Phoenix Reborn (Play’n GO): Review

In iGaming, crazes and fashions are always changing, much like in any other business. But history-inspired slots never really lose their appeal. The ancient settings that get revisited most often include Greece, Egypt, Rome, the Viking age and, as here, the Aztec civilisation. Known for their sophisticated system of agriculture, an advanced calendar and their pyramids, the Aztecs were ultimately wiped out by a smallpox outbreak brought over from the Europeans.

With 5-reel, 40-payline action from Swedish studio Play’n GO, this game takes you back in time to the Aztec world at its peak. The key mechanic is the Phoenix wild, which expands to create a completely stacked wild reel. In the free spins round, where up to 40 free spins can be triggered, one such wild reel is guaranteed on every spin. Phoenix Reborn is a highly volatile slot available on all devices, with stakes ranging from 0.20 to 100 Eur per spin.

Played in front of a towering Aztec temple surrounded by a misty jungle, and backed by a cheesy Ace of Base style track, the reels feature 5 stone symbols alongside toucans, snakes and black panthers. You’ll also find a set of fully stacked symbols, including a male and female warrior, with the latter paying 10 times your stake for 5 across a full payline. Beyond expanding to cover an entire reel when it lands, the Phoenix wild is also the top-paying symbol, awarding 25 times your stake for 5 across a payline.

Phoenix Reborn (Play’n GO): Features

Watch for the ominous Aztec sun icon, which acts as the scatter. Landing 3, 4 or 5 anywhere on the screen triggers the Rise of the Phoenix bonus and awards 7, 12 or 20 Free Spins respectively. On top of that, hitting another 2, 3, 4 or 5 scatters during the feature retriggers it, adding 3, 7, 12 or 20 extra free spins respectively to your running total.

The Free Spins round revolves around expanding wilds. On each spin, the Phoenix wild is guaranteed to land on a random reel, and if you manage to fill the screen with them, you’ll collect 1000 times your stake. As with many other Play’n GO releases, Phoenix Reborn has a maximum win of 5000 times your stake, meaning that’s the top payout possible in the bonus. The chances are extremely slim, but it can happen.

Phoenix Reborn (Play’n GO): Verdict

Phoenix Reborn doesn’t do much to surprise and feels like a fairly standard, middle-of-the-road slot. The visuals are solid and there’s respectable potential, which counts in its favour. Still, it’s hard not to think the bonus could have packed more punch. The free spins round doesn’t separate itself from the base game as strongly as we’d hoped. Also, 1000x for a full screen of wilds feels a bit modest for a high variance slot on a comparatively large 5×6 reel set. And on that note, the somewhat limited number of paylines for such a big layout is, frankly, a little frustrating.

Phoenix Reborn is typical Play’n GO, and even when it seems they’ve put in slightly less effort than usual, the standard remains high. It’s certainly not a bad game, but it’s also not among the very best to make it through Play’n GO quality control.