Golden Chief Slots
Throughout casino slot machines, there are a handful of themes that developers – for better or for worse – come back to time and time again. We’ve all visited the Egyptian pyramids more than a few times on these machines, and we’ve seen more than our fair share of fruits and diamonds as well. Another theme that would appear on that list would have to be games based on Native Americans, as providers seem to love to use the iconography of these tribes whenever they can.
That American Indian theming is at the heart of Golden Chief by Barcrest, one of the latest releases from the well-known online casino software developer. Filled with a variety of game features, this is a machine that is designed to provide gamblers will as many options as they can handle, with different play styles emerging based on just how much you want to bet. But even low limit players will have the opportunity to take advantage of expanding wilds that have the potential to cover the entire screen.
A Classic Western
The Golden Chief video slot is an online casino game that can be found at sites featuring software by Barcrest. The artwork on the machine is definitely inspired by Native American art and culture, with an emphasis placed on bright colors to create a sunset-like effect behind the reels. The landscape featured seems to come out of the southwestern United States, with some high rocks noticeable in the distance. Overall, the artwork is sharp and thematic, and while there aren’t any spectacular animations, the overall visual appearance is quite nice.
One of the most notable things about this machine is that the way you choose to bet actually impacts the way in which the game plays. That means that high rollers will have a different experience than typical players, though we’ll talk about that more below. The important thing to note for now is that there are a wide range of betting options for players of all budgets, and that you might want to try a play for free option first to explore these experiences before deciding which one is right for you. Mobile play is also available thanks to a no download needed format that provides compatibility with almost all devices and operating systems.
Hail to the Chief
The Golden Chief video slot is a five reel game in which players are hoping to match identical symbols from left to right across their active paylines. However, the number of lines will vary depending on how much you choose to bet on your spin. Bet less than €1 (or similar amounts in other currencies), and you’ll start the game with 10 lines; wager more than that, and you’ll get to play with 20 paylines instead.
In either case, you’ll be looking to make matches of three or more icons in order to score wins. This starts with (what else) the card ranks, with tens through kings providing the smallest prizes, and aces offering just a bit more. Bears and totems offer larger rewards, while the biggest normal payouts come from the Native American lady character.
Game-Changing Wilds
There are two types of wild symbols found in this game. The first is a standard wild that works exactly how you would expect, substituting for any regular symbol in order to complete winning paylines wherever it can. However, there’s also a second, more exciting wild: the chief himself, who will expand to fill up his entire reel whenever he appears in any position on the screen. This expanding wild will also increase the number of paylines you are playing on: if you were playing 10 to begin with, you’ll now have 50 to win on, while if you started with 20 lines, that number will increase to 100. Both wilds can earn their own prizes if you hit three or more in a row on your paylines.
You’ll also want to try and find as many Golden Bonus scatter symbols as you can. Hitting three or more will trigger a bonus, with additional scatters increasing the rewards potential. With three scatters, you’ll get to play the Golden Bonus Wheel, where you can either win five free spins, or one of two special features. In the Totem Riches game, you’ll pick from three totems, increasing your prize at each level until you eventually find a “collect” icon that ends the game. The other is Cash Canyon, where you’ll move down a path collecting prizes until either you are stopped, or you reach the end of the trail.
Hitting four scatters improves these features. For instance, you’ll get 10 free spins instead of five, or you’ll gain features that help you stay in the bonus rounds longer and earn larger multipliers if you trigger Totem Riches or Cash Canyon instead. Finally, if you hit all five scatters, you’ll instead be rewarded with an instant cash prize, the size of which varies depending on how much you wagered on that spin.
A Heap of Free Spins
We should take a moment to dig a little deeper into the free spins round presented in this game. There are two features that are particularly interesting here. The first is the Heap Wild, which is the same “chief” wild symbol as you’ll see in the main game, only with one important difference: it can sometimes expand even further to fill multiple reels, perhaps even filling the entire screen at once.
Players also have the opportunity to earn extra spins during this feature. This happens when you find more golden bonus icons on the reels. You’ll earn one extra spin for finding a single scatter, and you’ll get progressively more for finding multiple bonus symbols on the same spin. Hit all five, and you’ll again get the instant five-scatter prize, just as in the main game.
Betting Big
One feature that you may have seen in other Barcrest machines is the Big Bet game. Golden Chief has this as well, offering players the option of betting as much as 50 units of their currency in exchange for five spins that have some special bonus features that increase your odds of winning tremendously. Bet 20 units, and you’ll get five spins with double-height scatter symbols, increasing your odds of triggering the bonus round.
Move up to 30 units, and you’ll also get persistent expanding wilds, meaning that any of the chief symbols that fill a reel will remain there until the very end of your big bet spins. Finally, if you bet the maximum of 50 units, you’ll automatically get the full 100 win lines for all five of your special spins. In all cases, a special pay table is used that guarantees a set rate of payouts that is somewhat different than in normal play.
More Features Than You Can Shake a Stick At
We review a lot of online slots, but few of them have anywhere near the number of features you’ll find when you play Golden Chief. The options can be overwhelming, though there’s an easy rule of thumb: the more you bet, the higher your RTP will be on this machine. All of these choices may be overwhelming for some players, but for others, this level of choice provides a lot of replay ability. This can certainly be an entertaining game, but we’d recommend trying a free Golden Chief slot machine first to see if the myriad of features and options are right for you.
