The Best Online Slots with Historical Characters
If there is one thing that software providers of online slots can take from their friends in the video game world, it's that using a strong character can help bolster a brand. We've witnessed Mario bring life to Nintendo, Sonic the Hedgehog to Sega, and Master Chief to Xbox. Over in the online gambling world, we've seen several historical characters help boost the profile of slot studios as well.
In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the most memorable and historical legends you can explore within multiple slots online that you can play for real money at the best international online casinos in 2024.
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King of Macedonia
Released in 2016 and developed by IGT software, King of Macedonia is an online slot themed around Alexander the Great. The ruler lived in the 4th century BC and died at the age of 32 after twelve years on the throne. He was never defeated in battle and managed to create one of the largest empires in history.
The King of Macedonia slot game celebrates the successful ruler and is suitably themed. It has medium volatility, an RTP of 92.7% and a 5x5 layout with 40 paylines active on all spins. The shield is the bonus symbol, and it lands on reel 1 only. When it appears, if there's an Alexander the Great symbol on reels 2-5, you earn eight free spins. If there's no Alexander the Great symbol, you instead earn a multiplier worth 2x, 3x, 5x or 10x for the current round.
Alexander the Great appears as an extra-large symbol five positions high and two reels across. It lands on reels 2 and 4 only. If there are any wilds on the reels when you trigger free spins, they stay in place for the entire free spins round.
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Journey to the West
Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century. One of its most prominent characters is Sun Wukong, a monkey that's born from a stone and ends up developing extremely powerful supernatural abilities after practising Taoist rituals. Journey to the West is considered one of the Four Great Novels of Chinese literature and has been adapted into many different forms of media. Sun Wukong is one of the most popular figures in Chinese literary history.
As for the Journey to the West slot from Pragmatic Play, it features medium volatility and is presented across 5 reels with 3 rows along with 25 paylines. The RTP is 96.47%, which is pretty good compared to other online slot games. The highlight is the free spins round that triggers when at least three scatters appear.
Before it starts, you get to choose one of five options. Each comes with a different special expanding symbol and multiplier worth up to 5x. While the round is underway, landing three scatters awards you an additional three spins - there's no limit on how many extra spins you can win.
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Three Kingdoms
Another video slot inspired by one of the Four Great Novels of Chinese literature is Three Kingdoms from Red Tiger Gaming. It's based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which was released in the 14th century and focuses on the end of the Han dynasty and the period of the Three Kingdoms.
Before you start playing, you get to choose one of three kingdoms: red, green or blue. Each one of these has a corresponding warrior symbol of the same colour. The warrior symbol that matches the kingdom you chose acts as a wild symbol; the others are regular symbols. On any spin, red doors cover some of the reels; they then reveal stacked versions of the warrior symbols. These can include your chosen warrior, so you could end up with stacked wilds.
Three Kingdoms doesn't have a free spins round like most other slots, but it can still be worthwhile. It's a low-volatility game with an RTP of 96.15% and 20 paylines that run in both directions across 5 reels with 3 rows. You can greatly increase your chances of winning on this title when you claim casino bonuses as both a new and existing player.
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108 Heroes
This online slot is powered by Microgaming casino software and is based on the ancient Chinese novel Water Margin (also known as Outlaws of the Marsh). This is also one of the Four Great Novels of Chinese literature. It tells the story of Song Jiang and 108 outlaws who decided to rebel against the government and gather at Mount Liang. They end up being given amnesty by the government before being recruited to help defend the country against the Liao dynasty and its nomadic conquest.
The slot has 15 paylines spread across 5 reels and a RTP of 96.5%. Land three or more chest symbols and the pick-me-game will trigger. You'll earn one pick for each triggering chest symbol and will simply select chests to win cash prizes. The more picks you start with, the bigger the potential rewards.
There's also a free spins round that comes into play whenever three or more scatters appear. As well as being paid for landing scatters, you'll earn 10 free spins. What's more is that the round can retrigger: simply land three or more scatters again and another batch of 10 spins will be added.
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Cleopatra Megaways
Cleopatra is without a doubt the best-known queen of ancient Egypt. She's appeared in dozens of online slots, and Cleopatra Megaways from iSoftBet software is one of the most recent. As a Megaways slot, it has up to 117,649 ways to win on every spin. Whenever you play, two to seven symbols can appear on each reel and the number of symbols per reel changes with every spin.
Whenever you win, a cascade takes place. All winning symbols vanish and symbols drop down from above to fill the gaps. If any new wins are created, another cascade takes place. If you win with a wild symbol, your payout will be doubled. Cleopatra Megaways also has four modifiers that can trigger during the base game by landing scatters.
These include extra wilds, mystery symbols, seven symbols per reel and extra scatters to help trigger the Hold & Win Respins feature. It launches whenever five or more scatters are on the reels. It's a respin feature with cash scatters, extra valuable cash scatters (worth up to 2,000x), boosters and blanks. You start with three respins but can earn extra spins and other enhancers as you play.
