Cleopatra Review
Everything You Need to Know
Cleopatra by IGT is widely believed to be one of the most popular slots around. It attracts players worldwide who log onto their favourite online casino to spin the reels and land a big payday. But how do you play the game and win?
To have a winning chance, it’s essential to understand the symbols, their values and the game’s bonus features. Remember that the Cleopatra slot RTP is 95.02%, which makes it a bit harder to win than higher RTP slots.
We took a long, hard look at this popular game to gather relevant information. In this Cleopatra slot review, we’ll discuss all of these elements and more.
What we checked in Cleopatra
In researching for this Cleopatra review, we looked at all the vital aspects of the game. We also played it several times to establish basic gameplay and experience the special features.
We paid close attention to the following aspects.
- Game rules
- Paytable
- Betting range
- Special symbols – Wilds and Scatters
- Bonus round
- Sound and graphics
Cleopatra Details
| GENERAL DETAILS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Slot type | Video Slot | Number of rows | 3 |
| Provider | IGT | Reels | 5 |
We enjoyed the simplicity of the Cleopatra base game. You do nothing more than spin the reels, but things liven up considerably when you trigger the special features and head towards larger wins.
Although the Egyptian theme isn’t one of our favourites, IGT carries this through excellently, and it’s easy to see why Cleopatra is so popular.
Cleopatra Game Features
| FEATURES | NO. | LIST |
|---|---|---|
| BASE GAME FEATURES | 4 | 20 paylines Wilds Scatters 2x Wild Multiplier |
| BONUS BUY FEATURES | N/A | Cleopatra has no bonus buy features |
| BONUS GAMES FEATURES | 3 | Cleopatra bonus Free spins Multipliers |
Exciting base game features
Plenty of standard symbols contribute to the base game, and with up to 20 active paylines on any spin, there are many opportunities to boost your bankroll. We generally set a bet with all paylines active. This way, there’s the best chance of landing a winning combo.
The Cleopatra slot base game features Wilds and Scatters. Landing either in a spin can significantly enhance your experience. The Scatters are particularly valuable as they trigger the Cleopatra Bonus round.
The symbols
The Cleopatra slot game makes use of 12 standard symbols. The lowest-paying are the playing card symbols – 9, 10, J, Q, K and A. The rest of the symbols are typical Egyptian icons: Eye of Ra, Crook & Flail, Gold Cartouche, Flower, Scarab Beetle, and Cleopatra herself. She is the Wild and the highest-paying symbol.
The most valuable symbol on the game board is the Scatter, represented by a Sphinx. Not only does this have a high value, but it also launches the bonus game.
Paytable
No Cleopatra Canada review would be complete without providing an idea of the symbol values and what the payouts are on an active payline. I’ve summarised the payouts in the table below.
| Symbol | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild | 10,000 | 2,000 | 200 | 10 |
| Scarab Beetle | 750 | 100 | 25 | 2 |
| Flower | 750 | 100 | 25 | 2 |
| Gold Cartouche | 400 | 100 | 15 | |
| Crook & Flail | 250 | 75 | 10 | |
| Eye of Ra | 250 | 50 | 10 | |
| Aces | 125 | 50 | 10 | |
| Kings | 100 | 50 | 5 | |
| Queens | 100 | 25 | 5 | |
| Jacks | 100 | 25 | 5 | |
| 10s | 100 | 25 | 5 | |
| 9s | 100 | 25 | 5 | 2 |
Special events to look out for in the base game
Apart from hitting paylines, several exciting things can happen during the base game. The first thing to watch out for is the Scatters. Landing two in a spin pays twice your bet, whereas hitting three or more launches the bonus round, which we cover further on.
Wilds are another valuable symbol. They substitute for all others apart from Scatters and can create winning paylines. They also carry a 2x multiplier that doubles your win on an active payline. But the true power of the Cleopatra Wild is in numbers, and when you land all five in a spin, you hit the jackpot of 10,000 coins.
Lack of any bonus buy features
Some slots offer unique features and bonuses that you can purchase, but we didn’t come across any bonus buy features.
