Emperor’s Rise

Emperor's Rise: Slot Overview

Part of building a successful enterprise is knowing the consumer, then giving them what they want, and one provider which has repeatedly demonstrated this critical ability is Swedish software house Slotmill. The team has shown a willingness to use player feedback to refine games such as Coin Quest 2 and Super Fruit Smash. Today's slot, Emperor's Rise, follows in a similar manner. It comes on the heels of the very well-received Tyrant's Fall, and while largely delivering the same batch of features, several adjustments have been made to help provide a 'softer', less challenging experience, shall we say. Compromises have been made to flatten out the ride, such as lower multiplier values, but more wilds in free spins may sweeten the deal for players who end up finding this version the more desirable of the two.

Graphically, the two games are of comparable quality, yet where Tyrant's Fall existed in a dark, heavy world, Emperor's Rise throws the light switch on. Put another way, if Tyrant's Fall took place at night, Emperor's Rise is in the day - in the same location, though, where crumbling pillars look out over hilly territory, somewhere either in the Roman Empire or a plot of land that's about to be absorbed into it. If Emperor's Rise is meant to be the 'lighter' version of its predecessor, then the brighter visuals successfully emphasise the shift.

Emperor's Rise's gaming area is a 5x3 grid where 20 bet lines are built in to calculate winning combinations. With volatility on the medium-high side, players can wager 20 cents to $/€60 per spin, and several additional betting options are available. One is the Xtra-Bet which increases the stake by 50%, giving an increased chance of triggering free spins by 2.6 times. The Xtra-Bet RTP is 96.17%, compared to the regular value of 96.08%. Burst Mode is also available for users looking to speed run the game.

On the paytable, we come across blocky J to A card ranks for the lower paying symbols, then arm bands, grapes, a sword, a golden wreath, and a character as the highs. Landing a 5 OAK royal win gets you 3.5 to 6 times your bet, or up to 14 to 40 times the bet is paid for the high pays.

Emperor's Rise: Slot Features

The skeleton of Emperor's Rise's features haven't really been changed since Tyrant's Fall, but several of the details have to produce an altered experience for a different gambling taste.

Wild Symbol

Two wild symbols may appear on any spin, and there is a chance they have a multiplier of x2, x3, x5, and x20 attached. When wilds appear, then move to a random reel position. Wilds substitute for regular pay symbols, and if a wild multiplier is part of a win, its multiplier applies to the payout value. If two or more wild multipliers are part of the same win, the multipliers add together. Wild winning lines have the same value as the highest-paying symbol.

Free Spins

Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols on the same spin triggers 5 free spins, with the scatter collection starting at 3, 4, or 5, respectively. Any additional scatter symbols landing in free spins are collected to help progress through five stages. The round starts with 2 Roaming Wild symbols, which remain on the reels for the full duration, moving to new positions before each new free spin. Landing 3 or more scatter symbols on a single free spins awards +5 free spins at the current stage.

• Stage 2 - collect 6 scatters in total to gain +5 free spins with x2 Roaming Wild Multipliers.
• Stage 3 - collect 9 scatters in total to gain +5 free spins with x3 Roaming Wild Multipliers.
• Stage 4 - collect 13 scatters in total to gain +5 free spins with x5 Roaming Wild Multipliers.
• Stage 5 - collect 17 scatters in total to gain +5 free spins with x20 Roaming Wild Multipliers.

Super Free Spins

This bonus is entered by upgrading from free spins or by landing 2 scatters plus one Bonus Maximus symbol in the base game or hitting a Bonus Maximus symbol during free spins. For this one, 4 Roaming Wild symbols are present for the full duration. The other free spins rules apply, such as levelling up stages.

Fast Track

At the Fast Track, players may activate these bonus options; all are medium-high volatile:

• Random Wilds - 8x the bet for a game round, guaranteeing either two wild symbols or a free spins trigger. RTP 96.09%.
• Free Spins - 80x the bet, RTP 96.3%.
• Super Free Spins - 300x the bet, RTP 96.36%.

Emperor's Rise: Slot Verdict

Slotmill appears to have laid out clear objectives for Emperor's Rise, and you'd have to say they've successfully been fulfilled. This was never meant to be a slot that pushed Tyrant's Fall to brave new places, but a side step to give players who might have liked the look of the original's gameplay but found it a tad too muscular for their tastes. If so, then the theoretically toned-down, balanced-out version that Emperor's Rise presents might be right up their street.

Two big visceral changes are the doubling of Roaming Wilds in free spins and the reduction in possible multiplier values. Rather significant differences when you start digging in. For instance, free spins start with no multipliers on the wilds. You do get more wilds, but it wasn't until multipliers were added in by reaching stage 2 or beyond that their power was really felt in the review. Even just x2's were noticeably more potent. Imagine going all the way to the x30 or, shudder, the x150. Oh, that's Tyrant's Fall. In Emperor's Rise, multipliers tap out at x20. Still, exciting values should you be lucky enough to crack stage 5, and it's hard to go too wrong with roaming wild multipliers, no matter the setting.

As you might have guessed, winning potential has taken a knockback, now going as high as 6,000x compared to Tyrant's 10,000x. What's interesting is how Emperor's Rise shows there are plenty of opportunities for providers to cater for gamblers who don't ascribe to the 'bigger is better at all costs' mentality. We saw this not long before in Kenneth Must Die, where the Nolimit Cap lets players choose their preferred risk/reward tolerance between a higher and a lower setting. Slotmill has accomplished a similar outcome by using two separate slots rather than combining them into one. In the end, Emperor's Rise wasn't exactly a better game than Tyrant's Fall, but then again, to certain minds, it might very well be the more attractive option of the two.