Maybe the best way to describe Pragmatic Play is William Cowper’s poem ‘variety is the spice of life’. The company has various online pokies and games in its portfolio, with themes from the most popular to the most innovative. And they have something to excite every gambler.
Founded in 2015, Pragmatic Play is one of the newest igaming companies in the industry, but also one of the fastest-growing. With headquarters on the coast of sunny Malta, Pragmatic Play has gathered a team of over 100 professionals and industry geniuses with experience and background in the industry to create the company’s fantastic games.
Even though Pragmatic Play has been around for only 4 years now, it has already been awarded as a game studio. The company won the Rising Star award at the EGR B2B Awards in 2017, after facing tough competition. But that’s not all, it was also rewarded with the Best Digital Company of the Year, the Best HR Director of the Year and the Best Gamified Experience Company at the Malta iGaming Excellence Awards, taking place in the same year.
In addition to all these, Pragmatic Play was also among the finalists for the Game of the Year, with their Queen of Gold and Hot Safari games, in 2016 and 2017. The company might have nearly missed these awards, but it only highlights its potential and the quality they put into their games.
And, as expected, these competitions and prizes have attracted the attention of highly important clients around the world. Therefore, the company holds numerous gaming licenses to meet their players’ desires around the world.
Pragmatic Play has obtained 2 of the most sought-after gambling licences in the world, from the UK Gaming Commissions and the Malta Gaming Authority. It is also licensed in Italy by the AAMS, certified in Romania, Curacao and Philippines. And they have recently been awarded in the Bahamas and started to expand in Denmark.
With such a portfolio, Pragmatic Play is one of the fastest-growing igaming companies, as well as one of the most appreciated and trusted. Hence the reason we have decided to present you their latest online pokie additions.
John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure
John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure is one of the latest online pokies released by Pragmatic Play, in July 2019. It sports an adventure theme and takes action to South America. An Indiana Jones looking adventurer is one the hunt for the lost Aztec treasure and, if you help him in his quest, you can get your share of the spoils.
This is an action-packed game with lots of special elements. The first thing we notice is that it has 5 reels and 6 rows, which can hold 2 to 6 symbols, and it develops an incredible total of 7.776 pay lines. The game is capable of paying a fantastic 9.000x the total stake, so you can expect some great wins, topped up with the high volatility, creating the perfect risk-taking recipe.
The return to player isn’t that bed itself, is set at 96.50%. And the special symbols, such as scatters, free spins, stacked wilds and multiplier, will only add to the excitement of this game.
The betting range is set between 20 cents and 100 dollars, meaning it can accommodate all types of players. However, considering the game’s overall features, we believe it is more suited for high-roller and risk-takers rather than penny players.
John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure online pokies game is based on the Megaways system developed by Big Time Gaming. It relies on the 2 to 6 symbols use on each reel, having its random number of symbols. This is how it can reach its 7.776 ways to win.
The first special symbol to be taken into consideration is the wild icon, represented by the golden totem mask. The wild can only land on the middle 3 reels, but it will boost your winning chances by adding 1 to 6 symbols on the reels.
The second special feature is the scatter symbol, represented by the shield. It is the one to trigger the free spins bonus round, offering you up to 25 free spins. During this bonus round, you will also enjoy a random multiplier for each round, which can go as high as 10x.
The John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure’s theme is fun and exciting, and completing it are the symbols of shields, black panthers, totem masks, toucans, snakes, torches and royals, as well as John Hunter himself. The graphics are also impressive, as Pragmatic Play used us with, generally better than what’s out there in the industry.
Vampires vs Wolves
The battle for supremacy between the night creatures has been around for quite a while as a theme for movies and online pokies games alike. And it is the one adopted in Vampires vs Wolves by Pragmatic Play, even though it has been used in games before.
The game comes structured on 5 reels with a total of 10 pay lines. Its biggest payout reaches 1.000x the total bet, translated in a 50.000 dollars jackpot. It is not bad when you think about the fact that the return to player percentage is set at a good 96.49%. And you will also benefit from scatter symbols, free spins and wild icons.
