Rich Wilde and the Shield of Athena slot review

Rich Wilde and the Shield of Athena is an adventurous Play’n GO slot with our hero Rich Wilde calling the shots!

I guess we all know Rich Wilde by now. He was the hero in Book of Dead and also in slots like Pearls of India, Aztec Idols or Tome of Madness.

Software: Play’n GO

Paylines: 5 reels with 3 symbols per reel. 10 fixed paylines.

RTP and variance: 96.25%, Very high variance

Maximum win: 10,000 x the total bet, or $€1 million

Betting range: $€0.10 – $€100

Bonus features: Free spins, Medusa re-spins

Casino Hipster verdict: Hot!

In Pearls of India and Aztec Idols, Rich Wilde was still the new kid on the block, and the variance of those slots was medium only. After a while, though, it became clear that he could well handle the more significant tasks.

And did he do well! In his missions in Book of Dead and Tome of Madness. The variance of those slots skyrocketed.

But now, at Shield of Athena, he has made another promotion. This online slot is even more brutal. Yes, even more, brutal than Book of Dead! The variance is sky-high. And yes, the maximum win as well.

Shield of Athena offers an insane top prize of 10,000x the bet

If you stake the full one hundred, you can land a million! Do you want to go on an adventure?

Shield of Athena slot – Gameplay and Features

Shield of Athena is played with 5 reels and 3 rows of symbols. There are 10 fixed paylines.

Where a few years ago, Play’n GO often had variable paylines; this setup is being abandoned more and more. The new setup with fixed paylines is much easier to understand for most players.

Here, you have three categories of symbols.

• The higher symbols, including the harness, ring, coin or an owl.
• The lower symbols (the royals.)
• The most important symbols, however, are Richie Wilde himself, his daughter Cat and last but not least, the Shield of Athema (Shield of Athena).

5x a Richie Wilde symbol or the Shield of Athena symbol on the same payline yields a blistering win of 1,000x the bet. A full screen of these symbols is indeed good for the surreal top prize of 10,000x the bet.

Besides, Richie acts as a Wild symbol and Cat as a scatter symbol.

The Medusa re-spin

The Shield of Athena is the symbol to watch, though. Sometimes it acts as a sticky wild. When that happens, you get a free Medusa re-spin. If you manage to get a winning combo, the winning symbols (including the Shields of Athena) remain on the screen for the next re-spin.

If you get a higher winning combo (or add a new winning combo), you get another re-spin, and again the Shield remains sticky. And that can go on, till the combo has stopped increasing.

But there is more. When you spin Richie Wilde, this symbol changes into a Shield or Athena symbol. So that’s sticky for the following re-spin (or re-spins).

You’ll most likely be delighted if you get 5, 6 or 7 or more re-spins. The chances are likely that you have spun (almost) a full screen of similar symbols. Or better, a full screen with Shields or Athena symbols!

How do you get the free spins?

Here you activate the free spins if you manage to spin at least 3 Cat scatters. Three scatters are good for 10 free spins. Four yield 12 free spins and five scatters rewards you with 15 free spins.

The free spins – hopefully, you’ll get many Medusa free re-spins.

The gameplay of the free spins is similar to the main game, but you will soon notice that the Shield of Athena makes its appearance much more often.

So you can expect quite a few Medusa re-spins here, which means a lot of fireworks!

Cat Wilde doesn’t appear here anymore. Apparently, Rich wants to protect his daughter from the real action.

Payout Rate (RTP)

The standard RTP Shield or Athena is 96.25%. However, there are versions with a lower RTP in circulation, so make sure you check the online casino rules.

The variance of Shield of Athena is very high

The variance is sky-high. It is the trend that has started since 2019/2020. Crazy is not crazy enough, nowadays.

The top prizes will be around 2,000x to 5,000x the bet. Maybe even above that!

Other popular Play’n GO slots with similar volatility include Firefly Frenzy, Testament or Book of Dead. All of these are brutal slots have a massive prize potential.

Shield of Athena slot – pros and cons

Advantages:

• Such a thrilling slot, thanks to its enormous prize potential
• How nice that Rich brings along his beautiful daughter Cat.
• Adventure comes first!

Disadvantages:

• You have to bring a lot, but a lot of money. Don’t be surprised if your balance dries up quickly here.
• Remember, the big prizes are for the happy few only.

Shield of Athena slot – who will like the slot? And who won’t?

This slot is made for players who love adventure, love Rich Wilde and love risk. For these players, this slot is PERFECT!

Yes, for players who like adventure but prefer to play cautiously, we recommend the more modest versions of Rich Wilde: Pearls of India or Aztec Idols.

You will find Shield of Athena at all trustworthy Play’n GO casinos, including these outstanding choices: