One of the pkv games that is really popular these days is the 243 Ways slot machine games, Lord of the Rings is a 5 reel slot based on the popular movie series. The movies are based on the JRR Tolkien books, and these slots emulate the movie, not the book.
Fans of the movies may be surprised that Microgaming did not include Gollum, ring-wraiths, or even Gandalf in this first Lord of the Rings slot, but word has it that Microgaming is planning on building several more Lord of the Rings slot games.
243 Ways machines—you either love them or hate them. The benefit is that you don’t need to worry about pay lines. Any adjacent symbols lead to a payout. The downside is that for many slot gamers you have to learn a whole new way of playing, and the 243 Ways betting system generally takes away some of your wager size variety.
Microgaming got plenty right with this slot, including the use of clips from the movie in place of spinning reels (the reels disappear at the beginning of the spin and reappear right before they stop spinning), though if you play the machine for long, you’ll notice that there are only about a dozen or so film clips, so this feature could get old after an hour of play or so. An estimated payback percentage of 96% ought to keep slot gamers interested even after they tire of the video segments.
Overall, this is a great first entry into the Lord of the Rings series by Microgaming, and it leaves slot gamers wanting more from one of the world’s best slot machine software companies. This slot machine game is extremely popular, which is probably what prompted Microgaming to announce that they’re working on more Lord of the Rings slot machines.
Lord of the Rings Slot Features
Software: Microgaming Reels: 5 Paylines: 243 Ways Bet Limits: $0.01 – $0.05 Max Bet: $30 Wild Symbol: Lord of the Rings symbol plus the Eye of Sauron Scatter Symbol: The one-ring Bonus Rounds: none Top Jackpot: 4,860,000 coins, or $243,000
Lord of the Rings Betting Options
243 Ways machines are notoriously light on betting options. You have to bet a specific amount of cash every spin just to get the reels moving. Here is a look at the minimum and maximum bets and payouts on the Microgaming Lord of the Rings slot.
There are really only 3 bets available to this slot’s players–$ 0.01, $0.02, and $0.05. The variety comes from the range of coins you can bet per spin, between 1 and 20. That leaves the player with a betting range of between $0.30 and $30 per spin.
The largest jackpot in the game is worth 4,860,000 coins. If you land this jackpot while wagering nickels, you just won a cool $243,000.
Lord of the Rings Progressive Jackpot
Lord of the Rings does not currently come in a progressive jackpot version.
Lord of the Ring Fixed Jackpots
The top fixed jackpot is worth 4,860,000 coins. That’s $48,6000 if you’re playing for pennies. The top wager earns almost $250,000.
Lord of the Rings Wild Symbols
The main wild symbol in the game is the symbol that looks like the Lord of the Rings logo. This symbol substitutes for every other symbol in the game except for the scatter symbol and the Eye of Sauron. Speaking of Sauron’s Eye, that symbol is what’s called an expanding wild. The Eye of Sauron occasionally appears on the third reel and it substitutes for all other symbols except the scatter symbol to build winning combinations.
Lord of the Rings Scatter Symbols
Sticking with the Lord of the Rings theme, the scatter symbol in this slot is the one-ring. When you land three or more ring symbols in any stop position on any reels, you earn up to 15 free spins.
Lord of the Rings Additional Features
You can’t miss this slot machine if you’re a fan of the movie, thanks to Microgaming’s HD cinematic scenes. These scenes are pulled directly from the actual movie, and they play while you spin the reels. But it isn’t just the authenticity of the scenes—the visuals and the soundtrack are equally amazing.
With more Lord of the Rings games on the way from Microgaming, consider this first game a pinky toe stuck in the water. Since the response has been so great, it’s likely that Microgaming’s future entrants into the Lord of the Rings slot series will be similar. 243 Ways machines are becoming Microgaming’s forte, and cinematic scenes and multiple wild symbols can be expected from their future LoTR slot machine ventures.
Where to play Lord of the Rings
We would recommend playing Lord of the Rings at Platinum Play Casino. They are one of the largest and most trusted Microgaming casinos around, having been in the industry for over 10 years now.
What’s more if, you don’t currently have an account with Platinum Play, you’ll be given 1,500 chips to try out the slot completely free (with no deposit required).
