Aztec Ascent: Slot Overview

After the Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortes, squeezed Montezuma and his people for gold in 1519, they quickly had to flee the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs rose in rebellion following a shocking massacre, and the Spanish had to dump a load of rich stuff in a lake to hasten their escape. It would become known as Montezuma's Treasure, and according to popular theory, has eluded treasure hunters ever since. We are happy to say you won't need to shake down ancient civilizations in Relax Gaming's slot Aztec Ascent, but thanks to multipliers of up to x100 in both base and bonus games, players have the chance to collect some substantial treasure all the same.

With shades of Mega Masks, Aztec Ascent shifts the action next door from Guatemala to a more central American location where the Aztec nation was located. The view is agreeable yet not remarkable; Relax going for a predominantly brown palette similar to Sails of Fortune. It's not a dull view at all due to the quartet of promising meters located above and to the sides of the 6-reel, 40-payline game grid. A pleasing soundtrack jangles away in the background, made up of panpipes and percussive instruments, punctuated by triumphant blasts when wins hit or features trigger. As is often the case, these cute touches conceal the lethal game engine Relax has laid beneath.

One of the precursors of things to come is the multiplier trail above the reels, a telltale Aztec Ascent is capable of some big win potential. It's paired with a highly volatile math model, though, so this is no walk through the Yucatan being gifted precious metals from friendly locals. Determination, plus a healthy dose of luck, will be required. RTP is quite generous, as it typically is when it comes to Relax, at 96.36%, and the game can be played on any device, where bets of 10 p/c to $/€10 per spin may be set.

Lining up three or more identical symbols left to right from the leftmost reel constitutes a winning combination. The symbols on the paytable are an odd mix of low-value card royals, stars, and high pay Aztec icons, something like birds, snakes, crocs, jaguars, and a warrior's head all carved in stone tiles. Should you land a win line of six premiums, a payout of 4 to 10 times the stake is headed your way. Interestingly, there are no wild symbols, so it's down to the two features to build value.

Aztec Ascent: Slot Features

The two extras on hand are a Relic Random feature and Ascension Free Spins. The Relic Random may trigger at any moment in the base game. When it lights up the screen, a random multiplier of x2, x5, x10, or x100 is chosen, and 1 to 4 high pay symbols become mystery symbols for the current spin. All mystery symbols in view transform into the same matching symbol for a win evaluation. The selected multiplier is then applied to any winning total.

Ascension free spins are triggered when 3, 4, 5, or 6 gold disc scatters land to award 8, 10, 12, or 15 free spins, respectively. What you want in the bonus round is as many red or blue jewel icons to appear, which land randomly on top of regular pay symbols. These jewels are collected in the two meters on the side of the reels.

For every 5 red symbols collected, the multiplier increases through its trail from x1 to x2, x5, x10, and then x100. These values are applied to all wins that occur from then on. Every 5 blue symbols collected will convert high paying symbols to mystery symbols, from lowest to highest, increasing the number of mystery symbols on the reels. Also, for every 5 blue or red symbols collected, +1 additional free spin is awarded.

Aztec Ascent: Slot Verdict

Aztec Ascent is one of those slots that initially comes across as an unobtrusive wallflower, hanging back at a party terrified someone will ask them to dance. But get it going, and an uncharacteristic wild streak emerges. Thematically, it's not the Central American feast a game like 3 Secret Cities was; Relax preferring the low key, friendly presentation they do so well. As you often find in these unassuming Relax games, the math model is quite vicious, and the features on hand can produce some fine gaming.

Aztec Ascent certainly powers up during free spins when the collecting is going well. If you can get a great roll on, build a decent multiplier and knock out a few symbols for the mystery reveal, wins as high as 40,000x the bet are technically possible. It is quite a convoluted process and plays in a similar way to Yggdrasil's Valley of the Gods. This goes without saying, but you've really got to land red or blue symbols early to improve the modifiers and draw out the bonus round by winning extra free spins. Starting with the most common number of free spins, 8, doesn't leave a huge amount of time to accomplish much. It does get exciting when the collecting is going your way, yet it's generally not the hard and fast hit of adrenaline, something like Top Dawg$ is, by comparison.

One slight downer is the base game is a tad sleepy. Maybe if there was more of a celebration when the Relic Random triggered or energetic animations to break the slumber. Anything to add some zing to the main game, where players are going to spend the vast majority of their time. It's also interesting that Aztec Ascent doesn't have feature buy options, which would have come in handy for some since the base game isn't a major thrill fest, more a quiet Central American hike. Aztec Ascent isn't just admiring the old architecture, though, and can technically blow up, provided the collection system plays ball.