Pragmatic Play's Bow of Artemis is an online slot machine that draws thematic inspiration from Greek mythology. Centered around Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, wilderness, and wild animals, the game presents an aesthetically pleasing autumnal forest backdrop adorned with symbols depicting various creatures and hunting iconography.
Cluster Pays and Tumble Feature Mechanics
Bow of Artemis departs from traditional payline structures, utilizing an 8×8 grid and a cluster pays mechanic. Winning combinations are formed by landing five or more identical symbols connected horizontally or vertically. Following a win, the winning symbols disappear, triggering a Tumble Feature. New symbols cascade from above to fill the vacated spaces, potentially creating additional winning clusters. This tumbling mechanic continues as long as new winning combinations appear.
Base Game Features with Colored Mark Modifiers
The base game offers a layer of complexity with special features activated by colored marks that may appear behind regular symbols. When a winning cluster lands on a marked position, a specific feature is triggered based on the mark's color:
- Brown Mark (The Chase Begins): This feature effectively clears the entire grid and replaces it with a fresh set of symbols.
- Teal Mark (Wild Pack): All instances of a randomly chosen symbol on the grid are transformed into wilds, increasing win potential.
- Purple Mark (Big Game Hunter): Random 2×2 blocks of the same symbol are strategically added to the grid, potentially creating larger clusters.
- Red Mark (Colossal Game): A random giant block (3×3, 4×4, or 5×5) of the same symbol is introduced to the grid, significantly impacting win potential.
- Blue Mark (Lucky Wilds): Between 5 and 15 wild symbols are randomly added to the grid, enhancing winning possibilities.
- Green Mark (Power): A random selection of a single paying symbol type is boosted with 10 to 30 additional instances appearing on the screen.
The Hunt Progressive Feature: Core Bonus Experience
The centerpiece of Bow of Artemis' bonus offerings is The Hunt Progressive Feature. Throughout gameplay, winning symbols from tumbles contribute to filling a dedicated Hunt meter. Once the meter reaches a specific threshold, The Hunt feature is activated, offering a series of benefits:
- Increasing Multipliers: As players progress through the levels within The Hunt feature, the value of the multiplier applied to wins progressively increases.
- Guaranteed Spin Feature Activation: Each level within The Hunt feature guarantees the activation of all the aforementioned spin features (in a predetermined order), providing a strategic element and a chance to experience a variety of win-enhancing mechanics.
The Hunt feature continues until either there are insufficient winning symbols to progress to the next level or all spin features from Level 5 have been played.
Symbol Breakdown and Payouts
The game incorporates a mix of low-paying and high-paying symbols. Low-value symbols are represented by the standard playing card icons J, Q, K, and A. High-paying symbols depict creatures thematically aligned with the hunt, such as Deer, Wolves, and Bears. A Wild symbol substitutes for all other symbols to facilitate the formation of winning combinations. Notably, there is no Scatter symbol present in Bow of Artemis, as the cluster pays mechanic eliminates the need for specific symbols to trigger bonus features.
Progressive Gameplay and The Hunt Meter: A Key Feature
Bow of Artemis stands out with its unique approach to bonus features through The Hunt meter. The constant collection of winning symbols keeps players engaged as they strive to trigger The Hunt feature and experience a sequence of guaranteed spin features with escalating multipliers. This progressive mechanic injects an additional layer of anticipation and excitement into the core gameplay loop, offering the potential for substantial wins at higher levels within The Hunt.