The betting range is set between 10 cents and 50 dollars, which we believe will accommodate all types of players, from the ones with lower budgets to the one with deeper pockets. The highest payout of the game can be obtained with the help of the wild symbols, landing 5 matching ones to be more exact. So, when you wager the maximum 50 dollars, you can expect a fantastic 50.000 dollars jackpot in just one spin.
Speaking of which, the wild symbol in this game will not pay by itself, except for the grand jackpot, but it will help you through forming other winning combinations. It will substitute for regular symbols to help you do so.
You will also benefit from scatter symbols, and they come in 2 variants. One of the scatters is represented by the castle and the other one by the wolf. The castle will only land on the 5th reels, while the wolf will only appear on the 1st. To trigger the free spins bonus round you will have to land them both at the same time. You will randomly get one of the 2 variants of the bonus game.
The first one is represented by the wolf and reward you with 14 free spins and 3 characters to be turned into werewolves, and you will recognize them by the blue borders. These symbols will act as wilds, helping you form winning combos between them, but will also pay as the wild, being capable of landing you the grand jackpot of the game.
The second variant of the free spins bonus round is the vampire free spins. It will reward you with 8 free spins and will put red borders to the characters to turn them into vampires. These bordered symbols will become extra wilds, but sticky ones.
The Vampire vs Wolves’ theme is found throughout the industry, and here is completed by the symbols on the reels. The particularity of this game is the fact that the symbols can turn and take one of the 2 sides. So, you have the chance to turn the tables towards one side or the other. And, overall, the theme and the game’s features are completing an exciting experience.
Hot Chilli
The famous chilli pepper is once again the main character in a hot online pokies game, called Hot Chilli. But the game is not at all usual, as it comes with a 3 reels structure and with an Asian theme, even though we might not think about that part of the world when we think about these fun peppers.
The game’s structure is 3×3 reels, developing a total of 9 pay lines. And the game’s winnings are quite spectacular, being capable of paying as much as 5.000 the total stake, translated in 225.000 dollars. Besides the special features involved in the game, such as wild and scatter symbols, as well as multipliers, the return to player percentage is also good, set at 96.52%.
The betting range in Hot Chilli is set between 9 cents and 45 dollars for all pay lines. And we believe is a wide enough range to satisfy the tastes or multiple types of players. Besides, it pays off to wager at the maximum, for by doing so you have a chance at the game’s highest prize.
Even though the game’s structure is 3×3, it has one particularity: it does not guarantee you will land symbols on all positions at all times. Sometimes, you might just spin the reels to get an empty position, with only some chillies pipping from the sides. However, just as in most online pokies, you need matching symbol combinations to get wins, in this case, 3 of-a-kind. The yellow cube symbol is the only one which will pay for as little as 1 symbol on the reels.
Another particularity is the fact that the game has multiple forms of wild symbols. You will recognize them from the 2x, 3x, 4x and 5x multipliers attached to them. And they only appear in particular reels. The 1st and 3rd reel are reserved only for the 2x wild symbols. The 2nd reel is for the 2x to 5x wild icons.
These wild symbols will act as regular wilds, substituting regular symbols to form winning combos, but they will also pay by themselves. The highest paying combination in this game will be formed with 2x wild icons on reels 1 and 3 and 5x wild symbols on reel 2.
The graphics are another important aspect in this game, as the whole action is found inside a big bowl with a spicy liquid. And, as you spin the reels, the liquid starts to boil. The symbols are represented by chilli peppers, pieces of fish, tomatoes and meat, as well as a yellow cube of spices. And everything looks amazing and highly detailed, only to complete a theme worth of its name. However, we do not see the connection between chilli peppers and the Asian elements, such as the dragons.
Overall, Hot Chilli online pokies game is exciting, introducing you to a hot boiling scenery and presenting you with related symbols. And you also have the chance to enjoy some great features that might land you a fantastic 225.000 dollars.