Pompeii Theme & Game Basics
In the year 79 A.D., a massive volcano known as Mount
Vesuvius erupted in a particularly devastating explosion. What
followed was a wave of burning ash which instantly enveloped the
city of Pompeii, burying its buildings and citizens before the
vast majority could even attempt to escape.
While the story of Pompeii is indeed a tragic tale, today the
city remains eerily intact, preserved as it once was by the
instantaneous rush of ash. In the “Garden of the Fugitives” the
bodies of victims can still be seen, lying in situ in the very
spot where they fell nearly two millennia ago.
Tourists have been visiting the archeological site in Pompeii
for more than 250 years, marveling both at the awesome power of
nature’s fury, and the ultimate fragility of their own humanity.
With that in mind, Aristocrat sought to design their Pompeii
slot machine game to be at once historically intriguing and
realistic to the experience. Of course, you won’t see hot ash
spewing from the machine. But when you happen to land a big
winner, the game screen will shake violently while coins shoot
up from the center of the screen and rain down like lava.
The title screen for Pompeii also helps to enhance the
gravity of the game’s theme. You’ll see the word Pompeii written
in large capitalized letters, with the last two letters
appearing as II to further the Roman connection. On either side
of the foreground are familiar Roman architecture, with high
columns and arches, but the center of the screen is where the
action happens. Mount Vesuvius looms large, with the mountaintop
already exploding in a volcanic eruption for the ages. The skies
are filled with ash clouds which cover the entire title screen,
as gold coins raining down on the doomed city.
The background screen during the Pompeii base game is simply
a replica of the title screen, with smaller buildings being
claimed by the same massive eruption in the background.
As an Aristocrat classic, you’ll find the basic card rank
reel symbols of 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A, which the company uses on
most slot games. As for the themed reel symbols, you’ll be
playing with the dolphin amulet, the Roman helmet, the gold
coin, the sword and shield, the horse-drawn chariot, and the
erupting volcano.
The level of detail Aristocrat managed to include in
Pompeii’s design scheme is certainly impressive. In addition, to
the screen eruptions when you land big winners, pay close
attention to the gold coin reel symbol. History buffs might
notice that the coins are actually inscribed with the words
“Veni, Vidi, Vici,” which represent a famous quote from Julius
Caesar meaning “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Gameplay Features and Mechanics
For players sitting down at a Pompeii slot machine for the
first time, the absence of traditional pay lines may be a bit
jarring. After all, the pay line system is used by most slot
machines to determine whether or not you’ve landed winning
combinations.
In Pompeii, however, Aristocrat has built in the company’s
Reel Power gameplay engine. Reel Power games remove the concept
of pay lines altogether, presenting players with a set of five
reels displaying three symbols each. Players land winning
combinations whenever matching symbols appear on adjacent reels,
no matter where along the reel they happen to land.
About Reel Power
With five reels and 15 symbols in total, the Reel Power
concept which powers Pompeii creates a total of 243 possible
winning combinations for players to hunt for on every spin. This
creates a higher level of volatility, so you’ll land winners
less often. Payouts, however, are usually a bit higher on Reel
Power games to compensate for the decreased frequency of winning
combinations making an appearance.
Pompeii is classified as a penny slot because the minimum
coin denomination stands at just $0.01, although for Reel Power
games like this, you must pay for all of the reels in play. This
puts the minimum cost to cover per spin at $0.25, so for players
accustomed to the pay line system, simply think of Pompeii as a
five reel, 25 pay line, fixed pay line game.
You can wager in increments of 25 credits per spin,
escalating to 50 credits, 75 credits, 100 credits, and topping
out at 125 credits.
The coin denominations escalate in increments of pennies up
through $0.10, before jumping to $0.25, $0.50, $1.00, $2.00,
$5.00, $10.00, and $25.00. For the most part, however, penny
slot players typically play for $0.01 or $0.05 increments, with
the latter amount equating to a $1.25 cost to cover per spin.
In the Legends version of Pompeii, the game is set up
slightly differently, as players have the option to choose how
many reels they’d like to purchase. The cost per reel breaks
down as follows:
- Reel 1 = 1 credit
- Reels 1 – 2 = 5 credits
- Reels 1 – 3 = 10 credits
- Reels 1 – 4 = 20 credits
- Reels 1 – 5 = 30 credits
As you can see, the cost to play all five reels in Pompeii
Legends has gone up by a total of five credits. This is simply
an ante bet, also known as the Power Pay feature on many
Aristocrat slot titles, which entitles players to a full
complement of bonus games and additional payouts.
In both cases, players almost always activate all five reels
in Pompeii to take advantage of the game’s built-in features.
Aristocrat instilled Pompeii with many of the company’s most
popular gameplay features, including the presence of wild
symbols, scatter symbols, free spins, bonus games, and
multipliers. Unfortunately for progressive jackpot hunters, the
original version of Pompeii is not connected with any larger
prize pools, although the Legends update version does offer a
progressive component in most casinos.
- Wilds: Yes
- Free Spins: Yes
- Multiplier: Yes, up to 15x
- Bonus Game: Yes
- Progressive: Not on original Pompeii, but Yes on Pompeii
Legends
- Return to Player: 94.999%
When playing the Pompeii base game at the minimum 25 credit
level, the largest payout available comes when you land five of
the dolphin amulet symbols on the screen. This pays out 2,500
credits while four of a kind in golden amulets is good for 1,000
credits, and three of a kind will return 500 credits.
The Roman helmet symbol pays out 2,000 credits for landing
five of a kind, followed by the gold coin symbol, which returns
1,250 credits for five on the screen. Both the sword and shield
symbol and the horse drawn chariot symbol offer 1,000 credits
for landing five of a kind. As for the card rank symbols, you’ll
receive 200 credits for landing five As or five Ks while five
Qs, Js, 10s, or 9s will pay out 100 credits.
All of the base game payouts listed above are multiplied in
kind when you increase the amount of credits being wagered per
spin. Jumping from 25 to 50 credits turns the payout for five
dolphin amulet symbols from 2,500 to 5,000 credits, and
increasing the credit amount to the maximum 125 credits per spin
returns a payout of 12,500 credits when you land five dolphin
amulet symbols.
Pompeii’s Wild Symbol
The wild symbol during the Pompeii base game is the erupting
volcano symbol, and it can substitute for any other symbol
except the wild symbol to form winning combinations.
The erupting volcano wild symbol will only appear on the
second and fourth reels, but when it appears in a winning
combination, you’ll automatically receive a multiplier on all
associated payouts. The multiplier stands at 3x when you land a
winner using the erupting volcano wild symbol on the second
reel, and 5x when it appears on the fourth reel to form a
winner. When the erupting volcano wild symbol appears on both
reels to form a winner, your multiplier rises to 15x on the
associated payouts.
Pompeii’s Scatter Symbol
The scatter symbol during the Pompeii base game is the gold
coin symbol, which can generate winning combinations from
anywhere on the reels. Even better, the gold coin scatter symbol
provides the power to enter Pompeii’s free spins bonus round.
Free Spins Bonus Round
Whenever you land three or more of the gold coin scatter
symbols on the screen, the game’s free spins bonus round will be
triggered.
The number of free spins you’ll receive depends on the amount
of gold coin scatter symbols you land. For the minimum required
three gold coins scatter symbols, your allotment of free spins
will begin at 10, but that number jumps to 15 when you land
four, and 20 if you fill the reels with five.
While the free spins are a great treat, what separates
Pompeii from many other Aristocrat titles is that the scatter
symbol provides large payouts in addition to triggering the free
spins bonus round. Many Aristocrat games offer no payout at all
for landing the scatters, aside from the winning combinations
they help create, but in Pompeii landing, just three of these
gold coin scatter symbols will boost your account by 125 credits
when playing the 25 credit minimum.
Up the ante to 125 credits, or $1.25 per spin for penny slot
players, and landing five of the gold coin scatters will pay out
a whopping 6,250 credits along with the maximum of 20 free
spins.
The free spins bonus round can be retriggered multiple times
by landing three or more of the gold coin scatter symbols during
any free spin.
Another added treat during the Pompeii free spins bonus round
is that the erupting volcano wild symbol can replace the gold
coin scatter symbol to generate even larger wins. The 3x and 5x
multipliers are still in effect when the erupting volcano wild
symbol appears on either the second or fourth reel during a free
spin, so this is where significant winnings can be racked up.
Consider what happens when you manage to land five of the
dolphin amulet symbols in a row, with the erupting volcano
appearing in both the second and fourth reels for a 15x
multiplier, when playing at just the minimum 25 credit level.
The total payout for this dream spin would be 37,500 credits or
a huge $375.00 on a $0.25 investment. Pump the stakes up to the
maximum $1.25 per spin, and that dream reel result will payout
187,500 credits, or $1,875.
Summary
The massive payout potential found in Pompeii’s free spins
bonus round is what continues to draw new players to the game.
While the volatility level is on the higher side as a Reel Power
game, Pompeii offers players the opportunity to land trip-making
scores anytime they make a free spin.
Throw in one of the more interesting and historically
detailed themes in the world of slot machines, along with fun
additions like the erupting screen, and it becomes clear why
Pompeii was named to Aristocrat’s prestigious Legends lineup of
classic titles.
