More Games by WMS Industries
Gameplay Features and Mechanics
Reel & Payline Configuration
Zeus is a typical five-reel, 30-payline video slot game, like most of WMS Industries' previous games.
On each spin, 15 symbols are in play, with 3 symbols on each reel.
Starting at just a penny
, the game allows the player to activate all 30 pay lines on each spin, which actually makes the minimum amount a player has to cover to spin the game $0.30. This is because Zeus is a fixed pay line game that essentially operates as a three times multiplied by 10 pay line game, which is how many pay lines are present in this game. So essentially what I said means that if a player wants to play Zeus, he or she must be willing to spend at least $0.30.
Betting Options & Variance
Playing the terrestrial model of the timeless Zeus slot, fortunes can be made or lost depending on how much you are willing to gamble. High-rollers will enjoy betting large amounts of coins. In the land-based version of the classic Zeus machine, players push the limits even further by incrementally upping the ante on a pay-line basis. Each line can be wagered up to $1.50. That in itself is a staggering sum. But Zeus, as luck would have it, is also available to play on the Internet.
Game Specifications
In keeping with the standard slot setup that WMS Industries has perfected over the years, the base game of Zeus consists of the usual wild symbols, scatter symbols and free spin bonus rounds. However, it does not include the multiplier feature, which means that the opportunities to increase line payouts are limited, and there are no huge progressive jackpots tied to either the land-based or online versions. Here is a list of the basic game specifications for the Zeus slot machine.
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Wilds: Yes
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Free Spins: Yes
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Multiplier: No
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Bonus Game: Yes
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Progressive: No
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Return to Player: 95.21%
Paytable Highlights
While participating in the base game of Zeus, players will receive wins much more frequently. However, these wins pay out in smaller amounts. Despite this seemingly unfortunate reality, players seem to have a much more enjoyable low-variance experience
at Zeus when playing in a land-based casino, simply because they win more often. In fact, the highest line payout in Zeus occurs when the player places a bet of 500 credits. This line payout is triggered when the player gets five Zeus symbols in a row on an active payline. Four Zeus symbols pay 200 credits, three Zeus symbols pay 50 credits and two Zeus symbols in a row pay 4 credits.
Key Symbols
Players are fortunate because the Zeus symbol appears much more frequently than any other symbol, which reduces variance by ensuring that small winning combinations occur much more often. Even better, the Zeus symbol often appears as a stacked symbol, covering more than one, and sometimes all, of the symbol slots on a reel.
Next on the list of valuable symbols is the winged Pegasus symbol, which pays 400 credits for five of a kind, 150 credits for four of a kind and 40 credits for three of a kind.
The boat and helmet symbols both pay 350 credits for five of a kind. Five of the Harp or Vase symbols pays 250 credits, while five of the Gold Coin or Silver Coin symbols pays 200 credits. Finally, five of a kind in the wreath symbol pays 150 credits.
Wild Symbol
The wild symbol in the base game of Zeus is the Mount Olympus wild symbol. It substitutes for all other symbols in the game except the scatter symbol to complete winning combinations. Like the Zeus wild symbol, the Mount Olympus wild symbol can also appear as a stack symbol, covering one, two or all three symbol positions on a reel. And just like the stacked Zeus wild symbol, the stacked Mount Olympus wild symbol can be combined with the stacked Zeus wild symbol to create some of the biggest wins in this game.
Scatter Symbol
In the base game of Zeus, the scatter symbol is a thunderbolt. It can create winning combinations anywhere on the reels. However, the big thing about the Thunderbolt is that it can trigger the Free Spins Bonus Round.
Triggering the Bonus Round
Included in the Zeus game is the Free Spins Bonus Round, which is a classic that has inspired a long line of imitations and rip-offs.
To trigger the Free Spins bonus feature, players must get three or more of the Thunderbolt scatter symbols anywhere on the reels.
Get 10 free spins with three thunderbolt scatter symbols on the screen. Four Thunderbolt scatter symbols increase the bounty to 25 free spins. Five Thunderbolt scatter symbols mean that the bounty increases even further to 100 free spins.
Players will also appreciate the retriggering of the Free Spins Bonus Round during each Free Spin. If you get three or more Lightning Scatter symbols during a Free Spin, the Free Spins are added to the current Bonus Round. This allows you to trigger one Free Spins Bonus Round before retriggering several more, resulting in long Free Spins runs where each winning combo is pure profit.
To add to the excitement, the high-paying Zeus symbol and the wild Mount Olympus symbol both retain their stacking power during the free spins bonus round. The game seems to encourage the appearance of these key symbols during a free spin, so you're much more likely to get stacked reels with Zeus symbols, wild Mount Olympus symbols, or ideally both.
Summary
For true slot fans, the original Zeus is a true classic. When it comes to the top-tier games that push WMS Industries to the forefront of gaming, Zeus is the standard bearer. With a set-it-and-forget-it aesthetic, extremely low variance, and wins that come just often enough to keep players engaged, Zeus is the game my mother would have played if she had ever walked into a casino.
The bonus round of free spins that is triggered as part of the game is simple but very compelling; with the combination of the stacked Zeus symbols and the wild Mount Olympus symbols, even a 10 free spin round can yield colossal winnings. All in all, this is exactly why Zeus commands the attention that it does; it is well loved and new audiences are constantly discovering the game. Players seem to enjoy the online version as much as the offline version.
