Nero's Fortune slot review

Nero’s Fortune is taking inspiration of the infamous Emperor Nero who according to legend played his fiddle as Rome burned. This slot thinks that’s a great inspiration for a game and throws some cascading reels, a non-standard playing field and free spins into the mix for good measure.

Developed by popular studio Quickspin in 2020, Nero’s Fortune tries hard to show off the developer’s prowess in creating a nice-looking and evocative slot. The 5x6 playing field does not use paylines but the Cluster Pays mechanic, counting wins when at least 5 tiles with the same symbol are touching horizontally or vertically. These symbols are divided into the usual low- and high-symbol distinction.

The background of the game shows us Rome in what can either be the glow of the setting sun or a massive fire, but the playing field is obstructing it. Considering the name of the game we can obviously assume it’s one of these but it’s never made explicitly clear. Either way, it all looks good

Symbols

Nero’s Fortune looks good and this extends to the symbols. They’re graphically designed which means that they don’t look hand-drawn but they’re not 3D models either. Instead, most of the high-paying symbols look like logos. The low-paying card letters are simply that but it looks nice anyway. I would have liked to have seen some more creativity but considering the limited room, I don’t feel they had a lot of room for more details.

The symbols you’ll find in this game are:

• Bonus: Get 3 or more Bonus symbols on the screen to activate the free spins mode.
• Wild: Wilds substitute all regular symbols in the game except the Bonus symbol.
• Red Ruby: Max. 150x your bet with a cluster of 12 or more.
• Lion: Max. 50x your bet with a cluster of 12 or more.
• Wolf: Max. 20x your bet with a cluster of 12 or more.
• Falcon: Max. 10x your bet with a cluster of 12 or more.
• Ace: Max. 7x your bet with a cluster of 12 or more.
• King: Max. 5x your bet with a cluster of 12 or more.
• Queen: Max. 4x your bet with a cluster of 12 or more.
• Jack: Max. 3x your bet with a cluster of 12 or more.

You’re able to choose a bet between $0.20 and $100 per spin, making the game a little less risky if the player goes for a lower bet, considering the High Volatility. You will notice that wins are usually not especially rare but they are often quite low, depending on the special features to generate big wins.

I found that the game often stays close to the starting funds but does dip below it quite often. I never really got the idea that I was making a profit but rather making up for losses. The game also features a max. win of 8,575x your bet you can look forward to, even though this is the result of the high volatility.

Features

With a non-standard playing field, this slot instantly has a number of features that allow this to be playable. While in a regular slot I wouldn’t call paylines a feature, I will consider Cluster Pays a feature even though it’s the main way to get any wins. This means the game isn’t as complicated as it might look at first glance.

• Non-Standard Reels: The game features a 5x6 playing field.
• Cluster Pays: Wins are calculated by the same symbol touching in groups of 5 or more.
• Cascading Reels: When there is a winning cluster, the symbols involved disappear and are replaced by new symbols. This can repeat as often as new clusters are created.
• Random Multiplier: Whenever there is a win a random Multiplier can be left behind. If another win occurs on the same spot, that multiplier is applied to the win.
• Wilds: Wilds substitute all regular symbols in the game, except the Bonus Symbol.
• Free Spins: Get 3 or more Bonus Symbols on the screen to activate the Free Spins mode. During the Free Spins mode, every spin will add Multipliers to the screen and Multipliers are added together.

The base game feels pretty standard even though the game doesn’t use paylines and reels, but compared to other slots with cluster pays mechanics and non-standard reels Nero’s Fortune does everything about the same. If you’re the type of player that enjoys these type of slots you’ll feel right at home.

The special features are a mixed bag. The Wilds operate as normal Wilds would, helping in creating wins but not showing up very often. I had dozens of spins in a row without a single Wild, so don’t expect it to be a significant part of the game.

The game triggers the free spins mode pretty often and it felt like a real feature. This is a nice change compared to other slots where free spins are something mythical you’ll never actually see. Here, the game gives the player some extra features. The main one to consider is the Multiplier that is added to the screen randomly.

How this works is that a cross is added to the playing field behind any symbols. If there’s a cluster win with a cross behind it, the associated multiplier is granted to that win. This feature can appear during the base game but during the free spins mode, it’s active every spin.

I thought most of the features here feel pretty interesting but they don’t feel like they belong together. They also don’t really create an exciting experience which I think is a missed opportunity given the topic of the game.

In Conclusion

Nero’s Fortune is a good-looking slot with a lot of attention to detail. The playing field is even 3D when the free spins mode is activated and the player moves closer to the base, giving a more intimidating look of the game. The background is nicely detailed but misses some animations to make it feel more involved with the setting.

The features work well but don’t feel like they really work together all that well. The non-standard reels, cluster pays and cascading reels are always found in a group in similar slots. The multipliers are a nice addition but the way it worked was often disappointing and a little confusing.

Players that enjoy classic slots will already know this isn’t the game for them. People that enjoy a casual slot with a slightly different take will probably have a good time with Nero’s Fortune but I don’t think players will play it for very long as it doesn’t offer enough to grab your attention.