ABOUT THE GOLD SLOT IN ECUADOR
Competition is a good thing in any field, and it’s no different in the realm of online slots. Other gaming studios have been rushing to keep up since BTG blew everything wide open with their innovative Megawaysâ„¢ technology and its super-sized ways to win model. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,’ according to some, which is why Blueprint and Red Tiger have licensed the Megawaysâ„¢ engine.
However, the problem for ELK, and I’m sure others, has been to create their own version of the random growing reels gameplay. And here it is, Ecuador Gold, a magnificent adventure slot. It has a stunning design and typical avalanche winnings gameplay, in which the reel set extends with each subsequent win, up to a maximum of 8 rows high, for a total of 262,144 ways to win.
Wilds abound, as do several super-sized symbols, but there are no progressive multipliers (fans of Bonanza-type action may be disappointed). Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic attempt and one of our favorites in 2019.
SYMBOLS, GAMEPLAY, AND PAY TABLES
Paytable for the Ecuador Gold Slot Machine
Ecuador Gold is set in what appears to be an underground temple, with massive pillars on either side of the reel set and a shrine lit by a fire. To begin, the images are magnificent, and then the reel symbols appear, each a stone tablet carved with its own patterns.
There are a total of 12 symbols: eight low-value ones with crosses, suns, birds, snakes, and reptiles, and four high-value ones that resemble sun gods, as well as Kane, the hero character.
Kane is the best bet, paying off 3x on a six-payline bet.
You should also keep an eye out for the wild sun symbol, which appears as a ghosting sign that drifts across the reels as it lands, leaving a trail of wilds in its wake to increase your chances of winning.
All symbols can be super, mega, or epic in size — that is, 22, 33, and 44 – to increase your chances of winning. As they land, they will knock other smaller symbols out of the way, resulting in more avalanches and more opportunities to win.
BONUSES AND FEATURES
AVALANCHE REELS
The avalanche winnings feature is crucial in the Ecuador Gold game since it fuels the expanding reels action, which increases the slot’s win possibilities.
When a win line emerges at the conclusion of a spin, as anybody who has played Gonzo’s Quest or any of the other innumerable Avalanche / Cascading Wins games knows, the winning symbols are eliminated and replaced with new ones. This method is repeated until there are no more winning lines. This allows you to win numerous times on a single spin.
The distinction is that the reel set increases by one row with each consecutive win, resulting in more win lines as follows:
- There are 4,096 ways to win in four rows.
- There are 15,625 ways to win in 5 rows.
- There are 56,656 ways to win in six rows.
- There are 117,649 ways to win in 7 rows.
- There are 262,144 ways to win in 8 rows.
BONUS DROPS FOR FREE
Ecuador Gold has a Free Drops (Spins) feature that is triggered by three or more Bonus scatters in the following order:
If you get three scatters, you’ll get ten free spins.
- 15 free spins if you get 4 scatters.
- 20 free spins if you get 5 scatters.
- 25 free spins if you get 6 scatters.
During the Free Drops round, the extended reel set will remain expanded for the length of the round, even if a losing drop occurs. This can greatly boost your odds of earning larger prizes, up to the game’s 2,500x maximum payout.
THE VERDICT OF THE SLOT BUZZ
So, ELK has released their version of Megawaysâ„¢, and although it’s not the feature-rich, ultra-high-variance monster slot that fans of Bonanza and White Rabbit may be looking for, it’s still a very slick looking beast. There are no mystery symbols or multipliers. Rather than being random, the reel growth is linked to the avalanche wins, which is a clever strategy. While there won’t be any ridiculous large win videos from this game – the maximum payout is only 2,500x – it still looks like a lot of fun, and we’ll be giving it a good run in the coming months.
