If you’re a fan of slots with a Mayan theme, you’ll dig Gates of Xibalba. We’ve seen some pretty interesting slots from Pragmatic Play lately. The best part is that they’re just keep coming off the slot studio’s production line.
Slots like Rujak Bonanza, and Gates of Olympus 1000. What we noted about Pragmatic Play is that they do the epic theme darn well. So, where does Gates of Xibalba fit into the grander scheme of things?
The volatility of the slots comes in at a 7/10 on the Whizz’s slots scale. Yet, the RTP is 96.25% and the betting range is $0.25 to $100 per spin.
The special features of Gates of Xibalba include Free Spins with 4 Levels and MultiplierSymbols. Better still, you’re not looking at normal multipliers but ones that can reach up to 100x.
The studio once again uses the Tumble mechanic with great success in the slot. During a winning combination, the Tumble engine removes winning symbols from the grid and replaces them with new ones.
Furthermore, Pragmatic Play added an ante bet feature. Using it costs an extra 25% but it improves your chances of triggering a bonus. There’s also a buy option if you want to buy your free spins outright.
Graphics, Sound, and Symbols Gates of Xibalba Slot
Without writing a dissertation, the visual side and audio track of the slot enhance the theme. To snag a payout, you need 8 or more matching symbols on the reels.
That’s when the Tumble engine also kicks in for repeat wins. The low-value symbols are those round disks when 8 of them pitch payouts of 0.25x to 10x ensue.
Catch a scatter win of 12 or more symbols you’ll pocket a win of 2x to 50x the stake. The slot machine does not have a Wild symbol. However, a slot with a Wild symbol is Yggdrasil’s Rock Star Santa MultiMax.
Multiplier symbols work their magic in both Free Spins and the base game. They bring forth multiplier values ranging from 2x to 100x.
After the Tumbles have completed their cycle, the multiplier values combine for a final payout.
Free Spins
The free spins feature is the meat and potatoes of the slot. The free spins feature triggers when 4, 5, or 6 scatters pitch. In return, you’ll receive 10, 15, or 20 free spins, and scatter wins up to 100x.
This is an interesting free spins feature as it uses a Progressive feature. Starting at Level, you’ll collect the multiplier symbols in a meter. Herewith the 4 Levels:
Level 1 offers multiplier values from 2x to 100x the stake.
Level 2 triggers when you collect 6 multipliers with values from 8x to 100x.
Level 3 pops when 5 additional multiplier symbols pitch with values of 15x to 100x.
Level 4 initiates when you collect an extra 4 multiplier symbols with symbol values from 50x to 100x.
In case another 3 or more scatters grace the grid you’ll bag an extra 5 plus free spins.
Buy Option
Buying the free spins at Level 1 costs 100x the stake. Whilst Level 2 costs 200x, Level 3 will set you back 400x, and Level 4 a hefty 500x. Keep in mind, that when you buy your free spins, any number of scatters will appear on the grid randomly.
Paytable
What We Like and Don’t Like About Gates of Xibalba
The theme is interesting as we didn’t know what Xibalba meant prior to playing the slot. So, we learned something new. Anyhow, the ante bet feature is an “iffy” for us, we dig the Tumbles though.
Tips & Strategy
Gates of Xibalba brings its own challenges to the reels and the volatility is not too bad. Which begs the question is it advantageous to play the slot with a bonus?
To be honest, we won’t play it with a bonus but that’s entirely up to you. The WR of the bonus spoils the party for us, well not always. But, in this case, it could be because the volatility is sharp.
How to Win Money Gates of Xibalba
We’ve learned over the years never to buy our free spins before we’ve played the slot. We never had luck doing it that way, some players will call us superstitious, but it’s not the case.
We have a sequence of doing things and it worked well for us so far. Knock on wood of course. After the testing phase of 50 spins at an average stake of $10 we didn’t have much luck.
Let’s just say we were $400 down in the hole. Next up, we tested the “Buy Option” at the same betting range. We started the buy option like a house on fire with 6 scatters for a win of $1,000.
Moreover, we scored an extra 5 free spins when another 3 scatters pitched. The irony is that we’ve won $155 with 25 free spins. Although, we broke even we still showed a loss of $300.
Just for fun, we bought the Level 4 free spins for a hefty price of $50,000. Immediately four scatters came up for a payout of $300.
The biggest multiplier Xibalba hurled onto the reels was 50x for a grand payout of $28,400. A hefty loss indeed.
Gates of Xibalba is one of those slots that left us hanging in both the base game and free spins. We’re not shy to say that it follows a carrot-and-stick approach.
The feeling we got when we played it was that it looked like a poison dart frog. Beautiful to look at, but don’t touch it. The prospect of those multiplier wins of up to 100x are promising, but it’s kinda pie in the sky.
There’s also a lot of “teasers” going on in the slot as well. For example, it will give you a taste of those multipliers if you want to risk it. Yet, they never really pitch, perhaps one in seven will come around.
Despite the hype, the Gates of Xibalba slot is not for us. You’re better off playing Quickspin’s Sticky Bandits Unchained, at least here you know what to expect.
It’s brutal volatility all the way, but it pays a hefty 30,000x, and the top multiplier win is up to 500x.
Otto Bergstrom is a veteran in the world of casinos and gambling with 20 years of extensive experience. Writing for Casino Whizz, he shares his deep understanding of game strategies and the latest casino trends.
