Wisdom of Athena 1000 Slot

Is it a bird? 

Is it a plane?

No, no, it's just Pragmatic Play giving me another massive hernia again. 

The release of Wisdom of Athena 1000 is about as new as the invention of water. If the name Wisdom of Athena rings any bells, then you likely played the original game, which only came out 14 months ago. So, why the need for a revamp? Well, why, indeed? Even this early in the review, I can clarify that the difference between the first Wisdom of Athena and this Wisdom of Athena 1000 comes down to three things.

What are those three things? Let’s find out as I play Wisdom of Athena 1000 by Pragmatic Play for real money. I’ll reveal the updates, tweaks, and changes made in the past 14 months. This review will also discuss the software settings, design, and performance. 

If you want to experience the same suffering I endured, I invite you to play the 100% free demo game that comes with this review. In fact, you’re likely playing the free demo as we speak and likely asking yourself, “Why would anyone play this?” Well, if you had read my review first, I could have saved you the trauma. 

When it comes to the design by Pragmatic Play, the two games are exactly the same. If you have not played Wisdom of Athena before, then what you get is a massive five-row, six-reel slot, which comes with a Tumbler feature. 

There is an unlock row above the game, which becomes unlocked when wins trigger the Tumbler mechanism. This unlocked row highlights the number of Tumbles or wins needed to unlock the area., which can go up to 15. So, after three consecutive wins, you will unlock the position over the second reel. Three more consecutive wins after that, and you unlock the area over reel three, and so on. The winning function programmed into this slot is a Scatter Pays feature. 

The figure of Athena stands next to the game, looking all glam and doing nothing. 

The rules of engagement are simple.

1. Choose to play Wisdom of Athena 1000 within a licensed casino that you’ve selected from Casinos.com.
2. Load the game and set your betting value. The prices of which run between $0.20 and $100.
3. Press the spin button to begin playing Wisdom of Athena 1000.
4. Landing eight or more of the same symbols anywhere on the game’s rows and reels forms a win.
5. When you win, the Tumbler feature takes the winning symbols away, with the symbols above them then falling into their once-held space. New symbols will then fall into the game to plug the space vacated by the symbols that moved down. This is the Tumbler function, which allows for consecutive wins to form with each new wave of symbols falling into the game. 

Those are the five basic steps of playing this game. Remember that with your first win, the unlocked row opens and continues to open across more reels after every third win. Beyond this, Wisdom of Athena 1000 provides one other feature and main bonus game. 

Multipliers: The jewel symbols are the multiplier symbols; there are five of these, one of which is an upgrade, with the first Wisdom of Athena game only hosting four symbols. The values of these multiplier symbols range between x2 and x1000, the second change, as the first game only had up to x500. The multipliers can also feature in the slot’s free spins bonus game. 

Free Spins: Activate the free spins bonus when you land four or more scatter bonus symbols. You will start the bonus game with ten free spins. During the round, the unlock row becomes unlocked with each win made and remains unlocked for the duration of your spins. Land three or more scatters to win extra free spins.

Ante Bet: This side feature allows you to up your bet by 25%, doubling your chances of landing four scatter symbols. 

Buy Free Spins: This feature allows players to buy their way into the main bonus game. The cost of this is 100 times the value of your bet. 

When I played Wisdom of Athena 14 months ago, I didn’t think much of it then. I’m now faced with a revamped version and looking at reliving the same nightmare. Still, with the benefit of hindsight, I now only play this game with a lower stake value. I load the slot and place my bet at $0.60 per spin. I play this game in its autoplay mode and set this feature to play 50 auto-spins. 

What’s weird about this game is the music that comes with it. It’s like Asian mandarins playing for what is a game based in ancient Greece. Anyway, back to the game, and after about eleven spins, I land four scatters to unlock the bonus game. During this, I managed to land a sensational win of $40. This repeats with another $49 win. This is all because the multiplier counter is at 16x. This multiplier then climbs to x18 with five spins left, and this helps me win a massive $79. By the end of the round, I win $185. With some thirty-odd spins left of the normal game, I decide to bail and cash out my winnings, which total $169. 

The third change made for this revamp is the maximum winnable payout. Wisdom of Athena 1000 has a max payout of 10,000 times your bet value, up from 5,000 times originally. Gaming volatility remains high, and the return to player calculation remains at 96%. 

Despite winning big, I still believe that Wisdom of Athena 1000 is a game that didn’t need to be made. Pragmatic Play could have taken the original into a whole new direction for a proper sequel, but instead, it raised the jackpot, increased the multiplier, added an additional multiplier symbol, and kept the rest of the game exactly the same as what came before it. 

[slow clap]

And do not even get me started on the value-for-money aspects of this game; it is dire!

I recommend you play these free slot games if you want to experience slots with some quality, innovation, and value. 

• More Usual Suspects by Games Global
• Fire in the Hole 2 by Nolimit City
• The Goonies Hey You Guys by Blueprint Gaming

If you love these free slot games, then why not try them in their real money format? To do this, join any legit online casino via Casinos.com and start your journey to win real money with a first deposit welcome bonus.