Tesoro Del Amazonas Slot
Join a brave explorer as he searches the rainforest for hidden treasures in the Tesoro Del Amazonas video slot game from Merkur. 3D graphics help the 5 reels pop out from the screen as we see symbols of treasure chests, lost islands, maps and a compass landing across the 20 paylines, while further adventures await players who trigger the multiple bonus rounds, such as expanding wilds and a 2-stage free spins game.
Merkur is one of the biggest games developers in the world. Based in Germany, they have dominated the regional gaming market for many years, and although the Merkur online slots range isn’t the main part of their business, when they release a game, you can be sure that it’s going to have the famous German attention to detail and quality.
That detail is evident in the whole design of the Tesoro Del Amazonas video slot, where we see a suitably jungle-themed background image that extends right across the game. Symbols are super-imposed on this picture and there’s a simple stone-effect framework to define the reel edges, while our distinguished-looking explorer stands to the left of them, doing a little dance as the games progress.
Off on an Amazonian Adventure
Winning lines in the base games are made by 3 or more of the same symbol type landing across a payline from the left side, and unless a wild symbol is in the combination, they will need to be in a continuous run. Punters can stake a minimum of 0.20 per spin, activating all lines and can then raise their bets from there on up to a high limit of 40.00. In common with all Merkur games, it’s been fully certified by independent testing labs for fair play, but anyone who still likes to test games themselves will find free Tesoro Del Amazonas video slots versions are available.
High-card symbols J, Q, K and A create the low-paying winning lines, but the unique picture icons will return a lot more. In the base games, the compass is worth up to 5x the stake, the backpack is valued at 10x when it fills a payline, the map 12.5x, the island pays out up to 25x and the explorer, who is waving at us from his plane, returns up to 50x the bet.
There’s a special wild symbol that isn’t worth anything on its own, and will only appear once in a spin, but when it does, it becomes a diagonally expanding wild, turning the 4 symbol positions at the corners around it into further wilds. These will be able to substitute for other symbols, completing win-lines if they are in the right places.
A Treasure Chest of Bonus Games
A golden treasure chest, emitting a strange purple glow, is the scatter symbol, which is also not worth anything directly, but when 3 appear in any places at once, a unique free spins feature is triggered. An initial 10 free Treasure Quest bonus games are awarded, during which a new set of picture symbols will appear. The bird necklace, gold coin, hut, black panther and temple are worth the same as the symbols in the base games, but any scatter symbols that appear will be collected in a meter to the left of the reels.
If between 3 and 9 scatter symbols are seen during these spins, the round will be retriggered, and players get 10 further spins added on, but if 10 or more scatters are collected, a further 2 Treasure Quest spins are granted, followed by entry to The Treasure stage.
This consists of 10 extra free spins, but the lower paying card symbols are removed from the reels, leaving just the high-value icons and the wild. Fewer symbols means it should be easier to land winning combinations and of course, those are going to be higher prizes, although there’s also no scatter symbol on the reels, so they can’t be retriggered.
A Thirst for Adventure?
A number of popular online slot games follow a similar Aztec adventure theme, with perhaps the best-known being Gonzo’s Quest, from NetEnt. It’s got an Avalanche Reels feature, where winning symbols are removed, allowing new ones to fall into the spaces for further winning chances, plus free spins, multipliers and stunning graphics.
There’s some impressive images and features in Microgamings’ Jungle Jim El Dorado slot game as well. It’s got similar Cascading Reels, where multipliers of up to 15x can be found, plus wilds and free games to enjoy.
The Verdict on Tesoro Del Amazonas
While it may not be up to the impressive standards of Gonzo’s Quest or Jungle Jim, there’s still much to like about the Tesoro Del Amazonas video slot. Quality graphics and a fun style certainly help broaden the appeal, but what sets it apart are those diagonally expanding wilds and the exciting free spins games where you can cash out regular prizes.
Watching extra scatter symbols fill the meter builds tension, as once the second stage of the bonus games has been triggered, some big wins are all but guaranteed. This fully mobile-optimised slot machine can lead to hidden treasures being plundered from the many online casinos where the Mekur range is featured.
