ABOUT
Popiplay continues its reputation for crafting immersive, visually striking, and feature-rich slot experiences with Curse of Echnaton. A game transports players into the mystical sands of ancient Egypt, delivering huge winning potential of up to 10,000x the bet.
Rather than leaning on the overused tropes of pyramids and scarabs, this slot draws thematic inspiration from the cult of Pharaoh Akhenaten, known for his revolutionary monotheism and mysterious legacy. Combined with fun gameplay, this original slot is a fresh breeze on the oversaturated iGaming market.
Betting & Bonus Options
Set against the backdrop of Amarna, this 8x8 grid slot with cluster pay system immerses players in the enigmatic world of Pharaoh Echnaton. With high volatility and a generous RTP of 97.14%, the game offers a compelling blend of rich visuals, innovative mechanics, and the allure of a 10,000x max win.
The slot's design captures the essence of ancient rituals and hidden treasures, promising an engaging experience for both casual players and high rollers. Both group can enjoy it equally due to a wide betting range suitable for all budgets.
What sets this game apart from other cluster-based slots is the Curse Chain feature. Up to 5 colored marks can appear randomly on the grid. If a win includes a marked spot, a feature corresponding to the color activates after the cascade.
Multiple features play out in a fixed order, one after another:
- Blue Curse Blast - triggered a respin after all cascades end.
- Pink Gems Destroyer - transform all instances of one random symbol on the grid to Wilds when a Wild symbol is a part pf a winning combination.
- Yellow Double Doom - adds several 2x2 blocks of a random symbol to random positions on the grid.
- White God Symbol - adds one ore more blocks of matchings symbols sized 3x3, 4x4 or 5x5 to the grid.
- Green Wild Crypt - replaces 5 to 15 random symbols with Wilds.
Pharaoh Returns
The centerpiece of the game is the Pharaoh Returns, a dynamic bonus round that is charged over time as players collect specific symbols during the base game. This multi-level bonus games triggered when 100 or more winning symbols are collected in a single spin.
All modifiers from the Curse Chain feature are then assigned and activated one by one in the same fixed order. Additionally, five tiers of multipliers with values ranging from 2x to 16x, can be activated by reaching specific milestones during the bonus game:
- 100 winning symbols - trigger a 2x win multiplier
- 105 winning symbols - trigger a 4x win multiplier
- 115 winning symbols - trigger a 8x win multiplier
- 125 winning symbols - trigger a 12x win multiplier
- 135 winning symbols - trigger a 16x win multiplier
A closed sarcophagus next to reels shows the progress bar and tracks the current symbol count. During this feature, no additional features can be triggered as color marks are not present. The bonus game ends if no consecutive wins are achieved and the next threshold is not reached, as well as after all final fifth-level wins are collected.
Like most Popiplay’s slots, this one also comes with Bonus Buy option. At a cost of 105x the bet, players can trigger Pharaoh Returns bonus game with all Curse Modifiers and a 2x to 16x multiplier.
Roshtein's Take
Popiplay have some amazing slots in its sleeves and Curse of Echnaton is certainly one of them. I really like their visuals and design, while the gameplay is fun, but sometimes lacks a bit of boost. Like in this slot, the absence of the free spins round is noticeable.
Still, the Pharaoh Returns is a great new addition and a way to mix things up. My favorite, Bonus Buy option is there, so all in all - Curse of Echnaton slot gets a high passing grade.
