IGT upgrades one of its fans’ favourites with a progressive jackpot system in Mega Jackpots Cleopatra.
Rather than changing the game’s look, feel and structure, IGT has kept everything identical to the 2012 original release of Cleopatra. You’ll still be spinning through the same 5×3 board, complete with Egyptian symbols and iconography – only with this jackpot-version, you can now win insane amounts of cash! Cleopatra always had a retro look, and the style remains unchanged here too. It’s a decent-looking game that pairs well with an atmospheric soundtrack to create a largely immersive experience.
Looks aside, Mega Jackpots Cleopatra comes with exciting features which kept us hooked while hoping for the jackpot bonus to trigger. The double wilds feature is the real standout, and whenever it landed, our wins were boosted to new heights. This is even more impressive during free spins, where its 2x win multiplier is boosted further.
But Mega Jackpots Cleopatra’s true treasure is its progressive jackpot. The regular game can deliver wins of up to 50,000x, but the progressive jackpot can overshadow that figure. On average, the jackpot lands every 53 days and delivers an average win of €893,634.
Now, this only just begins to scratch the surface. Check out our in-depth review of Mega Jackpots Cleopatra to discover all it has to offer.
Title:
Mega Jackpots Cleopatra
Game Developer:
IGT
Release Date
2015
Layout:
5 x 3
Paylines:
20
RTP:
92.48%
Volatility:
Medium
Minimum / Maximum Bet:
€0.05/€5
Maximum Win:
50,000x
Bonus Features:
Wilds, Double Wilds, Scatters, Win Multipliers, Free Spins, Progressive Jackpots
Wilds – The newly added Mega Jackpots logo is the slot’s wild symbol. The symbols have a win value attached to them as well and completing a payline with five wild symbols wins you 500x your selected bet. We landed plenty of these tokens during our time with the game and even managed to complete a payline with three wild symbols.
Double Wilds – Whenever a wild symbol forms part of a winning combination, it activates the double wilds mechanic, adding a 2x multiplier to your win. Although we never hit any massive wins, the double wilds gave our wins the boost they needed. It delivered increased wins of over £250 from base game spins.
Scatter Symbols – These fiery sphinx statues lead the way to free spins, with a minimum of three symbols unlocking 15 free spins. But besides opening the door to the slot’s bonus mode, the scatter symbols also delivered sizable wins. two, three, four and five scatters pay out 2x, 5x, 20x and 100x your selected bet respectively. The value of two scatters proved to be just the comfort we needed when we didn’t make it all the way to free spins.
Free Spins – Every free spins bonus mode starts with 15 bonus rounds. Additional free spins can also be added to your tally, with three, four or five more scatters adding yet another 15 free rounds. This can lead you to 180 free spins in one bonus round. We found it quite hard to land another three scatter symbols during free spins, so our rounds were sadly much shorter.
Win Multipliers – The biggest boost you get during free spins is a general 3x multiplier. We felt the massive difference this brought to our wins, especially when it combined with the double wild’s 2x multiplier. It essentially gave us a total boost of 6x
Progressive Jackpot – The main event in Mega Jackpot Cleopatra, the progressive jackpot, can be triggered in two ways. The first requires having five Mega Jackpot symbols on the middle payline. It’s quite difficult to achieve, which is where the second method comes into play. Triggering at random at the end of any given spin, the Second Chance Jackpot feature throws you straight into the jackpot bonus. Either way, if the jackpot bonus triggers, you automatically claim the prize, taking away the combined value of all the Mega Jackpots accumulated from participating slots.
Cleopatra was a widely successful game for IGT and the progressive jackpot improves on that winning formula. However, you only have one jackpot prize, which is low when compared to other slots that offer three or four prizes in total. But what the slot lacks in additional jackpot prizes, it more than makes up for in-game features. We especially loved the combination of the double wild and free spins win multipliers. It’s the sort of layered feature design we like to see, creating a sense of progression throughout.
As with most progressive jackpot slots, the RTP (92.48%) here is the game’s biggest con. This falls short of the 96% that regular slots generally offer. Even so, Mega Jackpots Cleopatra remains one of the most complete jackpot games out there. The great mix of features and win potential also make it ideal for VIP players and high rollers. Sure, you’ll need to be prepared to splash some cash, but if you have the funds for it, few games offer as high a potential as progressive jackpots. We recommend Mega Jackpots Cleopatra to intermediate and advanced players, who will have an easier time understanding the slot’s features, mechanics and payouts.
Mega Moolah – One of the most famous progressive jackpots out there, Microgaming’s Mega Moolah comes with four jackpot prizes. You similarly get a win multiplier boost in free spins, although the slot comes with a reduced RTP of 88.12% and a lower maximum win cap of 1,800x.
Mega Fortune – NetEnt’s millionaire-themed progressive jackpot slot has three prizes available. Similarly, you’ll need to activate the jackpot bonus through scatter symbols, although wild symbols, free spins and instant cash prizes help you near the slot’s 2,162x maximum win.