3 Secret Cities

4ThePlayer have cemented themselves into the market from their very first release as having a clear image for their games, and their brand alike. A bit of a quirky provider straying from the norm, each slot released has contained numbers (123 Boom!, 6 Wild Sharks, 9k Yeti), and this newest release is no different. 3 Secret Cities takes us on a trip not unlike Indiana Jones in the Lost City, and brings us some already known concepts in fun and interesting ways. 4ThePlayer are also continuing with their mobile mechanic, Big Reel Portrait Mode™, to ensure players on a mobile device get the full experience from their games. Big Reel Portrait Mode turns the reels into a portrait layout, and pays from top to bottom, rather than the usual left to right. 3 Secret Cities has an RTP of 96.50%, raising to 98.00% within the feature buy, is listed as “very high” volatility, and offers players the chance to hit the maximum win of 50,000x bet.

3 Secret Cities Base Game

3 Secret Cities Base Features

At first glance, 3 Secret Cities could be mistaken for fairly basic, however this 5 reel, 1024 ways slot hides a lot underneath the surface, not unlike the namesake Secret Cities. Wins pays from left to right, where consecutive symbols beginning on reel 1 are required to form a win. Low paying symbols within 3 Secret Cities consist of 10, J, Q, K and As, paying between 1 and 2x bet for 5 of a kind. Premium symbols consist of golden snakes and silver necklaces, both paying 2.5x bet for 5 of a kind, and black panthers, which pay 3x bet for 5 of a kind. An adventurer and a priestess pay 4 and 5x bet respectively, again for 5 of a kind. Jaguars and both the female characters pay for 2 of a kind, but every other symbol requires 3 or more for a win.

3 Secret Cities Symbols

There is a golden aztec sun stone which acts as the wild symbol, substituting for every symbol except the scatter symbol, which is represented by bronze, silver and gold temple symbols. Scatter symbols contain the words “Free Spins”, so there is no confusion. It’s clear to see the thought that has went into not just the audio of this slot, with the subtle sounds of the jungle in the background, but the entire pay table. Even the lower paying royal symbols, which are far too easy to forget about, contain quirky elements to add to the theme, such as the J containing a map, and the A containing a compass.

3 Secret Cities Bonus

Landing 3 scatters on reels 1, 3 and 5 triggers the Free Spins. However, landing just 2 scatters on reels 1 and 3 awards a pick, which will reveal either a cash prize of up to 50x bet, or progression to the next stage or location within a map that contains Jungle City, Lake City and Gold City, through BONUS↑UP.

3 Secret Cities Map

When the pick feature rewards players with a move along the stages, the map will open. Alternatively, clicking the box in the top right hand corner of the screen will open the map, or just reading this box will allow players to see the maximum possible prizes of their next bonus. The locations within the map denote what your Free Spins picks can award at the maximum level. At the first location, Jungle City, players can unlock up to 12 free spins, with up to a x4 win multiplier, with the chance to win up to 12,000x bet. This continues to build, through the second location (Lake City) where players can unlock up to 25 free spins, with a win multiplier of up to x8 with a chance to win up to 30,00x bet, right to the final location; Gold City. At the final stage within Gold City, players can unlock up to 50 free spins, with a win multiplier of up to x15, and can win the maximum win on offer within 3 Secret Cities – 50,000x bet.

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When Free Spins are triggered, players progress to a temple where they are awarded various picks, climbing the temple to reveal their feature. Choices during Temple Pick include an amount of free spins, a symbol to super stack, a win multiplier, or an x to symbolise the end of the picking round, and the beginning of the Feature. The top prizes available in Temple Pick are determined by a players progress in BONUS↑UP. Landing scatters on reels 1 and 3 within free spins awards a retrigger of between 5 and 1o free spins, and players will again have the chance to make a pick to determine this.

3 Secret Cities Temple Pick

After playing the Free Spins, a players location within BONUS↑UP will always reset to Jungle City, which has the best bonus chance. BONUS↑UP progress is stored between play sessions, and RTP is the same for all locations.

Finally, players have the chance to buy a feature, where RTP is raised from 96.50% to 98.00%. When a feature is bought, BONUS↑UP progress is retained for the normal game. The cost of the 3 available feature buys are:

• Jungle City, 15 Free Spins x5 multiplier: 50x bet.
• Lake City 25 Free Spins x8 multiplier: 100x bet.
• Gold City 50 Free Spins x15 multiplier: 200x bet.

First Impression

4ThePlayer tend to do things differently rather than sticking with the norm, and on this occasion it seems those decisions have paid off. 3 Secret Cities is a fun, vibrant, clean game with a clear picture of what the player wants to achieve. The added element of progression with BONUS↑UP gives players the emotions of moving towards something – in this case, a maximum win which sits at a whopping 50,000x. With a maximum win this high, directly competing with some of the most highly regarded slots of the past year, and a solid RTP it’s clear to see that 3 Secret Cities could easily become a fan favourite. Well established fans of 4ThePlayer could consider this to be the best in their catalogue so far, and for players who haven’t succumbed to the charm of this provider, this could be the slot that tips the scales in their favour. Adding the slightly higher RTP for the bonus buy feature further adds to the desire of this slot, particularly with offering different levels for players to enter into the buy, and picks to give the feeling of being in control. This slot has been intelligently designed to capture the attention of all players, and with a “very high” volatility rating, we expect to see some huge results.

*The screenshots taken of games reviewed on this site are taken from Demo Play, as reviews are often written before games are released for real play.