Ecuador Gold slot review

Ecuador Gold takes place in the forbidden jungles of South-America where ancient Mayan ruins have been discovered and an intrepid adventurer ventures inside. The slot also features non-standard reels, cascading reels, free spins and Walking Wilds.

A slot developed by Elk Studios and released in 2019, Ecuador Gold gives us a visual treat as we are shown a massive 6-reel, 5-row playing field with cascading reels. The game features 4,096 paylines in its standard size, but this can go up to 262,144 paylines with its playing field blown up to its maximum 6-reel, 8-row size. Even so, the game still has High Volatility due to its large number of different symbols.

The symbols in the game are drawn in high detail, showing us different types of abstract tiles, characters and masks. The surrounding seems to be the inside of a Mayan temple with coiling snakes and piles of gold. The developers did make some attempts at keeping the idea alive that you are following an adventurer as he delves into the temple.

When it comes to the music, we’re treated to a rather laid back but fitting song that features classical drums and flutes. I wouldn’t know if this is based on authentic Mayan music but it does have a South-American vibe so it fits the setting. The sound effects are nothing special even though they are done well, including the rumbling of falling tiles and soft jingles when there’s a win.

Symbols

There are a large number of different symbols in Ecuador Gold, but the use of colours and shapes keeps them easily distinguishable. There are no real animations to speak of except for the cascading reels, where winning tiles drop away and make room for new ones.

You’ll find the following symbols in this game:

• Bonus: Get 3 or more Bonus symbols to trigger the free spins mode.
• Wild: Wilds substitute all other symbols in the game.
• Adventurer: Max. 3x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Purple Mask: Max. 2x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Blue Mask: Max. 2x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Green Mask: Max. 2x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Jaguar: Max. 0.8x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Bird: Max. 0.8x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Snake: Max. 0.8x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Lizard: Max. 0.8x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Sun: Max. 0.3x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Purple Cross: Max. 0.3x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Blue Cross: Max. 0.3x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.
• Green Circle: Max. 0.3x your bet with six-of-a-kind on a winning bet line.

The payouts are very low, even when getting a maximum length win line with the highest paying symbol. The game instead assumes players will get multiple winning paylines at the same time, even though I found that to be rather difficult in my time playing.

Players can change the risk somewhat by changing their bet to a value between $0.20 and $100 per spin. I started off with a lower bet and found my funds to drop rather quickly, so be aware if you want to try higher bets.

Features

Ecuador Gold has quite a few features, some of which relate to the basic gameplay while others change the game in different ways.

• Ways To Win: The game counts any symbols appearing on consecutive reels from left to right as a win.
• Cascading Reels: Whenever there is a win, the tiles involved disappear and are replaced by new symbols. This can repeat as long as new wins are created.
• Expanding Reels: Whenever there is a win, a new reel is added to the playing field. These reels are removed when no new wins are created.
• Colossal Symbols: All symbols can appear in larger sizes, up to 4×4.
• Walking Wilds: Wilds can appear on the screen and begin to move in a random direction, dropping Wilds behind them.
• Free Spins: Get 3 or more Bonus Symbols to activate the Free Spins mode. During the Free Spins mode, it’s possible to win additional spins. Any extra reels added will remain for the rest of the mode.

During the base game, players are presented with all the features that are also present during the Free Spins mode. The biggest difference is that the features are more present when the free spins are being used. The features don’t change a lot in between modes.

If you’re familiar with cascading reels, you’ll probably be a bit surprised it doesn’t come with the Cluster Pays mechanic but uses regular paylines. I found that it’s normal for cascading reels to be connected with clusters, but not with Ecuador Gold. Whenever players receive a win on a payline, the tiles disappear and make room for new ones.

Another thing that happens, is that another reel is added to the playing field after a win. This increases the possibility of getting another win, which will again result in cascading reels and an extra reel. This can continue until the maximum size of 8 reels is reached. At this point, players can still get wins and cascading reels, but no new reels are added.

I found this mechanic to be absolutely vital to get any wins at all, but its very nature makes it very volatile. If it works properly it can generate huge wins, causing win after win to cascade and create new wins. Most of the time though, you won’t get anything. The game is very slow in giving the initial win, and even when it does appear it’s likely the only win you’ll get in that spin.

A good example was the free spins mode, where I unlocked 10 free spins and didn’t get a single win until spin 7. During spin 7, I suddenly made back my bet multiple times over, before finishing the last 3 spins without once again winning anything. This kind of gameplay has to appeal to you or you shouldn’t bother with this slot.

Conclusion

As I said above, this game is a highly volatile game that isn’t for people that enjoy the occasional win now and then. This is a game that drives the ‘all or nothing’ type of gameplay to the knife’s edge and is definitely intended for players who enjoy this type of slot.

Expect to be treated to tiny wins, or no wins at all, for a long period of time and to suddenly win back half an hour of lost bets in a single spin. If you don’t have the time to stick with a slot for a longer period of time, this slot is definitely a huge risk to play as it’s extremely unlikely you’ll just fall into a big win in the first ten minutes of playing.

A final detriment is the max. win of 2,500x your bet, which considering the high volatility just feels extremely low. There are other slots that feel much more lenient who offer the same or bigger rewards. Consider this slot a fine game for a very specific type of players, while I suggest other gamers give it a wide berth.