Ah, once more unto the colosseum, dear gladiators, once more. I love a good gladiator-themed slot, and I put Rome Fight for Gold Deluxe to the test in my review. What makes it deluxe is how good the gameplay is, whether the software is up to my standards, and what can be won. My review will cover all there is to know about this video slot and a bit of sarcasm and waffle thrown in free of charge. 

As an added bonus, you will also have access to the game in all its demo glory, meaning no money can be won when played. This demo is playable across all Android and iOS devices. No downloads are needed, and you don’t have to sign up to gain access. Just click and play. 

First, Rome Fight for Gold, the original game, came out a year earlier than this deluxe version. Was there anything wrong about the first game that they had to upgrade it? Well, it was an okay game, so the differences between the two are subtle. The one main noticeable change is the deluxe comes with triple jackpot prize pots.

The look of the games is the same. You have a 4x5 layout with the same Colosseum backdrop. The music used is identical, and the slot symbols are unchanged. The deluxe game also keeps the same 40 paylines. Now, despite the addition of the jackpots, players can still win the same amount of money, should they be so lucky. 

If playing slots is a new thing to you, then fear not — they are the easiest game within the casino. When you select to play the game, you will find the game defaults to a price cost of $2.00 per spin. If this is too much or too little, you can adjust the value via the coin icon below the spin button. The values of playing range from $0.20 to just $12.50 per spin ($18.75 with the Boost feature). The maximum bet of this deluxe game is $11.50 less than the original game. 

Once you set the price per spin to the value you can afford, then press the spin button to begin play. You do have the option of the autoplay feature and turbo-play if you wish to experience different engagement styles with the game. 

Wins are generated by landing three of the same symbols across any one of the paylines. This is the rule of 95% of all online casino games. If you have played slots before, then you will have no issue with Rome Fight for Gold Deluxe.

During play, you can trigger gaming features that open up bonus rounds that can potentially enhance the success you have from the game. Also, look out for the coin symbols that carry a value to them. 

Why, you ask? 

So that I can talk about them in the section below. 

In the game, coins carry a value. These values can be collected should the symbols land on the reels in conjunction with the Collect symbol on reel 5. This feature is not available in the bonus rounds. There are three kinds of coins in the game, and these are their values.

• Bronze = 1x to 5x your bet.
• Silver = 6x to 15x your bet.
• Gold = 20x to 50x your bet.

Best of all, the Collect symbol also has multiplier powers and can boost all coins up to 5x the total.

The coins are also linked to the main bonus game, which is triggered when one of the three bonus pots activates after any coin is placed into a pot after landing. Now, as each bonus pot is representative of the coin, when the bonus triggers, you will play with that specific coin in the bonus round.

During the bonus game, multipliers are included to further enhance wins. This is depicted by the Antonius Multiplier symbol (the gladiator). Extra spins are also included with the Helena Extra Spin symbol. There is also a mystery symbol in the game, which either reveals Antonius, Helena, or a coin symbol. 

Whilst there is no Bonus Buy slots feature, Rome Fight for Gold Deluxe does come with the Boost option that appeared in the original game. Press on Boost, and your bet will increase by one unit. More coins will then be added to the game to increase the chances of activating the bonus round. 

Deluxe games always make me suspicious of a developer. I’d rather they focus on making new slots than revamping old ones. Now, I have played the original game before, and it’s okay; you don’t have any real standout features that have not been seen before, and neither does the deluxe. The bonus is slightly different, but here we are, a newish game with all things intact from the original. 

My experience? Absolutely no different from the original. I wish I could sit here and write something else, but I can’t. It’s like your girlfriend saying, “Can you tell what's different about me?” and after 2 hours of arguing, all she’s done is change her shade of eyeshadow. I say “your” when, in fact, I mean “my.”

Rome Fight for Gold Deluxe comes with an RTP rating of 96.37%. This scoring is a payback calculation based on game time and money deposited. It is purely theoretical, and winning remains based on pure luck. The slot’s volatility setting is medium, which is my favourite because you get an even balance of play.

The maximum amount that can be won is 20,000 times the cost you pay to spin the reels. If you play at $12.50, the max, this means the total winnable amount is $250,000. However, if you boost your wager to $18.75, the max you could win amounts to $375,000.

Positives about this game include that the max cost is lower from $23 down to $12.50. And that is really about it. The deluxe version doesn’t wow its audience any more than the original game. I can’t think what the bright spark in the offices at Foxium was thinking, but maybe don’t do this kind of thing again. 

Here are some recommended games available at legit online casinos that I feel your time and efforts are best put into — Mystery Reels by Red Tiger (not Mystery Reels Deluxe), Sizzling Hot by Novomatic (not Sizzling Hot Deluxe), and lastly, Twin Spin by NetEnt (not Twin Spin Deluxe).