Set sail on the open ocean and prepare to bring home the gold as Holly Roger returns to lead her team of scallywags on a new adventure, this time returning to the seas in her search of the 9 Skulls of Gold.
Coming from South African game studio Buck Stakes Entertainment, and published by slot game behemoth Microgaming, 9 Skulls of Gold is the follow-up title to the pirate-themed slot 8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger. Picking up from Holly’s previous adventure on the high seas, this five-reel, three-row slot machine includes several ways for players to win. The slot machine has up to 20 paylines, with bets that start with a minimum bet of 0.2 and max out at 125. Some of the notable features of the slot machine include bonus multipliers, scatter symbols, retriggers, wilds, the chance to win a jackpot, and much more.
As the follow-up title to 8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger, it should come as no surprise to fans of the genre that this is a pirate-themed slot machine. Four female pirates donning bandanas of different colors, green, blue, yellow, and purple respectively, will guide players through the rough seas as the low-paying symbols. Landing five of the same pirates will secure either one or two free spins for the player in normal mode, and up to two times their bet in free spin mode.
The high-paying symbols on this slot take the form of three versions of the lucky number 7, where landing five symbols of either 7, 77, or 777 will earn players a reward of between 7.5x and 37.5x their bet. One of the key features of the game, the firepot scatter, takes the form of the titular Gold Skull, making it highly visible on the reels.
One of the most notable special features of this slot machine comes in the form of free spins. Players that manage to land combinations of either three low-paying symbols or five high-value symbols, or three to four firepot scatter symbols anywhere on the reel, stand the chance to up their odds by claiming additional free spins. During these free spins, players can be awarded cash prizes of various values, but lose access to the other game bonuses.
However, should a player be lucky enough to gather nine firepot scatters, they will win the maximum prize of 2000x their stake. When entering the free spin mode of 9 Skulls of Gold, players will get a chance to add higher multipliers, or more spins, by spinning the bonus wheel.
With a solid RTP of 96.33%, and rated as having a hit frequency of 36.91%, this slot offers decent odds for beginner and veteran slot gamers alike. While the maximum payouts on this slot can be seen as lackluster, at only 2000x your bet, the chance to win smaller amounts on a higher number of spins more than makes up for this for many gamers looking for a visually pleasing slot to occupy their downtime. 9 Skulls of Gold was released on 5 September 2022 and is available to play on desktop and mobile.