300 Shields Introduction
300 Shields is a five-reel, 25-payline pokie from Next Gen, and it can be played online, on a tablet or on a mobile. This Ancient Greece-themed game takes inspiration from the traditional tale of King Leonidas and his Spartan army. Impressively presented, it can be played for free or for cash. Check out this and other free pokies right here.
The Theme
The Spartans are famous for being a completely war-orientated civilization in which boys were taken away from their families at an early age and raised as ruthless warriors. The story of the war against the Persian god-king Xerxes is one of the highlights of the Spartan legends.
The story was turned into the ‘300’ comic-book series and later became a blockbuster Hollywood film. In 300 Shields, players are transported back to Ancient Greece to fight Xerxes and, of course, to try to win cash prizes along the way.
Playing the Game
Players just need to set their stake and paylines to get started, then hit spin to look for three, four and five of a kind. There are two types of symbols in the combinations part of the game: the playing-card symbols and the theme symbols. As in many other games, the playing cards - the 9, 10, J, Q, K and Ace - make up the lower-paying icons.
There are plenty of these to land on to keep the prizes trickling in. The next level involves the arrows and swords, and the top level is made up by the warrior and the ship. This top level also lets you collect two of a kind.
The Special Features
The wild in 300 Shields is a warrior symbol, and this substitutes for all other symbols except for the scatter. If a wild makes up any part of a winning combination, the warrior slashes the screen with his sword and gives out a battle cry. The scatter is a shield, which also jumps into an animation if you find two or more anywhere on the reels.
Get three or more to activate the free game feature. In this round, all winnings are also multiplied by 5, 25 or 300 depending on whether you get three, four or five shields. Another bonus, if you’re into gore, is the gushing waterfall of blood that surges down the screen to remind you that the free spins have kicked in. In this game, get two or more shields again to re-trigger the five free games.
Look and Feel
The reels are set against a field of wavering wheat, reminiscent of another famous ancient warrior movie, and the dramatic music will make you feel as if you’re in a movie set too. But the graphics are nice, and the game play is instinctive.
Overall
This game is a pretty simple pokie with a gamble option and some very generous multipliers. The gameplay would suit beginners as well as quite experienced pokie players - as long as they can stand the sight of rivers of blood and the screams of dying Spartans. Enjoy!