Adventure-themed slots aren’t exactly groundbreaking. The idea of some khaki-shrouded chancer making off for mysterious tombs and perilous jungles in search of treasure has been done over and over. Yet despite that, Jackpot Raiders was the most fun I had on a slot in a very long time.
The 5 reel, 20 payline game from Yggdrasil goes way beyond the call of duty to bring players an adventure that they’re actually a part of, rather than just watching from the sidelines. Has this piqued your interest yet? Read on to learn more.
A man who looks suspiciously like Sean Connery, but goes by the name of Sir Bear Buckingham, spills across the reels, staring into the distance at who knows what. He’s accompanied by an auburn-haired female explorer shouldering a rather nasty-looking knife and looking extremely pleased with herself. Our heroine goes by the name of Sam Campbell.
We join this duo on a series of adventure quests, and the experience is particularly immersive. The two treasure hunters are found side by side across the reels with 4 card suit symbols designed as maps, backpacks and a compass scatter symbol designed to help you trigger the various features (and there are many of these – we’ll go through each one below).
The slot doesn’t come with any wilds, which does concern me in terms of frequency of wins. There’s a definite jungle theme with the graphics, and the grid is set in a room much like the one Tarzan found himself abandoned in. The slot’s special features are interspersed with some impressive animation that really pulls the gamer in, causing them to commit further to sticking around for further spins. Smart.
Gameplay
Jackpot Raiders has to be the most visually spectacular slot I’ve played to date. And this incredibleness really shines during the special features. I cannot overstate the immense enjoyment I took from triggering one of the many features, which allowed me to actually participate in Bear and Sam’s adventure. Read on to understand what I’m gushing about.
Jackpots
With a name like Jackpot Raiders you’d be correct to assume that jackpots form a big part of gameplay. There are 5 different progressive jackpots to play for:
The Forgotten Jackpot pays C$40 or more
The Rare Jackpot offers pays C$200 or more
The Mythical Jackpot pays C$600 or more
The Ancient Jackpot pays C$1,500 or more
The Legendary Jackpot pays C$15,000
And how do you win these enticing cash prizes? Well, each jackpot corresponds to a different colored gem. To be in with a chance for one of the five, you’ll need to trigger the Jackpot Free Spins feature. This will give you 10 free spins, starting with a 3x multiplier. Over these spins your goal is to collect five gems of the same color and then bam, you’re a winner.
Free Spins
There are 4 possible routes into triggering Free Spins in this slot. One of these is the Jackpot Free Spins described above.
There’s also the Sunken City free spins round which is triggered by landing 5 of the ancient relic symbols across the reels in the Treasure Hunt Bonus Game described below. As with the jackpot spins bonus, you’ll receive 10 Free Spins, but with the added kicker of a 10x multiplier.
You can also land 3 scatters (represented by a compass) and you’ll have another opportunity for free spins in the Pick & Click Chest feature, which we go into detail about below.
Additionally, collecting 5 of one type of treasure map will also launch a fresh round of 10 Free Spins. These are the Summit Shrine Map, High Gate Map, Jungle Ruins Map, Desert Tomb Map and Templar Grave Map. Complete a collection for 10 Jackpot Free Spins plus a gemstone that goes towards your Jackpot collection. New players get started with 2 Summit Shrine Maps 1 of each of the others.
Pick and Click Chest
This feature is a little bit all or nothing. It’s triggered when you land 2 scatters and the rewards are hidden inside 4 locked chests. Click on a chest to see which reward you won – but be warned, they haven’t all been made equal!
Cash prizes that range from 1x, 2x to 4x your bet
Up to 10 Jackpot Free Spins
Access to the Treasure Hunt Bonus
An extra Treasure Map to add to your map collection
Treasure Hunt Bonus Game
When you spin and land 3 or more scatters you’ll either be entered into the Pick & Click Chest feature explained above, or you’ll be directed to the Treasure Hunt Bonus Game instead. Here you’ll join a character of your choosing (Sir Bear for lower rewards but a higher success rate, Sam Campbell for higher rewards but a lower success rate) on a quest, making decisions across safe, risky and very risky.
The rewards from this game vary across 2.5x, 17x, 60x and 90x your bet. If you succeed in collecting 5 relics, you’ll also be able to enter the Sunken City Free Spins feature described above.
Payouts and Wagering Limits
Sam Campbell is a particularly lucrative symbol, paying out 200 times your bet for 5 on a payline. An interesting feature of this slot is that 3.8% of every bet you make will boost the cash pot and take each potential prize to increasingly higher levels.
Jackpot Raiders is probably one of the more financially rewarding games out there, and at its top potential a player could walk away with a whopping C$100,000 – but that doesn’t mean the game promises to help you win big.
This potential is tough to unlock and some considerable staying power on the player’s part will be required.
Final Verdict
Jackpot Raiders
98%
When I think about one word to describe Jackpot Raiders, the word ‘magnificent’ springs to mind. The game designers really outdid themselves with this slot and I continued playing long after I had enough information to write this review.
Yggdrasil demonstrated what pros they are by expertly tying together an impressive combination of character development, gamification features and generous jackpots. Players also have the opportunity to win big, but they should be warned that the excellent animation does serve to disguise just how difficult this will be.
Will I return? Yes, because I’ve grown rather attached to Sir Bear.
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