Free spins galore in the bonus game
As we mentioned earlier, hitting three Scatters in one spin launches the Cleopatra Bonus. This is a free spin round with a 3x multiplier on all winning paylines in the bonus round. You can’t change your bet during the bonus round; it remains the same for all free spins as it was for the triggering spin.
The game automatically plays through 15 free spins. If you hit three or more Scatters on any free spin, you receive a further 15 free spins. The game caps the number of free spins in a bonus round at 180.
It wasn’t difficult to trigger the bonus round, but we never managed to win any more blocks of free spins. This didn’t surprise us because if it were that easy to do, the game quite possibly wouldn’t be the hit that it is.
Cleopatra Slot Special Features
The Cleopatra slot has several settings that you can adjust according to personal preference. I’ve listed these in the Special Features table below.
| SPECIAL FEATURES | |
|---|---|
| Autoplay option | 👍 |
| Change the speed | 👎 |
| Mute the sound | 👍 |
| Adjustable bet size | 👍 |
| Manage paylines | 👍 |
It’s pretty common to be able to adjust your settings on slot games, so we weren’t surprised to find these features on the Cleopatra slot. We particularly like the Autoplay option that allows us to continue playing while not in front of the computer. You can set Autoplay for up to 50 spins.
We don’t always enjoy the background music and sound effects that some developers build into their games, so we appreciate an option to disable one or both of these.
The Cleopatra slot doesn’t differentiate between the two, so if you choose to have the audio off, the game continues silently.
When it comes to setting your bet, you can choose both the size of your wager and how many paylines you bet on. If you want to be in with the best chance possible, we advise having all paylines active. But if you’re a bit cautious with your bankroll, the fewer paylines you opt for, the lower your total bet will be.
The Cleopatra Theme
Step back in time to an era filled with pyramids, hieroglyphics and history. These are the days of Cleopatra, the Egyptian temptress with an air of mystery. Ancient Egypt is a popular theme, undoubtedly partly due to the attractive imagery and use of mythology.
Cleopatra herself is often used in these Egyptian-themed slots, but, interestingly, she was actually of Greek descent, although born and raised in Egypt. In this slot, IGT depicts her as a striking temptress. She was, in fact, intelligent and highly educated, but we don’t think that has the same appeal as the seductive Cleopatra.
Graphics need some pizzazz
IGT keeps the gameboard simple, with little clutter to distract you from the action. That said, it could perhaps do with a bit more animation in the backdrop. This is rather dull, and we don’t think it complements the game.
The developer has done a great job with the images on the reels, though. These are well-designed and depict the ancient Egyptian symbols excellently. A more innovative background to this would add some spice to the game.
Good sound effects
The sound brings the game to life and adds to the ancient Egyptian theme. That said, it’s a bit repetitive, but we’ve yet to play a game with background music that doesn’t become this at some stage.
The different sound effects definitely create an atmosphere and complement the theme and graphics well. Scatters have their unique sound, and distinctly Egyptian music plays when you land Wilds in an active payline.
The Cleopatra Slot Developer
The Cleopatra slot game is a product of IGT, one of the industry leaders in iGaming. The company began in 1975 and was listed as a public company in 1981. Besides Cleopatra, which remains one of its best-known games, it livens up your screen with video slots like Pixies of the Forest and Davinci Diamonds.
Conclusion – Does Cleopatra Stand Out from the Crowd?
Earlier in this Cleopatra review, we posed the question of how you play the game and win. It’s a simple slot, and a lot comes down to pure luck. Your best chance of winning is to enable all the paylines, but you can reduce the pressure on your bankroll by betting a smaller amount per line. Also, make sure that you use any Cleopatra bonuses available at your preferred online casinos.
Cleopatra isn’t a progressive jackpot slot like Arabian Nights or a Megaways game like Divine Fortune. Still, it holds its own among its contemporaries like Day of the Dead and Western Belles. Cleopatra is a simple game but can certainly drum up some excitement, much like the real-life icon did in ancient times.