Return to Player
96.12%
Minimum bet
0.10
Slot category
Video Slots
Volatility
High
Reels
5
Progressive jackpot
No
Popularity
Maximum bet
75
Game Provider
NetEnt
Bonus features
Yes
Paylines
10
Theme
Adventure
Rise of Maya online slot game
Casino Ideal revisits Evan Carrington’s review of Rise of Maya, released in Feb 2020. It covers the bonus bet, free spins, expanding and stacked wilds, and Scatters, as players seek the riches of a Mayan temple and its gods.
Theme and Storyline
The story follows a Mayan god and unfolds within the god’s temple. Players return to an era when the Mayans sought to appease their gods through demanding, bloodthirsty rituals. The goal is to join serpents and other symbols of Mayan culture while plundering the temple’s riches.
Graphics, sound and animation
The slot’s 3D presentation sets the action inside a shadowy Mayan temple, with animated torches burning behind masks representing the gods. Dark tones contrast with the fire’s golden glow. Ornate reel symbols are finely rendered, and the details of each masked image stand out on mobile and desktop screens alike.
There is no theme tune, but light, pounding drums and Mayan wind instruments shape the soundscape. Their calls seem to summon the gods to the paylines, evoking the idea of leaving the temple laden with NetEnt coins.
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Gameplay
Rise of Maya is an online slot with 5 reels and 10 paylines. At the time of the review, it was among NetEnt’s latest releases, offering engaging gameplay and several ways to win despite its relatively few paylines.
To set a bet, adjust the ‘coin value’. Each line uses 1 coin, and that number cannot be changed, so every spin costs 10 coins. The total bet appears in the ‘BET’ box as coins or cash. In the settings menu, select ‘Show bet in cash’; the menu also offers ‘Quick Spin’ and ‘Spacebar to Spin’.
Selecting ‘bet in cash’ displays symbol payouts in cash rather than coins in the paytable. In Rise of Maya, combinations across the 10 paylines include the Wild, which pays 5000, 1000, 100 or 10 coins when 5, 4, 3 or 2 appear along a payline. Wilds can also land stacked and expand.
The reels feature 5 distinct Mayan mask symbols, which pay when 2, 3, 4 or 5 land on a pay line. The 5 lower-value symbols pay in combinations of 3, 4 or 5. These are A, K, Q, J and 10. The next section looks at the Rise of Maya slot’s features and bonuses.
Bonuses and free spins
Wild Symbols: The golden serpent Wild can replace any regular symbol, but not Scatters. It pays the highest available combination and can expand to turn an entire reel Wild. During free spins, it remains permanently stacked in sets of 3.
Free Spins: Landing 3, 4 or 5 Wild or Scatter symbols anywhere on the reels awards 10, 15 or 20 free spins, respectively. Every reel containing one of these symbols becomes a ‘hot reel’. Any unstacked Wilds expand when they land on a ‘hot reel’.
Bonus Bet: The second-chance Scatter re-spin is available only with the bonus bet option, which doubles the bet. If 2 Scatter/Wild symbols land, reels without Scatter or Wild symbols re-spin. The aim is to land a third Scatter/Wild to trigger free spins.
Bet sizes, RTP and variance
Only 10 coins are active on each spin, with a coin value from 0.01 to 7.50. The cash bet per spin therefore ranges from 0.10 to 75.00. With just 10 paylines, the review cautions against expecting large wins regularly. It associates bigger results with accumulated free-spin wins and trying the bonus bet feature again. The review gives Rise of Maya an expected RTP of 96.12% across the base game and features, describing it as low for a NetEnt slot.
Conclusion
Evan Carrington’s review describes the Mayan theme as enduring and NetEnt’s latest online slot, released in Feb 2020, as a familiar setting with newer features. Free spins, expanding wilds and stacked wilds are established mechanics, while the bonus bet adds another option. The review calls its return on investment pretty decent, but cautions that the bonus bet increases both the stake and the risk.
Evan Carrington brings more than 12 years of experience in the iGaming industry, with a focus on reviewing online casinos, assessing slot games and examining player safety. Their work covers casino licensing, RTP, volatility, bonus terms and withdrawal policies. Drawing on practical testing and independent research, Evan provides clear, evidence-based reviews to help players understand gambling platforms, their features and possible risks.
