Day of the Dead is an ancient Mexican festival still celebrated in Mexico, South America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The festival honors the dead and can last for weeks. Dating back between 3,000 and 2,500 BCE, the festival has undergone several changes, but the basic symbols and customs of the tradition remain the same. Endorphina presents some of those traditions with Dia de Los Muertos, a video slot that resembles a classic, but has the features of modern video slots.
Dia de Los Muertos is a played out across 3 reels but has 5 paylines, hence winning combinations can be formed across all 3 rows. Characteristic of other Endorphina’s slots, the game follows a simplistic pattern with most of the action taking place in the base game. There’s a scatter that provides the customary free spins when triggered. There is no wild symbol in the base game. And yes, Dia de Los Muertos also features another staple in Endorphina slots – the risk gamble game, where you call it double or quits.
The symbols are typical Day of the Dead icons like Catrina, the Lady of the Dead, a musician, the scatter, and skulls. There are lots of skulls of different colors, perhaps in lieu of the card symbols found in almost all slot games. However, there are many other symbols associated with the Day of the Dead, a couple of which could have found their way to the reels. But what really matters is how entertaining and rewarding players find the game, particularly those who can identify with the theme. Read on to find out if Dia de Los Muertos fits the bill.
Dia De Los Muertos is a classic slot with 5 paylines. You can make winning combinations in straight lines or across all 3 rows. All the symbols have different payout values, including the skulls in four different colors. The blue skulls pay the lowest at 5 times your bet if they land across all three reels on a single payline. The red skulls are marginally worth more with 10 times your bet for appearing as 3 of a kind. The green skulls pay out relatively more at 20 times your bet. The most valuable skull color is orange and 3 of a kind on a single payline can be 100 times as rewarding as your bet.
The Musician is a mid-range symbol that pays out 250 times your bet if he lands on all three reels on one payline. Catrina, the Lady of the Dead, and the scatter with the Mexican scenery are the premium symbols on the reels. Catrina, the leading lady of the game is the highest-paying in the game – she pays out 500 times your bet for landing on 3 reels.
The scatter symbol serves a dual purpose. It pays in different multipliers for appearing on 2-3 reels at once. When it lands on all 3 reels, it not only gifts you a round of free spins, but 50 times your bet as well. Like most Endorphina games in this simplistic genre, Dia de Los Muertos has an industry-standard average return to player ratio of 96%. The most you can win out of this game is 5,000 coins, which is if you do not count winnings from the risk gamble games.
The free spins round is triggered by the scatters. When three of them land anywhere on the reels, not only do they give you a payout, you also get a free round of 20 spins. Catrina acts as a wild during the free spins round by substituting all other symbols except the scatter, to help create winning combinations much like the joker in card games. If you get 3 more scatters to land during the free spins, you get an additional round of 20 free spins.
A staple of many Endorphina slots, the risk gamble is offered with every win in the base game, where you can simply double your winnings from the last round or forfeit them. You are given a choice from four cards lying face down to beat the dealer’s card. If you pick a higher card, your winnings get doubled or else you’re left with nought.
Of course, if the dealer’s card seems kind of high and you want to back out, you can just take the money and resume the main game. You can play the risk gamble up to 10 times per round.
You can enjoy the game on your mobile device while on the move. The game is fully-compatible with all modern mobile operating systems like Android, Windows Phone, and iOS, etc. This means that you can keep its reels spinning on any mobile device that runs on these systems. You can play on a range of devices from budget smartphones to the most sophisticated Apple device. However, since you will be playing this game on your mobile browser, make sure you have uninterrupted internet connectivity at all times. While the slot combines classic game-play with more complex design elements, it still plays out perfectly on the small screen.
We think any slot that offers an RTP of 96% across 3 reels and 5 paylines is really worth the money. Visually, the game may not to be outstanding, but that can be due to the somber theme, which though not unique, is a refreshing take on other games in this genre. Dia de Los Muertos is simple, entertaining and ultimately rewarding.