Area Surge City of Gold Slot

Area Surge City of Gold lives up to its name with a giant golden pyramid stacked with multipliers and fixed jackpots. While several online slots send you on an adventure to uncover the treasures of antiquity, this game’s features add a fresh twist to the popular genre.

I have heard that all the glitters is not gold but, in this case, I’m happy this slot proved the opposite. With plenty of Wilds and bonus rounds, such as Cash Upgrade, Cash Collect, free spins, and the pick feature, my levels of anticipation and excitement were high!

The medium volatility set a decent pace that kept me engaged. The animated symbols and cinematic soundtrack add to the experience. Plus, the flexible bet range suited me and my bankroll.

How The Game Looked While I Played

It’s not all about how a game looks. But, if you’re like me, that’s certainly a deciding factor when it comes to choosing what to play. I like to provide some images of the games I’m reviewing to add some context to the features I’m describing. I’ve added screenshots of the reels, Cash Collect feature, and title screen, which sums up the bonus features.

For this slot, the images give you a fantastic glimpse of the City of Gold and show how this slot almost glows when you’re playing. I like the contrast of the reels with the adventure symbols and the pyramid, where several bonus features come into play. 

Do I Recommend Area Surge City of Gold?

Yes, this one is worth its weight in gold! If you like fixed jackpot slots, then you’lI like the max win of over 5,000x your bet, which mostly comes through the Grand jackpot. While it hasn’t made it onto my list of the best online slots just yet, it has the potential to grow on me even more and become a favourite.

The studio, Area Vegas, only started operating in 2022. However, it quickly made a name for itself as a developer of adventure games, and Area Surge City of Gold is proof of its modern and magical touch. The multipliers on the gold prize symbols and jackpots keep the gameplay interesting.

I liked that Wilds landed pretty frequently and could get me 0.5x and 5x my bet. However, I wasn’t a fan of the payouts for the low-value symbols, which are 0.1x to 1x your bet. This improves when you get to the high-value icons, which get you 0.25x to 2.5x your bet. 

My one other reservation is that the pyramid symbols didn’t land very often, so the free spins round doesn’t feel attainable.

My Guide to Placing Your First Bet on Area Surge City of Gold

It took me a few spins to understand how the reels interact with the pyramid, but I soon got the hang of things. I found if you read the rules and spin the reels, this really is the best way to learn. Here’s how I went about placing my first bet.

1. I chose a casino with a top rating. As with the slots I play, casinos need to meet my high standards, so I considered the payment methods, bonuses and minimum deposit before picking a site. I checked that it featured the slot before registering.

2. I verified my identity before I spun the reels. I prefer to complete this step as soon as possible to avoid any delays when it comes to withdrawing any slot winnings I collect. I took a selfie with my ID and uploaded a copy of my passport and a utility bill.

3. My first deposit triggered a match bonus. The terms confirmed that I could use the bonus on Area Surge City of Gold, so I was ready to launch the slot.

4. After reading the game rules and playing a few spins in demo mode, I had a better idea of how the slot and its features worked.

5. When I launched the real money version, I clicked on the bet value to adjust my wager. Once I found an amount that suited my bankroll, I pressed the ‘Spin’ button to start the action. 

My First Interaction with the Game

The piles of gold and the on-theme symbols immediately caught my eye. The rich detail of the graphics, and the pyramid with multipliers and jackpots, are what kept me intrigued throughout my time playing. I had high expectations for this slot, as I’ve enjoyed other titles from Area Vegas released through Games Global. 

A Theme That Strikes Gold

Besides the features, it’s the themes that attract me to slots and keep them exciting. This slot mixes three of my favourites: mythology, adventure, and money/wealth. It’s a blend that seems effortless, thanks to the superbly executed graphics and soundtrack. 

Features Breathe Life Into the Narrative

The storyline isn’t a complicated one. You’re an explorer, and getting to the top of the pyramid gets you access to the treasures of the City of Gold. The pyramid, where the multipliers and jackpots sit, connects with the pile of gold bars and brightly coloured treasure chest prize symbols that land on the reels.

The Sun Coin and Pyramid Coin link with the mythology theme while continuing the idea that you’re on the hunt for riches. Plus, I like how the explorer, money bag, compass and binocular symbols enhance the sense of going on an adventure.

What About the Bonus Rounds?

The free spins round is the main bonus game, but before I get into that, I want to tell you about the other bonus features I encountered. If you’re used to jackpot slots, you may be pleasantly surprised by them!

The Cash Upgrade feature is triggered after a Sun Coin lands on reel five. Before the next spin, it’ll turn over to reveal a Pyramid coin and seven random upgrades get applied to the multipliers on the pyramid, including the jackpots.

Gold bars represent the smaller multiplier amounts and the coloured treasure chests correspond to the Mini, Minor, Major and Grand jackpots. 

The randomly triggered Pick feature was a rare occurrence, but after one of my spins where no other features launched, the pyramid lit up, and the Pick activated. Picking and revealing three matching symbols got me the Mini jackpot, but you can walk away with the Grand jackpot from this round. You can learn more about all these features from the information panel in the game menu.

It took me quite a few spins to land three pyramid bonus symbols, which trigger 10 free spins. I got a Cash Upgrade once the round began, and they didn’t reset, even if I played the Cash Collect feature. Getting a Cash Upgrade through the Sun Coin earned me an extra spin, which was a nice way of extending the round.

Area Surge City of Gold from a Technical Perspective

While the shimmer of gold is appealing, I didn’t begin my pyramid adventure without finding out about the numbers side of this game. A look at the slot’s technical documents isn’t as thrilling as opening a treasure chest, but if you want to know whether it’s a journey worth embarking on in the first place, it’s worth doing.

I started with the RTP, which I found by clicking the question mark in the game panel. It has an RTP of 96.50%, which is another reason that this game could find a way into my favourites list.

Area Surge City of Gold has medium volatility, which suits my playing style. I encountered fairly frequent wins, with small and slightly larger wins relatively evenly spaced out, although it’s the lower wins that are more frequent. 

Thanks to the different bonus features, you can also get a few big wins, although they require patience. It’s something to keep in mind when looking at your bankroll and determining your bet size.

How Did Area Surge City of Gold Stand Out to Me?

There isn’t one thing in particular that makes Area Surge City of Gold stand out in my mind. Instead, it’s the fact that it has a well-balanced mix of the things I love about slots. The graphics, especially the animated symbols, were a significant part of the appeal.

However, it was the combination of adventure, wealth and mythology with jackpots, multipliers, free spins and a pick feature that really drew me in. Although I had to wait a long time for some of those rounds, my base game wins and the Cash Collect feature kept me entertained.

The payouts for the low-value symbols are a little disappointing, but the medium volatility and decent RTP make up for it. My personal preference was playing the game on my mobile, as the way the pyramid sat above the reels made more sense.