Forge of Olympus: Slot Overview

Running a forge back in ancient times was serious work. Just picturing all that hammering of metal over blazing heat to shape a sword or battle axe is exhausting on its own. It’s no surprise blacksmiths are so often depicted as huge, musclebound powerhouses. And when it comes to blacksmiths, few are as brawny as Hephaestus, the Greek god of metalworking (and more besides). Hephaestus crafted plenty of legendary items, including Hermes’ helmet, Achilles’ armour, and Eros’ bow and arrow. His workshop sat in a palace on Olympus, where he worked his smithing wonders—exactly where players can cross paths with him in Forge of Olympus from Pragmatic Play.

Forge of Olympus clearly takes inspiration from Gates of Olympus, a slot that has become the blueprint for many later releases such as Sword of Ares, Wisdom of Athena, and Gates of Gatot Kaca. What ties these games together is their mythological/historical flavour and their use of a scatter pays system to generate wins. Forge of Olympus ticks both boxes: it’s set in a dark, weighty fantasy world, with Hephaestus hammering away on one side of the screen and a dazzling, temple-like area on the other. Between them sits the game’s 6-reel, 5-row grid. It looks great, and if you’ve played Gates of Olympus or any of its many spin-offs, it will feel comfortably familiar.

To land a win in Forge of Olympus, you need at least 8 matching symbols anywhere on the reels. That’s the requirement. Thanks to the scatter pays system, matching symbols can appear in any position on the grid to pay out, and once they do, those symbols are removed and replaced as new ones drop in from above via the tumble mechanic. Rated highly volatile, the info screen lists RTP figures with a default of 96.25%, which slips to 96.23% when the ante bet is enabled, or sits between 96.32%-96.7% when purchasing free spins. Stakes range from 20 p/c to $/€100, and switching on the ante bet means the stake increases by 25%. In return, the ante bet gives players double the chance of winning free spins.

At the lower end of the paytable are 5 differently coloured gemstones, followed by a ring, a chalice, a helmet, and a shield as the premium symbols. An 8-9 OAK scatter win pays 0.25 to 10 times the bet, while a 12-30 symbol scatter win reaches 2 to 50 times the bet. Finally, it’s worth noting Forge of Olympus does not have wild symbols.

Forge of Olympus: Slot Features

Two other key symbol types in Forge of Olympus are the multiplier symbols and the scatter, which can unlock free spins. Free spins can be triggered naturally or accessed through a purchase.

Multiplier Symbols

The hammer acts as the multiplier symbol, appearing on random spins or tumbles in both the base game and free spins. When it lands, it carries a value of x2 to x100. After a tumble chain finishes, all multiplier values currently showing are added together and then applied to the total win.

Free Spins

This bonus starts when 4, 5, or 6 scatter symbols land, awarding 10, 15, or 20 free spins, along with a payout of 3x, 5x, or 100x the bet, respectively. Free spins include a progressive feature that starts at level 1, and each time multiplier symbols appear, they are collected on a meter. The feature advances levels once the meter hits set targets:

• Level 1 – multiplier symbols have values of x2 to x100.
• Level 2 – achieved after 6 multiplier symbols have been collected. Multiplier symbols have values of x8 to x100.
• Level 3 – achieved after another 5 multiplier symbols have been collected. Multiplier symbols have values of x15 to x100.
• Level 4 – achieved after another 4 multiplier symbols have been collected. Multiplier symbols have values of x50 to x100.

The feature cannot progress beyond level 4. If 3 or more scatter symbols land during free spins, an extra 5 free spins are added to what remains.

Buy Free Spins

With the buy option, players can pay 100x to begin at level 1, 200x the bet to begin at level 2, 400x the bet to begin at level 3, or 500x the bet to begin at level 4. When free spins are purchased, a random number of scatters will drop in to activate the feature.

Forge of Olympus: Slot Verdict

Much like a skilled smith hammering the same metal into new forms again and again, Pragmatic Play has reshaped Gates of Olympus into multiple variations since its debut, and generally with good results. Forge of Olympus is another decent entry, though as readers have noted in the comments, it’s essentially a direct clone of Santa’s Great Gifts. Some players will criticise the constant recycling of the same core concept, and that point isn’t without merit. Still, after spending time with Forge of Olympus and seeing what it can deliver when things heat up, the updated look and feel is genuinely attractive.

The standout moment for us was reaching level 4 in free spins and realising that any multiplier that lands will be worth at least x50. That said, we bought our way to level 4, which is far from a budget-friendly route. Even so, Forge of Olympus can be seriously powerful when it’s firing, using its familiar approach of adding multiplier symbols together before applying the combined total to a tumble win. It’s a setup that has worked well for Pragmatic Play and this slot family, and it still performs effectively here. Maximum wins are capped at 5,000x the bet, which is the standard ceiling for the series.

Forge of Olympus may not take first prize for originality, but it’s still an enjoyable scatter pays slot. And if you’re not feeling the festive theme, Forge of Olympus is a dependable substitute for Santa’s Great Gifts.