Slot Overview: Gates of Hades by Pragmatic Play

Pragmatic Play have ramped up the hellfire and ugly demons in their latest slot, the Gates of Hades bringing state-of-the-art graphics and volatile action to the fore.

The focus of this review is to conduct a deep dive and fair analysis on the slot, looking at everything from the mechanics, to the features, and the game’s overall appeal based on my numerous hours spent playing and dissecting online slots of this type.

We will go into the details of Gates of Hades, such as the RTP rate, volatility, main features and mobile friendliness, so that you will know exactly what you can expect, if Gates of Hades will be up to your gaming taste.

Whether you are new to online casinos or a veteran, the Slotocash review will provide you with everything you need to know.

Gates of Hades Details, RTP, Payout & Volatility

The headline numbers of Gates of Hades suggest a high-volatility game with the potential to pay some serious rewards.

The return to player is theoretical RTP (Return to Player) set at 96.5%, which is what we have come to expect from Pragmatic Play and is about average for online slots in general.

But, keep in mind that RTP is a long-term average across millions of rounds, and individual sessions can differ drastically.

Though such was not the case, at least in my experience testing the game, where I'd have drawn-out losing streaks combined with extended periods of winning far more often than I'd have expected.

As a high-volatility game, you may not see the same frequency of wins as you would in a low-volatility slot but when they land, they have the potential to be huge.

The max payout is tagged at 5,000x your stake, which is a fairly decent – but nonetheless, uninspiring − ceiling for a slot like this.

This possibility is already highlighted in the game's loading screen, which is screenshot 1 on the picture above.

Theme, Audio & Symbols

Bet from casual to high stakes Players can wager sends to please all types of players in Gates of Hades.

Your bets can range between €0.20 and €240 per spin (or your currency equivalent) which makes for a good range of options to accommodate various bankrolls and playing preferences.

With a betting range so wide, meaning that stakes can be set higher or lower according to my mood or perceived risk comfort levels, I always love how much control it gives me over my spending.

It must be one of the very best looking games we have seen which allows the player to win in an all ways pays format.

What this means is that you will win by hitting any color match on adjacent reels from the far left. This dynamic serves to multiply the number of potential winning sequences and therefore adds an exciting new element to every spin.

Bonus Features

Gates of Hades and the all ways pays mechanic.

Having been designed as an all ways pays slot, the pretty formulaic payline structure has been kicked out the door.

In a payline slot, you must have a row of matching symbols line up on a specific set of lines to win. With all ways pay, there are a large number of potential winning combinations.

I personally prefer the all ways pays and it’s not that it gets me more small wins. Instead, it opens the way to small win clusters and - to compensating (although also reducing) the possibility of winning big in rare occasions due to the high volatility of the game.

I wasn't able to raise that win higher than 100x in my personal sessions, and it was my impression that the game's hit rate - not readily disclosed by Pragmatic Play - was pretty low, and it certainly seemed to be more in line with a high-volatility game to me.

"layout in a 6x6 grid" -- a screen capture of the 6x6 grid would offer a nice view of this grid.

Mobile Experience

Gates of Hades (Aristocrat) draws inspiration from Greek mythology and underworld iconography, creating a dark and gritty theme.

The game's sound and visuals contribute significantly to its creepy yet engaging atmosphere.

Dark blues, reds, and purples dominate the color palette, evoking an ominous feeling and Hades's fiery inferno. Tall columns, dancing flames, and dark figures enhance the presentation.

The soundtrack is epic and dramatic, featuring booming orchestral music and chilling sound effects to emphasize the reel action.

Sound design is particularly effective during bonus features, with heightened music intensifying the excitement.

Pros & Cons

The icons for the Gates of Hades game are very well drawn and meticulously detailed and represent and mythical theme well.

The lower set of symbols is represented by a range of coloured gemstones, and the upper pictograms are creatures and figures connected to the underworld: like the three headed dog who serves as guard at the gates to Hades, and Hades himself.

The highest value symbol in the game is represented by Hades, and big awards can be won when several of his symbols are landed.

The scatter is also present in the game in the form of the Gates of Hades that will initiate the free spins feature.

The graphics are right up there, on a par with the best of Pragmatic Play’s slots.

Our Verdict

Tumbling Reels, one of the main features in Gates of Hades, when activated can help payers to secure bigger wins.

All winning combinations are then paid after each whirl and the winning icons removed to allow more to take their place.

The other symbols subsequently tumble down into the space left behind and new symbols tumble from above to fill the grid.

Then, if these new symbols also form winning combinations, the process repeats until there are no further wins – providing the opportunity to secure multiple payouts from a single spin.

As I played the game, I discovered that the Tumbling Reels feature would cause ripple wins, which would increase the payout for me.

Now Picture a brief video of the Tumbling Reels feature in the works.

Play Responsibly

Gates of Hades has a Free Spins bonus game that is activated when you land four or more scatter symbols (Gates of Hades) anywhere on the reels.

Landing four, five or six scatters triggers 15 free spins, as well as pays of 3x, 5x and 100x your bet total.

On the free spins feature, the multiplier symbols make an entry, and these can help you bag wins of some serious proportions.

These multiplier symbols can appear on any spin and are valued at between 2x and 500x, and after the tumbling has occurred and the tumbling sequence ends, the values of all multiplier symbols on screen are added together, and that combined total multiplier is used to increase your total win for that spin.

The inclusion of these multipliers give the free spins feature a lot of variance but it can be extremely profitable.