonus round.
Casinos with Athena Ascending
- Athena Ascending
An Introduction to the Athena Ascending Slot
Of all of the Olympians, Athena is one that gets more attention than most because of her position in things. As such, many titles like Athena’s Glory are seen in the industry. However, the Athena Ascending video slot from Play’n GO offers up something special in this sub-genre.
One thing we love about this title is how much care was put into establishing Athena. So much of what makes up this very important goddess is expressed on the reels.
The incredibly clean look of this game is the first thing that really caught our attention. We’ve seen exceptional graphics from Play’n GO slots before, so that part isn’t surprising. However, when you see the white stone used for symbols and in the background, it creates a different kind of aesthetic that’s perfect for the theme. In particular, we love the tie-in for the color gold, which is what Athena is most associated with visually.
As one of the only beings that Zeus was afraid of, Athena was known for being a bit of a loner. That’s because all of the other gods and goddesses were advised to simply leave her alone. However, letting her just “do her thing” is a good way to look at this slot’s features as well. They are definitely value-packed and show up relatively often for some of the mechanics. Others may take longer between triggers but offer even better payout opportunities. In any case, the resulting play style is steady and smooth, much like her interactions in general.
Betting and Layout
Play’n GO set up this game’s betting arrangement to be particularly accessible. What’s more is that the format is pretty traditional when it comes to video slots. Additionally, this means players will be able to hop in and start playing without having to learn much. Here’s what you have to look forward to when enjoying this game:
- The grid size Play’n GO went with here is very common. It offers three rows across five reels separated by thin dividers for visual clarity.
- A total of 20 paylines have been included in this slot. That’s also a very common number, perhaps the most common. Accordingly, we expect players to be pretty comfortable with it.
- All lines pay from left to right here. Additionally, Play’n GO has left no option to change how many lines are used, so they’re all always activated.
- An ultra-low minimum bet size of €0.05 per spin is used here. Clearly this allows for pretty much all players to enjoy this title comfortably.
- However, if you want much larger sizes than this, then your wish is granted. Players can go for wagers worth as much as €100 per turn in this game.
Other Information
As much as the format and layout are straightforward and easy to play with, the volatility is as well. We place the volatility for this game as a whole in the medium range. Alternatively, you can think of it as average for the industry. This assessment comes from both balanced features and a fairly balanced (but slightly top-heavy) pay table. However, with the hit-rate being strong as well, it all evens out to around an average volatility. This means some swings but not an egregious amount on average.
One thing players will definitely want to take note of is that pays are not line-based. If they were, then figuring out your “coin size” with a €0.05 bet per spin could prove tricky. Instead of getting into those complications, Play’n GO went with the more straightforward approach. In this title, each win is a multiple of the amount wagered. This takes out the element of mental math that so many players complain about when calculating prizes.
Gameplay and Features for the Athena Ascending Video Slot
In other Greek mythology themed slots like Book of Helios, you run into a lot of atypical game mechanics. Those can be tricky to learn and sometimes alienate players. However, the Athena Ascending online slot appears to have been made straightforward and easy to learn on purpose. At the least, the developer here didn’t go out of their way to make things over-complicated to any degree.
Wild Multiplier Shields of Athena
Athena’s shield is a critical part of her mythology. It’s the same shield used to assist in killing Medusa, and it later absorbs her ability to turn people into stone. Additionally, it’s symbolic again of her desire to be protected and left alone to her craft.
In this case, her shield is the wild symbol. These wilds can appear on the second, third and fourth reels only. However, you aren’t really missing out much despite their absence on the first and last reels. That’s because they are also random wild multipliers.
Each shield wild symbol can show a random multiplier going up to the 4x level. When this happens, you will have any combination that includes that wild multiplied accordingly. If more than one appears in a single combination, these values multiply by each other. The end result is the potential for multipliers that go all the way up to the 64x level.
It’s also worth noting that this wild substitutes for everything but the scattered owl.
Scattered Owl Symbol Payouts
Speaking of the scattered owl, it shows up on all five of the game’s reels, unlike the wilds. This owl is a symbol of a certain type of reserved wisdom. That’s why it’s the animal always associated with Athena. Nonetheless, three or more of these owls anywhere on the game board lands you a payout.
- Five of a Kind – 500x
- Four of a Kind – 20x
- Three of a Kind – 1x
The five of a kind win for the owls is the best prize in the game. However, it’s worth noting that the scatter wins are a little easier to hit. That’s because they don’t have to land on specific paylines or reels.
Athena Ascending Free Spins
At least three scatters also trigger a set of free spins. This set of free spins is always set to five regardless of the number of scattered used. That may seem like a limited number of free turns. However, the value of each of these free spins is so high that it’s worth it when you see how they work.
The idea here is that you have a version of sticky wilds that fit the given game mechanics perfectly. When any wild symbol lands, it’s given a random multiplier of up to 4x as usual. However, if that multiplier was less than 4x, then the wild stays sticky in place for the following spin. Additionally, the multiplier increases by a factor of 1x for each subsequent turn. Once it hits 4x, it’s gone on the next free spin.
We love these incrementing sticky wild multipliers. They make it a lot easier to hit bigger winning combinations. Additionally, they make it much more likely to pick up several wins all on the same turn.
How to Win at Athena Ascending
The pay schedule for this game is more balanced than it seems. A lot of that has to do with the slightly above-average hit-rate for the regular game mode. Nonetheless, the volatility comes in around average, so no betting adjustments are necessary.
Our recommendation for players is to simply go with a size they’re comfortable with. Additionally, keep in mind that bet sizes down to the €0.05 level per spin are available. This can be an option for players who like starting with something small until they get used to a game.
Regardless of how you approach it, the swings are not excessive in this title. As such, you don’t have to worry about increasing or decreasing your bet sizing to adjust to anything.
Payout Structure for the Athena Ascending Online Slot
Athena herself offers a large 50x win for five of a kind. Remember again that these are multiples of the overall wager. They aren’t line-based wins. It’s also worth noting that Athena only needs two of a kind on a payline for a win. All other symbols need a minimum of three. However, since you can get wild multipliers on the second reel, these two of a kind Athena wins can be more common than you might think.
The flying horse Pegasus comes in next with a 5x win for five of a kind. Her helmet and vase aren’t far behind with payouts at the 4x and 3x level for five, respectively. Additionally, the scroll with an owl on it pays 2x for five of a kind. Do not confuse these with the owl scatter.
At the lower end of the pay table, Play’n GO made it easy to remember the payouts and prizes. That’s because they’re all the same for each of the five card rank symbols. However, something we love is how the A, K, Q, J and 10 all have the same white stone appearance that we gushed about over the background and general presentation of the game. This makes them fit in perfectly. Accordingly, five of a kind of any of these earn you a 1x prize.
Overview
Players will find that this title is really easy to jump right into. However, if you’d like something a bit more complicated, then the Poseidon’s Rising slot will likely do the trick. It has more mechanics and more to keep up with than the Athena Ascending slot.
Play’n GO did a tremendous job with the presentation of this game. Additionally, we like how they kept the feature set easy to learn while still offering some strong payouts. That’s a great approach that has led to a game that we think most players will love even if they aren’t crazy about Greek mythology.
FAQ
Which online casinos have Athena Ascending?
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What is the Return to Player (RTP) for Athena Ascending?
The Athena Ascending RTP is 96.0%. An RTP of 96.0% puts Athena Ascending among slots with an average Return to Players. To be a high RTP slot it would have to be 98% or more.