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Ave Caesar
Julius Caesar was a Roman leader from the first century BC. He's regarded as one of the finest military commanders ever thanks to the crucial role he played in ending the Roman Republic and starting the Roman Empire. Ave Caesar is an online slot from Leander Games that brings the emperor to life in a humorous and entertaining way.
It's a 5 reel, 20-payline game with high volatility and more than enough special features to keep you playing. There are four features that can trigger at random on any spin; they give you bonuses such as wild reels, mystery symbols with possible multipliers, extra payouts and large symbols.
As one of the best slots to play for free, it also has four special features that can be triggered by landing scatters; two of these are pick-me games with multiple rounds, and two are free spin rounds. As well as all these, the slot has a progressive jackpot that you can win on any spin. The bigger your bet, the higher your chances of scooping the top prize.
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Hercules 10K Ways
Hercules is a figure from ancient Greek mythology best known for having to complete 12 labours. He was one of the greatest Greek heroes and was famed for his bravery and strength. His actual name was Heracles; the name Hercules is what the Romans referred to him as, and it's what we call him today.
The Hercules 10K Ways slot is from the provider Reel Play. As its name suggests, it has no fewer than 10,000 ways to win. This is because it uses a 4-5-5-5-5-4 grid and has every possible payline active on all spins. Cascades remove winning symbols and add new ones, giving you the chance to win multiple times from a single spin.
The slot's special feature is Hercules Battle Spins. You get to play this whenever five or more golden apple scatters appear. This is a multi-round feature where Hercules takes on up to four monsters: the boar, the Hydra, Cerberus and the lion. He tries to defeat the monsters in this order and for each one, there's a round of three spins. You receive cash prizes for defeating monsters and the biggest prizes for conquering the final one while playing at some of the best slots casinos online.
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Book of Dead
One of the most popular online slots ever released is Book of Dead from Play'n GO casino software. It's an Egypt-themed slot whose main character, Rich Wilde, is an archaeologist and adventurer who's exploring a recently discovered Egyptian tomb. His objective is simple: to find some long-lost treasures.
The slot has 5 reels with 10 paylines and high volatility, with its RTP varying depending on the operator. Its special feature is a free spins round that you get to play whenever three or more tomb symbols land on the reels. As well as getting paid, you'll earn 10 free spins. Before you start using these, one of the slot's symbols is chosen to become the special expanding symbol.
This symbol will expand to fill the reel it's on if doing so will help you win. Also, it doesn't need to be on adjacent reels for you to win with it. Thanks to the slot's success, it's inspired many other slots with similar themes. For example, there's Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness, Legacy of Dead and Cat Wilde and the Incan Quest.
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Book of King Arthur
Created by JustForTheWin, Book of King Arthur is based on the famous medieval king who's associated with various myths, legends and mythological figures. Some of these include the Knights of the Round Table, the powerful wizard Merlin and, of course, the Quest for the Holy Grail.
Book of King Arthur is similar to other 'Book of' slots that have become popular in recent years (including Book of Dead, which kicked off the trend). However, it's well designed and sticks to the medieval theme. It's a highly volatile online slot with 5 reels and 10 paylines along with a 96.10% RTP.
Land three more scatters to receive a payout and trigger the free spins round. You're given 10 free spins and before the round starts, a special expanding symbol is chosen. Whenever it appears, it fills the reel to create additional winning opportunities. Book of King Arthur has an optional Boost mode that costs 100% of your bet. When active, this gives you a special expanding symbol during the base game, making it ideal at high rollers.
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Vikings Go Berzerk
Rounding off our list of the best online slots inspired by historical legends is Vikings Go Berzerk from Yggdrasil software. It's based on the Vikings, a group of seafaring people from Scandinavian countries who travelled throughout Europe during the late 8th to late 11th centuries. On their voyages, they raided many places and created new settlements; they also spread their culture and captured slaves to bring back home.
Vikings Go Berzerk is a medium-high volatility slot game with 25 paylines and a standard RTP of 96.10%. There are four Viking characters, and each of them has a metre that increases whenever you win with that particular Viking. Fill a metre and you'll earn seven free spins with the corresponding Viking Berzerk for all spins. Whenever a Viking appears during free spins, it fights a siren and turns into a sticky wild if it wins. When a Viking is Berzerk, it always wins.
You can claim no deposit free spins by landing scatters. If you do it this way, the round will start with one of five special modifiers. There are also treasure chests that land on the fifth reel only. These award various prizes including cash payouts, free spins and a special free spins round where all Vikings are Berzerk.
Play Top Slots Inspired by Historical Legends
The video slots we've mentioned above have lots of exciting features and provide hours of entertainment on both desktop and mobile devices. When you are ready to play for real money, we highly recommend starting out at top minimum deposit casinos where you only need to deposit $1, $5, or $10 to get started. You'll also receive generous bonuses to explore hundreds of excellent titles, including slots based on historical legends.
