Mesoamerica, where the Mayans made their home, has been called a “cradle of civilization” by some scholars. Ancient Egypt, China, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome are among the numerous potential cradles from throughout the world. These regions have not only proven fruitful for the growth of civilizations, but also for the expansion of online slot games. The Mayan Stackways slot machine, developed by Hacksaw Gaming, is set in the heart of the American continent.
Although the concept of Mayan slots is not new, rarely have I seen one that looked as vivid as Mayan Stackways. The biggest culprit is the panting and puffing zombie chieftain who has been lurking off to the right. However, without him, Mayan Stackways would seem much like a dozen other Mayan/Aztec-themed slot games, with a dense forest and elaborate sculptures. When played on a tablet or mobile device, for instance, the zombie figure is severely underrepresented on the screen. When playing on a PC, Mayan Stackways has an ambience comparable to games like Hand of Anubis and Stormforged, demonstrating Hacksaw Gaming’s versatility.
Exploring Mayan Stackways further, we discover a mathematical model with an overall volatility rating of 4 out of 5, or medium-high, however this might change based on feature purchase. The RTP varies as well, although the baseline is 96.23% when wagering between 10 pence and £/€100 on each paid play. The slot machine has a win-all-ways pay structure rather than paylines, with a maximum of 100,000 possible payways, and is played on a 5-reel, 4-row grid matrix set against a stone wall. Wins are made when identical symbols appear on adjacent reels, clockwise from the leftmost reel.
A player can win 0.7 times their wager for lining up five low-paying 10s to A’s across all five reels, or 2 to 4 times their wager for lining up five high-paying animal statues or character symbols. Although there is no wild in Mayan Stackways, players will have the chance to hit a number of different bonus symbols.
Slot Games with Mayan Stackways
The Stackways emblem is one of the game’s unique icons and a crucial part of the Mayan Stackways experience. Watch out for Stackways, but also for Stack Spins, the Mayan Gold Bonus feature, A Golden Opportunity, and the bonus buys.
Stackways
When a Stackways symbol appears, it can create further winning combinations of up to ten identical symbols across all active reels. More opportunities to win thanks to a maximum of one hundred thousand spins when all symbols are active. The stacking of symbols is determined by which ones would result in the longest line. If more than one icon meets the requirements, a random icon will be selected. When a win is possible, and only one type of symbol is piled on all reels, stacking occurs.
Spinning Stacks
Free Stack Spins are triggered when 3 Skull scatter symbols appear anywhere in the main game. A greater number of Stackways icons may appear during Stack Spins. In addition, the Reel Activator sign activates its reel when it appears, making it absolutely certain that a Stackways symbol will appear on that reel for the duration of the round. If you get three Skull symbols, you’ll get four more free games.
The Mayan Gold Extra Game
This bonus round is triggered by getting 4 Skull scatter symbols anywhere in the main game. In this case, you’ll want to see Coin symbols fall into place, since they’ll add to a reel counter above them. Coins made of bronze are worth 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, while coins made of silver are worth 10 or 20, and coins made of gold are worth 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, or 1,000. If a multiplier symbol appears above a winning combination on a reel, that combination will be multiplied by 2, 3, 4, or 5.
Each Coin has the value shown above the reel when a Stackways symbol lands on a reel. A stacked reel stops spinning after the stack is complete. When a Collect scatter symbol appears, however, all Coins on the locked reels are collected and added to the Vault. Gaining access to the stacked reels requires collecting Coins. When all reels are blocked by stacked Coins, the bonus round will terminate. Then, the total value of the piled Coins and the Vault are distributed.
A Priceless Chance
The Mayan Gold Bonus is activated by landing 5 Skull scatters, and each value above the reels begins at 50. This bonus is available both during regular gameplay and during the FeatureSpins bonus rounds.
Additional Purchase Bonus
The extra purchase unlocks four unique play styles for Mayan Stackways. This includes:
Each BonusHunt FeatureSpin increases your chances of triggering a bonus game by a factor of five. It’s very unpredictable, costs 3 times the stake, and has a maximum return to player of 96.33%.
With StackWays FeatureSpins, you’ll always get at least two Stackways symbols on the reels. You may expect to lose 40 times your initial wager, and the maximum return to player is only 96.27%.
Stack Spins has a maximum RTP of 96.32%, costs 110x the stake, and is extremely volatile.
Mayan Gold has a max RTP of 96.32%, a medium volatility, and a maximum payout of 200x the wager.
The Maya Stackways Judgment on the Slot
Even though the Mayan theme is new for the developer (albeit Aztec Twist might be seen as a reasonably close relative), the gameplay in Mayan Stackways is classic Hacksaw Gaming. But there are also extensions and improvements upon the established norms. Hacksaw Gaming is a company known for its proficiency in designing, modifying, and implementing a wide variety of game parts, therefore this method is par for the course for them. The Stackways icon is one of the new features. Although some may draw comparisons to the xSplit mayhem that Nolimit City has been unleashing for some time now, Stackways is its own unique beast. The growing full reel symbols are reminiscent to those in a ‘Ra’ game. Here, though, it counts as anything from two to ten symbols, and it changes into the symbols that provide the longest victory. That’s not too awful.
Now let’s play some of the Mayan Stackways’ extra games! Since Stack Spins are essentially the primary game, but with a slightly increased probability of Stackways symbols floating around, it is like switching gears. That is, until you get an Activator sign or symbols, which guarantees that Stackways will fall. Mayan Gold Bonus (and A Golden Opportunity) is a standard Hacksaw Gaming feature. The idea of stacking multipliers above the reels first emerged in a few Hacksaw Gaming slots around the release of Chaos Crew. For those who like pirates to Maya, Cursed Seas was also published around the same time.
Nonetheless, Hacksaw Gaming isn’t the kind to recycle the same old additions. Fans of this genre should give Mayan Stackways a try, particularly for the gathering Coins/stacking sticky Coins bonus. Hacksaw Gaming has tinkered with the rules even again, resulting in a modernized take on the original. The information panel makes it obvious that in the main game, Stack Spins, and Mayan Gold game types, the maximum win is 10,000 times the wager. Good news for those who want to try their luck at a well-designed slot that builds on some of Hacksaw Gaming’s earlier ideas while providing some fresh and fascinating twists of their own.
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