Sword of Ares
Pragmatic Play’s Sword of Ares is a mythological-themed game, released as the direct sequel to the commercially successful Gates of Olympus title. Expect nothing short of bloodlust and fierceness when the Greek god of war is the protagonist of a slot. You can find a comprehensive breakdown of the gameplay and bonus features here in our Sword of Ares review.
Casinos with Sword of Ares
- Sword of Ares
An Introduction to Sword of Ares
This slot offers an interesting representation of Ares, the son of Zeus and Hera. While Gates of Olympus focused on the character of Zeus, Sword of Ares has the god of war at the centre of attraction. And like the prequel, an animated Ares also stands by the reels, against a background of majestic Ancient Greek architecture.
However, this time, the casino software developer introduces Bomb symbols that explodes on the reels and triggers the multiplier feature. There are more details about this special element when you read the rest of our Sword of Ares slot review.
With the tumble mechanic in place, winning or exploding symbols can bounce off the reels and trigger multipliers for improved wins.
Betting and Layout
Sword of Ares has a 6×5 grid layout and adopts the scatter pays mechanic on winning combinations. Visually, the slot is surrounded by an other-worldy atmosphere, while the symbols feature gemstones and items of war from Ancient Greek civilisation.
You can bet with a minimum stake of 0.20 and a maximum wager of 100 credits. The Sword of Ares RTP ranges from 94.44% to 96.40% in the base game. Using the Buy feature (where available) to trigger free spins causes the Return to Player value to dip slightly to 96.39%.
The Sword of Ares volatility is high, with a developer rating of 5/5. It also promises a maximum payout of 10,000x for the luckiest players. Beyond rewards, the slot boasts excellent graphics and a suspenseful soundtrack.
Key Information
| Developer | Pragmatic Play |
| RTP | 96.40% |
| No. Reels | 6 |
| No. Rows | 5 |
| Volatility | High |
| Min. Wager | 0.20 |
| Max. Wager | 100 |
| Max. Payout | 10,000x |
| Our Verdict | 70% |
Gameplay and Features
With four features, there’s not much to expect from Sword of Ares in terms of gameplay twists. But it does just about enough to keep the excitement at an optimum level.
For instance, the tumble mechanic causes winning symbols to disappear, while other icons on the reels drop down to fill the empty spaces.New symbols may tumble continuously to form winning combinations until there are no more matching symbols.
Bomb symbols also help trigger better wins. There are horizontal, vertical, cross and X-shaped bombs. Each bomb explodes and removes symbols, depending on its pattern. For instance, a cross bomb removes symbols appearing along a cross shape, while an horizontal bomb clears out all symbols in a horizontal line.
Multipliers
You can also take advantage of the multiplier feature. Landing a certain number of symbol combinations activates the three multiplier values. Once a tumble is completed, your win is multiplied by the highest multiplier value you unlock.
Symbols removed by a bomb are also added to the multiplier collection meter. Here’s how many symbols unlock the multipliers.
- 20 symbols unlock 2x, 3x or 4x multipliers
- 50 symbols unlock 5x, 6x, 7x or 8x multipliers
- 100 symbols unlock 9x to 15x multipliers
Regular Symbols
Base game symbols fall into two broad categories, which are gemstones and items of war.
In the order of ascending value, you’ll find purple, blue, green, pink and turquoise gemstones. The higher paying symbols are a sword, shield, chariot and a helmet. You’ll also come across four bomb symbols that explode in the base game and free spins mode.
Scatter Symbols
An icon featuring the image of Ares and the word “SCATTER” is the scatter symbol in this slot. Landing four or more Ares scatters trigger the free spins mode. You can also win 3x your bet when you land four scatter combinations or up to 100x if six scatters appear on the reels.
Wild Symbols
Unfortunately, unlike many other casino slots, wild symbols do not appear anywhere on the reels of this game. But safe to say, the scatters and bomb symbols do a good enough job so that the absence of a wild symbol goes unnoticed.
Sword of Ares Free Spins
Landing four or more scatter symbols triggers the free spins mode in Sword of Ares. If you’re outside the UK, you can also enter the free spins mode by using the Buy Free Spins feature. It costs 100x your total bet but for the ease of skipping the long wait of scatters, it’s a good deal.
In free spins mode, you need fewer symbols to unlock multipliers and there are also three more values.
- 15 symbols unlock 2x to 4x multipliers
- 27 symbols unlock 5x to 8x multipliers
- 39 symbols unlock 9x to 15x multipliers
- 55 symbols unlock 16x to 25x multiplier
- 85 symbols unlock 26x to 50x multipliers
- 235 symbols unlock up to 500x multipliers
How to Win at Sword of Ares
Thanks to the scatters, you simply need to land more than eight symbol combinations anywhere on the reels to win. You should also try to get into the free spins mode as it offers easier access to multiplier rewards.
We also recommend playing Sword of Ares free in demo mode, at any of our top-rated online casinos. By practicing this way first, you can sharpen up your strategy before risking any cash. Further, when you’re ready to play for real, these sites offer enticing deposit bonuses like free spins to help boost your bankroll.
Payout Structure for Sword of Ares
You’ll earn between 1x to 3x your bet whenever you land 12 or more gemstone symbols. The helmet is the highest paying symbol, promising a win of 20x for up to 30 clusters. But for hitting at least 12 chariot symbols, the reward is 10x your bet.
Conclusion
There is no significant difference between the interface and graphics of Sword of Ares and its predecessor, Gates of Olympus. However, the maximum payout here is double what you would obtain on the prequel, even though the RTP is slightly lower.
Pragmatic Play also does a near perfect job combining the tumble mechanic with a scatter pays technique. Overall, it’s an enjoyable game, tying up all the obvious loose ends in its prequel.
FAQ
Does Sword of Ares have a free spins feature?
Yes, there is a free spins feature in this slot. You’ll need to land at least four scatters to trigger it.
What is the Sword of Ares volatility?
The slot is highly volatile, and it is rated 5 out of 5 by Pragmatic Play.
What is the max win of Sword of Ares?
Lucky players stand a chance of taking home a maximum win value of 10,000x.
Can I play Sword of Ares for free?
Of course. Visit any of the recommended casinos listed in this review to enjoy the Sword of Ares demo. There, you can play the game for free, without risking real money.
Who makes the Sword of Ares slot game?
Pragmatic Play is the developer behind this mythological slot and its prequel.
Can I play Sword of Ares on my mobile or tablet?
Yes. Thanks to HTML5 technology, you can play from your smartphones and tablets. The game is available on mobile devices running iOS, Android and Windows operating software.
Which online casinos have Sword of Ares?
Use the list of Sword of Ares casinos to see all online casinos that have Sword of Ares. We filter the casino top list to only show Sword of Ares casinos that accept players from your location.
What is the Return to Player (RTP) for Sword of Ares?
The Sword of Ares RTP is 96.40%. An RTP of 96.40% puts Sword of Ares among slots with an average Return to Players. To be a high RTP slot it would have to be 98% or more.