The Athena Ascending slot game from Play’n GO is the sequel to the Rise of Athena slot. Coming two years after its predecessor, you would expect that Play’n GO has given things a shake-up from the original game. Well, at first glance, the two titles look incredibly similar, with both of them having similar designs and also some similar gameplay features. Does Athena Ascending do anything to make itself different? Let’s take it for a spin and find out in this Athena Ascending slot review.

On a visual level, there is very little to distinguish Athena Ascending from the Rise of Athena slot or any other Greek-themed slot game, if we’re being honest. The slot, like most in the genre, is set in front of a Greek temple, with marble stairs leading the way and a golden rim around the reels. The symbols on the grid include Athena herself, Pegasus, a Centurion hat, and various pieces of Ancient Greek crockery. The graphics are sharp, but from an originality perspective, it scores low. The soundtrack also follows suit and doesn’t do much to get players excited about playing.

Like its predecessor, Athena Ascending keeps things nice and simple with its base gameplay. The slot uses the standard 5x3 grid, which is common in a lot of top online slots. There are 20 paylines where players need to land matching combos of three or more to score a win. All information regarding these can be found in the paytable at any time.

Between spins, players will want to make sure that they are betting the correct amount. The slot is very budget-friendly, offering a minimum spin of $0.05 and a maximum of $100, which is likely to please both high-rollers and more conservative players alike.

Athena Ascending’s simple design has no problem making the switch from desktop to mobile devices. Like all Play’n GO mobile slots, it has been developed with mobile users in mind and is easy to play on both smartphones and tablets. All of the winning potential and the base gameplay remain exactly the same in the mobile version of the slot.

Play’n GO has gone for a fairly basic approach with the Athena Ascending bonus features. Firstly, there are Multiplier Wild symbols. These act in the same way as standard Wilds, substituting for other symbols to make winning combos, only they also have Multipliers attached. These can be up to 4x, though, multiple Wilds will be multiplied up to a maximum of 64x.

The main bonus in Athena Ascending is the Bonus Spins. This is triggered when players land three or more Scatters. During the round, all Wilds become sticky. Their multipliers are also progressive and increase on each spin. It will reach a maximum of 4x and then be removed. If there are any Wilds left on the grid at the end, then a respin is awarded. This continues until there are no Wilds left on the grid. This can be a nice way of extending the Bonus Round for a few more spins. While each Wild can only last for four additional spins, if players can keep landing more Wilds during the respins, then this round can continue to roll on, with the wins stacking up as you go.

The Athena Ascending slot game improves on the winning capabilities of its predecessor. The slot offers players the chance to win a maximum of 10,000x their stake. It has a solid RTP of 96.2% and its volatility scores 7 out of 10 with Play’n GO, putting it just into the higher category. This is a solid maths model that is an improvement on the original slot.

As far as sequels go, Athena Ascending certainly doesn’t rank too highly in terms of imagination. The original slot was solid, if unspectacular, and there is very little in the sequel that builds on that. If we’re being kind, Athena Ascending definitely manages to get the fundamentals right. It features a good maximum win of 10,000x the player’s stake, and the design is simple but effective. The bonus features are fairly generic, but they get the job done, which is also a fair way of describing the overall slot. It’s far from a bad game, but it’s not one of the most creative you will find in the Play’n GO catalog at the most popular online casinos.