Masquerade Ball, from Cryptologic, is a game that looks like it’s based on the popular Festival of Venice, though balls where people wear masks take place everywhere, so it’s not exclusive to them. It’s got a party atmosphere going on, with music, fancy cocktails and dancing being quite important to the theme and part of the available symbols. It’s a game with a lot of red and purple built into it, but even though it over does it in that area it remains a good looking slot.
This 5 reel slot machine has a maximum of 20 bet lines that can be activated each round, with huge prizes available of up to $125,000. As for the few features that are included, you can expect a bonus game out of it, plus the usual wilds and scatters.
Features of Masquerade Ball
The bonus feature is one of the game’s biggest attractions, along with the two special symbols, the scatter and the wild. It’s not a game with a lot to offer on this front, but it does OK and thankfully the jackpot is big enough to make up for it.
The Jester’s mask is a wild symbol in Masquerade Ball, and it’s the one you can rely on if you want to take home the biggest prize available. It’s not going to be easy, as you have to align on the same active line five wild symbols with the Jester Mask on them, but if you do manage it, you can take home 25,000 coins ($125,000). Besides offering you the best prizes of the slot, the wild is also your typical substituting symbol that can mean the difference between losing and walking away with a profit. Unfortunately, the wild is not going to substitute for the scattered Cracker, though every other symbol is fair game.
The simple presence of multiple scattered Crackers will be cause for big smiles, as they are the kind of feature symbols that don’t need to be present on a certain payline in order to award their prizes. You don’t get much of a cash prize from it, as you only win back your wager for the round with 2+ scatters, but it does offer you access to a bonus feature. Only three scatters are required to get this bonus game triggered.
Bonus Game
The bonus round is the kind where you have to make picks, and then you find out what you’ve won. There are multiple masks on the screen, and one of them hides a ring behind it. You get a consolation prize if you don’t find the ring, but locating it will result in a much more consistent payout.
Betting options and jackpots
Each one of the 20 lines that are available will need one coin in your wager, if you intend to activate them all. If you don’t, you can use fewer coins and a smaller overall wager. These coins have a range within which you can work, with denominations going up to $5 and starting from $0.01. There are wagers of up to $100 per spin in this game, but you can bet a lot less if you want to.
A 25,000 coins top jackpot is a pretty good reason to play a game like Masquerade Ball, with the cash value being as much as $125,000 for those that can afford the bigger bets. You might not get a progressive jackpot from this slot, but you don’t really need it anyway.
Design and symbols
The dark red and purple mix of colors that is so strong in the design of this game works quite well. You don’t get a highly detailed or realistic drawing style for the main characters or the various objects that appear as symbols, but the game is enjoyable nonetheless. I’ve also enjoyed seeing only theme related images inside, so there are no playing cards to mess up the atmosphere.
Symbols: Jester Mask (wild, 25,000x), Crackers (scatter), Glass Shoe (10,000x), Martini Glass (1,000x), Mask (500x), Top Hat (500x), Jewelry (200x), Piano (200x), Woman with mask (100x), Red Rose (50x) and Couple Dancing (50x).
Is It Worth Playing?
I’d say it’s a good game to play, with a lot of things to offer. It has big prizes, good looking graphics and a few decent features, so I for one would have no problem playing it for a long time.
You will find Masquerade Ball at any online casino which chooses to use software from Cryptologic, playable either for free or for real money.
