Gates of Olympus Review — A High-Variance Roguelike in Disguise?

Let’s be honest, as a gaming geek you’ve likely not ventured very far into the online casino realm. All slot games are the same, right? Spin, match or don’t match symbols, repeat. If you’re engaged by the depth of roguelikes, strategy sims and deckbuilders, slots can feel like a throwback.

Some slots, though, do sit in a slightly different lane. Yes, they have that real-money gaming element—which is actually a precursor to the blockchain-based P2E sector that many of us now enjoy—but they also play a lot like game loops. Think Hades without the combat, Slay the Spire without the cards. There's tempo, a bit of strategic control and a whole lot of volatility going on. 

Gates of Olympus, from the house of Pragmatic Play, is one such standout slot title. This 6-reel, scatter-pays slot feels more like a stripped-back challenge than another casino-based casual game. Which is why we’ve dedicated an entire article to reviewing it!

Slot Mechanics for the RPG Gamer

So, why should you pick up and play Gates of Olympus instead of your usual fare? Let’s break it down. For starters, here’s the setup: the reels are filled with jewel-toned symbols, ancient Greek artefacts, and the ever-looming figure of Zeus, who hovers on the reels and to the side like a dungeon master. 

Unlike traditional slots that rely on set paylines, this one uses scatter pays: hit a specific number of matching symbols anywhere on the 6x3 grid and you’ve landed a win. That win then triggers a tumble effect. Matching symbols vanish, the reels refill, and, if a new combo appears, the process repeats until the chain breaks.

At first glance, this is your basic loop. But what shifts the dynamic, and makes the game that much more interesting to those of us who are used to managing chaos, is the multiplier system. At any point, a random multiplier token (ranging from 2x to 500x) can drop onto the reels. If you land a win in that sequence, it applies. If you string together multiple tumbling wins with several multipliers? They stack. 

There’s also a bonus mode triggered by lightning bolt scatters. This gives you 15 free spins where multipliers stack throughout the round, accumulating with every hit. You could end up with nothing by the final spin or a 500x multiplier…which is what makes the risk/reward factor of playing it so compelling. 

Visuals, Pacing and UX

From a design perspective, this game is overdone on purpose. The backdrop is pure Olympian fantasy — golden temples, floating platforms, clouds rolling behind the reels. Zeus himself animates when multipliers land, raising his hand and booming like Brian Blessed. The visuals might not be subtle, but they more than support the extra vibes this game is going for.

There’s no dialogue, no story structure, and no real context beyond the theme. But that’s not a flaw; if anything, it’s a clean foundation. No distractions, no tutorials, no filler. How refreshing in an era where everything else is bloated with content to absorb before you can even get down and play. 

The slot game even holds up well on mobile, too. The UI scales cleanly, animations stay crisp, and performance is stable even on lower-end devices. Plus, the vertical layout suits short bursts of play, especially when you’re killing time between matches or need a palate cleanser between heavier titles.

So, Is It Worth My Time?

That all depends on what you’re looking for. Gates of Olympus isn’t going to replace your tactical RPGs. But the chance and payoff gameplay nevertheless scratches a particular itch. If you’re a player who enjoys parsing out systems or observing meta-patterns, this is certainly a game worth dipping into.