Fortune of Aztecs

Fortune of Aztecs Review

Fortune of Aztec is a multi-way online slot designed in portrait mode by the game developer Fat Panda. This mobile spinner is expected in the first half of July and will offer cash payouts of up to a spectacular 100,000x the bet. If you enjoy cascades, rising multipliers, free spins, and transforming symbols, this review is just for you!

Fat Panda is a new software studio established in 2024 and powered by the iGaming leader Pragmatic Play. For about a year, the mobile-first provider managed to launch nearly 20 HTML5 online slots. The last two, Lucky Phoenix and Cachorro Sortudo, offered simple gameplay with only 5 paylines, but the title in today's review focus is much more complex!

Fortune of Aztec has 6 vertical reels with up to 5 symbols each and one Top Row, which is actually a horizontal reel. It spins independently from right to left and always displays 4 symbols. Payouts are for identical figures on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost side of the grid. The Multiway mechanic generates from 2,025 up to 32,400 ways to win and features tumbles.

Symbols on reels 2, 3, 4, and 5 can land in a 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, or 1x4 size, but they always represent a single symbol instance if used in a winning combination. Fortune of Aztec is loaded with several other modifiers that I'll introduce in one of the following sections. Players can activate Quickspin, Bonus Bet, or Autoplay to facilitate their gameplay.

Fortune of Aztec Slot - Game Screen

Fortune of Aztec pays for 3 to 6 symbols of the same kind on adjacent reels. The high-valued ones land in the form of animals that the ancient Aztecs honored. They pay between 0.40x and 4x, while the medium-valued Turtles and Monkeys award from 0.30x to 0.75x the bet. The low-valued figures are A, K, Q, J, and 10, paying 0.05x - 0.50x the stake.

Fortune of Aztec has a wild symbol landing in the form of an Aztec Princess. You can't expect direct cash from the wilds, but they substitute for all symbols except bonus scatters. The betting range is very wide, clearly confirming the connection between Fat Panda and Pragmatic Play. You can stake from €0.20 up to €240 per spin, and even €300 via Ante Bet.

The Fortune of Aztec RTP ranges, and the highest rate is 96.50%, which corresponds ideally with the high levels of volatility. I don't recommend the other variants with rates of 95.50% and 94.50%. The Hit Frequency is quite decent - 27.10% or 1 in 3.69 spins on average, but the max win is the real highlight of the slot - 100,000x the bet.

Fortune of Aztec Features

Fortune of Aztec does not bring innovation in the world of online slots but has some intriguing features that have proven their popularity. Seasoned gamblers will quickly find many similarities between this title and others built by Fat Panda and other mobile-first game developers. Still, the script and bonus package deserve a closer look!

Tumble Feature

Tumbles or cascades work just in the same way as we all know and allow you to collect multiple payouts within a single spin. Symbols participating in winning combinations explode and disappear. New ones of the same sizes cascade from above to fill out the gaps and potentially create new combinations. Scatters stay until the end of the tumbling sequence and never disappear.

Borders Feature

The regularly paying symbols may land with Silver Borders around them, and if they become part of a winning combination, these borders turn into gold. Moreover, they don't disappear but transform into another regular symbol (no wild, no scatter). If Gold Borders symbols participate in winning combos, they turn into Wild Symbols, and they will finally disappear if they substitute and become part of a payout combination.

Multiplier Feature

You will spot an x1 multiplier above the reels and it will be increased by +1 for every tumble. The multiplier has no limit and applies to all wins within the cascading sequence. Once you collect the last payout and the spin is finally over, the multiplier will be reset back to x1.

Free Spins

The Free Spins bonus is the ultimate reach in Fortune of Aztec, and you will need 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 scatters to trigger it. In return, you will receive 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, or 20 free spins, respectively, and a special set of reels for the minigame. You can retrigger it in the same way and add an unlimited number of free spins. Keep in mind that the bonus multiplier is persistent and does not reset at the end of each round. Furthermore, each tumble will increase its value by +2, instead of +1.

Ante Bet

The triggering frequency of Free Spins in Fortune of Aztec is not particularly high - 1 in 181.01 spins on average. The game lacks Bonus Buy features but has a Double Chance ante bet. The toggle is just beneath the grid and will increase your bet by 25%. In return, you'll get an x2 chance to win the bonus feature. The RTP rate remains unchanged!

Theme & Graphics

Fortune of Aztec is a portrait-style online slot, as I already mentioned, but it is compatible with all platforms and OS. The Aztec theme is not particularly well developed and is only a cover. There are no features or animations deeply related to any script, so I can rate the title as another light-hearted slot in Fat Panda's collection.

On the other hand, the game boasts premium-class audio and visual effects and dynamic gameplay. A massive pagoda hidden in the jungle can be seen in the blurred backdrop. Leaves fall down the grid while you are playing and the setting changes once you activate the bonus. During Free Spins, you can explore the interior of the temple illuminated by altar fires.

Pros And Cons Of Fortune of Aztec Slot

Our Verdict

At first glance, Fortune of Aztec is a magnificent online slot and an excellent addition to the library of Fat Panda. However, more experienced players will quickly find disturbing similarities with other games released by different studios. Even Fat Panda has one, although coming with a different theme - Starlight Wins.

The title released in May has fewer ways to win but the same tumbling, multiplier, Gold Symbols, and Free Spins features. How about an older game - Fortunes of the Aztec by Pragmatic Play? This slot is slightly different but features an identical concept with cascades, multipliers, and free spins. However, if Fortune of Aztec is to be called a clone, it should be a reskin of another title.

Treasures of Aztec by PG Soft was released in 2020 and has exactly the same bonus package but medium volatility and a higher RTP. Indeed, the max win is rather small, less than 5,000x, while Fortune of Aztec boasts a gigantic 100,000x. Then again, the win probability of this stack is negligibly small - 1 in over 644 million spins!

PG Soft announced the Wilds on the Way mechanic, which was utilized by many other providers over the years. Now, it seems that Pragmatic Play has transferred it to its affiliate partner, Fat Panda. A sequel of PG Soft's release was launched in 2023 - Treasures of Aztec Z by another mobile-first studio, PlayStar. Features here are also quite the same!

Having all that said, it is difficult to consider Fortune of Aztec in the way its mechanics and features suggest. It has its own advantages and twists, like the x2 step in the multiplier increase during Free Spins or the 100K max prize. Then again, Fat Panda should count more on its creative side, as we all have seen that the studio has it!