Chronicles of Olympus II – Hades is an Alchemy Gaming sequel to the original Chronicles of Olympus slot. That one used the X-UP mechanic, but the sequel goes in another way. There are two versions of Chronicles of Olympus II – one dedicated to Zeus and the other to Hades. The latter is a more innovative and popular slot game, and if you ask me, the more rewarding one.

Hades, the god of the underworld, and his kingdom are always great ideas to explore in video slots. Alchemy Gaming may have been launched just a few years ago, but as part of Games Global’s fleet, it managed to surprise me with many of its releases. Like the original and the Zeus version, this one has 1,024 winning ways, with the X-UP engine and Upsizers that make up for quite exciting gameplay.

The highly volatile title is fun to play before all, and the features combine for more than solid wins. If you’re in for another trip to ancient Greek mythology—this time deep underground— Chronicles of Olympus II – Hades is a great choice.

The Chronicles of Olympus II – Hades slot plays out on a 5x4 reel set. It’s set against the fiery pits of Hell, where Hades rules supreme. You’ll see lava spewing from craters and cinder in the air, and you can almost smell and feel the atmosphere. To the left, you’ll see a ladder with prizes. The controls are on the right side, so it’s not a groundbreaking setup, but it works perfectly on any device.

What impressed me the most was how beautiful the symbols looked. They’re crafted to perfection. The studio went with a very realistic approach for Hades, Medusa, Ares, and other important characters from ancient Greek mythology. It’s quite a dark and ominous-looking slot game rounded up with excellent audio and sound effects that make it sound so realistic.

Playing Chronicles of Olympus II – Hades is easy. As mentioned earlier, the controls are on the right side of the slot. Before you click the spin button, you should check on the bets. They come in many denominations and in range between 20c and $50 per spin. Landing three or more matching symbols on adjacent reels scores a win, and wilds can substitute for other symbols in winning combinations.

You’ll see three different X’s, and they’re all connected to the X-UP feature as expected.

• The red X activates higher-up multipliers
• A silver X instantly triggers the bonus
• The blue X permanently upgrades X-UP multipliers

So, let’s say you’ve landed two blue X scatters. They will permanently upgrade the multipliers on the X-UP trail on the left, starting at the top x15 level. If you land two red Xs, they collect one X-UP token. The next time they’re involved in a win, your win will be boosted by the specified multiplier.

Despite the X-UP multipliers, you also have a regular wild, which looks like a golden coin. It’s the highest-paying symbol and substitutes for other symbols in winning combinations. The wild can also land with x2, x3, or x5 multipliers, boosting any win it’s a part of.

There are two bonus features in the Chronicles of Olympus II – Hades slot. First up is this series’ highlight – the X-UP feature. It’s a precursor to the bonus round, which can be started if you’re lucky enough to land two silver Xs. You can also trigger the bonus with three reds Xs. In both cases, you get eight bonus spins to start with.

Before the feature starts, the Upsizer activates. It may provide extra winning chances by enhancing the X-UP multiplier. Landing wins in the bonus round will get instant boosts by the displayed multiplier, which can go up to x25 if you’ve landed a pair of blue Xs twice. The first time, they permanently upgraded the multiplier to x15, while the second time, it went as high as x25.

If you don’t want to wait for rare silver Xs, you can activate the bonus buy slots feature and pay 200x for eight free spins with an x25 multiplier. It’s costly, but it may be worth it.

I had fun in the fiery depths of hell in Chronicles of Olympus II – Hades. The slot exceeded my expectations thanks to the X-UP feature and the Upsizer, which can make the bonus round much more exciting. These aren’t groundbreaking features, but they always have me winning a fair amount of cash.

The key to big wins in this slot is the bonus round. Get the multiplier running high in the base game, and it’ll pay in the bonus round. I had the luck to score a pair of blue Xs early, and after a few barren spins, I decided to pay 200x for the bonus round. It was a great decision as I won almost twice that, thanks to the boosted multiplier. The Upsizer feature did nothing for me, by the way, but it may be more generous to you.

Chronicles of Olympus II – Hades’ RTP is set to 96.05%, which is in line with most highly volatile slot games. You should be mindful of your bets in this one. The maximum projected win is 5,000x the bet.

Ancient Greek slots can sometimes be a bit bland and boring, but Chronicles of Olympus II – Hades doesn’t suffer from the same problems. The X-UP feature gets you ready for the bonus round, and until you get there, you have wild multipliers to keep your head up. Depending on the type and number of scatters you’ve landed in the base game, you should gear up for an upsizing bonus feature.

If you’re looking for similar action at top online casinos, the original Chronicles of Olympus X-UP slot is available at the top Games Global casinos. You should also try Chronicles of Olympus II – Zeus, which is another sequel to the original, but it takes place on Mt. Olympus.