Commander of Tridents: Slot Overview

Hacksaw Gaming’s pals at Backseat Gaming have headed out onto (and under) the ocean to create an underwater online slot called Commander of Tridents. Front and centre in this watery adventure is the Greek god Poseidon, shown wielding a golden trident—hence the title. From that point, things get a bit peculiar, because plenty of what Commander of Tridents does feels very familiar. Taking inspiration isn’t unusual in slots, but the particular way Commander of Tridents lifts and repurposes elements from other games can feel almost tongue-in-cheek, even though it also manages to put its own spin on them.

Commander of Tridents is set in Poseidon’s realm, far below the surface in a gloomy seabed scene. The god hovers beside the reels, Gates of Olympus-style, with fish, rocks, and seaweed drifting around. A pillar-lined structure opposite Poseidon underlines the Greek roots, while a harp-led ambient soundtrack drifts through the background like something from a Disney movie. It’s calm and relaxing—until you notice a top-paying shark symbol that looks a little bit; alright, it looks very much like a non-metal-jawed take on the shark from Push Gaming’s classic Razor Shark. Consider that a sign of what’s ahead.

Not everything is just gently drifting with the weeds, as Commander of Tridents runs on a medium-volatile math model. It comes in four RTP configurations, with a default of 96.28%, increasing to 96.36% when the bonus round is purchased. At that setting, players can theoretically expect a hit frequency of 35.04%. The game uses 5 reels and 5 rows with 19 fixed paylines, paying when matching symbols land along an active line from left to right, beginning on the first reel. Betting options range from 10 p/c up to $/€100.

That Razor Shark lookalike shares the paytable with, from lower to higher value, coral, sea urchins, a trap, an anchor, a Nemo-style fish, what could be a lionfish, a green fish, and finally the shark. Hitting a 5-of-a-kind pays from 2x the bet for the 4 lower symbols up to 4-15 times the bet for the 4 premium fish symbols. The golden Trident acts as a wild, substituting for all standard pay symbols. Also, whenever a Trident lands, it expands to fill the entire reel if the expanded symbol would contribute to at least one win after expanding.

Commander of Tridents: Slot Features

Additional points of interest in the deep include Mystery Gates, Poseidon’s Treasure, and free spins.

Mystery Gates

Mystery Gates are full reel symbols that nudge into place to cover a reel if they appear only partly on screen. They can reveal standard pay symbols or a Golden Chest. When 3 or more Mystery Gates land at the same time, they turn golden and spin to reveal a pay symbol. This sequence is called the Scrolling Tile Animation. Once the Scrolling Tile Animation selects a symbol, there is a chance Poseidon will upgrade it. Symbols chosen by the Scrolling Tile Animation pay left to right regardless of their exact reel positions, even if non-winning symbols sit between them. Any Mystery Gates visible will reveal the same symbol.

Poseidon Treasure

This feature activates when Mystery Gates reveal Golden Chest symbols. Each Golden Chest will open and spin to reveal a Bronze Coin, Silver Coin, Gold Coin, Multiplier symbol, or a Gather symbol, working as follows:

• Bronze Coins have values of 1, 2, 3, or 5.
• Silver Coins have a value of 10.
• Gold Coins have values of 100, 250, 500, or 1,000.
• Multipliers have values of x2, x3, x5, or x10. This value applies to all Coins and Gather symbols.
• Gather symbols collect the value of all Coins and other Gather symbols. After gathering, another spin occurs on each position except activated Gather symbols. This means new Coins, Gather symbols, or Multiplier symbols can appear. The Gather symbol will take on the values of all gathered Coins as well as other Gather symbols. Gather symbols cannot activate more than once.

Once the feature finishes, the total value of all Coins and Gather symbols is multiplied by the bet and paid out.

Bonus Feature

The bonus feature starts when 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols land, awarding 10, 12, or 14 free spins, respectively. In free spins, Mystery Gates become sticky when they land and remain in place for the rest of the feature, and they turn golden when at least 3 have hit. Above each reel during free spins is a Reel Multiplier that begins at x0. When a Golden Temple symbol lands on a reel, it displays a value of x2, x3, x5, or x10, which is added to the Reel Multiplier. Any winning combination is multiplied by the Reel Multipliers above each reel involved in the win. If multiple multipliers apply, their values are added together first. Reel Multipliers also affect Coin and Gather symbols from the Poseidon’s Treasure feature.

Free spins cannot be retriggered, though they are available to buy for 150 times the bet. Purchased free spins are highly volatile.

Commander of Tridents: Slot Verdict

If imitation really is the sincerest kind of flattery, Push Gaming might be turning red over this one. It’s possible someone at Backseat Gaming enjoyed what Mystery Museum was doing and decided to push the concept further. Feature “borrowing” isn’t exactly rare in this industry, but what makes it feel especially bold here is the inclusion of that shark symbol, so clearly nodding to Razor Shark, as if to say, “Yes, we did it—so what?”

Putting that headline-grabbing point aside, the real question is how the game plays. So, how do the mechanics hold up in this myth-inspired mash-up? Overall, it’s a mixed bag. Commander of Tridents doesn’t deliver the same sharp visual impact that Mystery Museum did. The artwork isn’t as striking, and while the soundtrack sometimes leans a bit too far into ambient territory, even that echoes Mystery Museums’ sweeping musical feel. Backseat Gaming has expanded the formula with additions like Reel Multipliers and the Poseidon Treasure feature. Even so, Poseidon Treasure might have landed harder if coin/instant prize reveals weren’t also such a familiar Push Gaming hallmark, layering yet another sense of déjà vu over the whole experience.

It’s an odd one. Taken on its own, Commander of Tridents is an enjoyable slot with engaging features and a respectable top payout of 15,000x the bet. The elements Backseat Gaming has leaned on—such as sticky Mystery Gates in free spins—gain extra potential thanks to Reel Multipliers, which adds a fresh bit of excitement, and Poseidon’s Treasure helps too, even if it didn’t show up particularly often. On the flip side, being aware that much of what Commander of Tridents offers is sourced from, or clearly inspired by, other titles takes some shine off. That may not be a deal-breaker for players interested in this specific feature combination or those who prefer lower volatility, but the overall package does feel slightly cheeky.