Tomb Raider Slots

Published: 11/07/2012
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The media franchise known as “Tomb Raider” got its start in 1996, when Core Design brought out a role-playing video game featuring a female adventurer, English archaeologist Lara Croft, in search of ancient relics. In 2001, the game was adapted as a full-length motion picture by Paramount Pictures and the BBC as “Laura Croft: Tomb Raider,” starring Angelina Jolie. That in turn led to the development of similarly themed comic books, novels, action figures, theme park rides and a movie sequel in 2003.

In 2004, software maker Microgaming signed a licence deal for the exclusive use of the Tomb Raider brand in the development of online slots, making “Laura Croft: Tomb Raider” the world’s first officially licensed major brand to appear online. The tremendous success of that game spurred the creation of a slot sequel, “Tomb Raider – Secret of the Sword” (aka Tomb Raider II), in 2008. Both versions feature the original video game characters.

The first of the Tomb Raider slot releases features a five-reel, 15-payline format, while the second has five reels and 30 paylines. Other big differences include the addition of new bonus game features to the second and an increase in the maximum betting limit from 75 credits to 300 credits per spin. Both games use the traditional card symbols, Tens through Aces, as their lowest valued winning combinations.

TR1 has Tiger, Laura Croft and Mechanical Puzzle symbols as its higher payouts. They pay multipliers from 5X to 500X for lining up matches of three or more symbols on an active payline. The Tomb Raider Logo is wild, substituting for all symbols except the Laura Croft scatter and Golden Idol bonus symbols. Credit denominations range from €0.01 to €1.00 and up to 5 credits can be bet per line.

TR2 has Laura Croft in four different poses as its higher payouts. They yield multipliers of 2X to 2,000X for lining up matches of two or more symbols on an active payline. The Laura Croft Portrait is wild, substituting for all symbols except the Emerald Amulet scatter and Passport bonus symbols. Credit denominations range from €0.01 to €0.20 and up to 10 credits can be bet per line. TR2 has added a convenient Autoplay button for making repeat bets, too.

When TR1 was introduced its Bonus Rounds were state-of-the-art, befitting the role-playing game it was modeled upon. Three or more Scattered Laura Croft symbols trigger ten free spins with a 3X multiplier and the bonus can be retriggered indefinitely. Three or more Golden Idols on a payline activate the Tomb Bonus, which can also be obtained during free spins as well as regular play.

In the Tomb Bonus, a dozen Golden Idols appear in a dank crypt. The player chooses from three to five of them reveal cash rewards, which range from 36 to 2,500 credits. Not surprisingly, Laura Croft: Tomb Raider won an award as “Slot Machine of the Year 2004.”

Improving on perfection was no easy task, but Microgaming did just that in the Bonus features created for the 2008 edition. Tomb Raider – Secret of the Sword has a random Super Mode of five free spins that can be triggered at any time. At the end of any free spin Lara Croft may appear and transform any symbol on the reel into a wild symbol that remains in position for the remaining free spins.

The Global Adventure Bonus begins when Passports symbols are collected symbols across all the reels. They interactively send Lara to remote locations—Tokyo, London, Nepal, Ghana and Bolivia—in search of fragments of a lost sword. Hidden bonuses are randomly activated at each location for the chance to win additional treasure and play secret bonus games. By dodging booby traps and finding all five pieces a reward equivalent to 450X the total bet can be claimed.

TR2 also has a special Scatter Bonus of ten free spins with a multiplier starting at 1X. During the free spins, after each winning combination is paid the symbols explode, allowing replacement symbols to cascade down the reels from the top. Increased multipliers up to 5X are paid for each subsequent win. Needless to say, the graphics and sound are top-notch, too.

Published on: 11/07/2012

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