Links of Ra

Punters are now spinning the reels of new slot releases expecting them to be highly volatile but able to deliver excellent prizes in return. It’s a trend we’re noticing with the content that is being fired out by studios left, right and center. And this online slot, which is another collaboration between two top development teams in Slingshot Studios and Microgaming, follows the same path. Links of Ra is what many will describe as a game with high variance. But in return, there is a prize of up to 25,000x the stake up for grabs, which could mean a payout of a whopping £500,000. It’s a life-changing sum of money and one of the highest paying in the genre.

Now, some people reading this review may be thinking that it’s another slot with an Ancient Egyptian theme to go with the countless others that have gone before. And, you can see their thinking. It’s a theme that has been overworked like many others. However, as well as Slingshot Studios being on board, Microgaming are too, and they’re one of the industry’s best. They understand how to make games stand out, and they regularly turn out high-quality releases like Squealin’ Riches. Slingshot are no fools either, with their titles Deal or no Deal Megaways and Ted Jackpot King hitting the high notes.

So, many may be left wondering what can this development duo do so different that this common idea for a slot appears fresh and new. Well, they make sure the graphics are excellent for starters, which is always a good thing. We also see the inclusion of Link & Win, Power Stacks and more. Yes, if you have played games from these developers before, you will likely have come across functions such as these. However, they will be new to many, which adds an element of uniqueness to proceedings, and that is what is needed to make this an Ancient Egypt-style slot that punters want to play.

We’re not against royal icons or playing card suit symbols in any way, but like many themes, we see them all too often as the lower-paying options amongst a selection. So, we’re pleased that in Links of Ra, they opt to go with gemstones instead, of which there are four colours. And, you could say they sort of fit with the theme better, which is another plus.

A difficulty many operators have when covering genres like Ancient Egypt is that you can’t really divert from the symbols used in the past. So, you get Bastet, Anubis, Sobek, Horus and Khnum for the premium and higher-paying offering. There will also be a wild, and a scatter as expected.

We begin this section of the review with some great news. Yes, wild icons can land on the reels and replace other symbols, but they can also pay directly, which means prizes of up to 25x the bet are available for a combination of five.

We mentioned Power Stacks earlier, and this is a random bonus that is sure to provide some online casino thrills as it can turn regular icons into super-stacked versions of themselves. Therefore, forming combos becomes a whole lot easier.

Three or more scatters in view simultaneously will produce fifteen free spins, with a 2x multiplier doubling wins, making this feature seriously more advantageous than the base game. Six scatters will also kick start the Link & Win bonus round, where three respins are handed out initially, with more scatters landing leading to the total resetting.

In terms of winning potential from the features, players will notice they will pick up prizes from coins during Link & Win, and typically they will top out at 2,500x the stake. However, while the free spins are active, this will double thanks to the multiplier, meaning the end result is 5,000x.

We can’t think of a time when we have told punters to steer clear of a slot from Microgaming. And, we’re not about to start now, especially with Slingshot Studios involved too. Yes, Links of Ra is another theme taking inspiration from Ancient Egypt, but there is plenty of uncommon functions, features and systems to keep things interesting.