9 Masks of Fire HyperSpins: Slot Overview

There's a chance even Gameburger Studios couldn't have predicted how popular their slot 9 Masks of Fire would turn out to be. Released at the tail end of 2019, it nevertheless had the right blend of looks, feels, and gameplay to send a multitude of players off chasing masks to hook instant prizes. We're not talking major riches if you haven't played it, but Gameburger created the type of game other studios have since tried to emulate - much to our surprise should be said. Now we have a re-release offering everything players enjoyed about the first 9 Masks of Fire with added opportunities for dabbling provided by the HyperSpins feature.

If you haven't played 9 Masks of Fire, it's a relatively simple setup involving a 5-reel, 3-row game grid, using 20 fixed paylines to land winners along. Gameburger went with a warrior angle when designing the game, not only tying in the mask scatters but creating a hot, fiery, exotic theme which went down well with a host of satisfied punters. All these things return for 9 Masks of Fire HyperSpins, where the only difference are the HyperSpins values displayed at the bottom of each reel. Rhythmical drumming and chanting round out the experience, increasing in intensity to match what's happening on the grid.

Numerically, 9 Masks of Fire HyperSpins aims for the masses by combining average potential with a medium volatile math model. This time around, RTP comes in two tiers. The first is when playing in regular mode, where the value is 96.24%, increasing to 96.74% when using HyperSpins. Hopefully, this doesn't require players to use the feature in an 'optimal' way because this isn't made clear, and it is easy to get carried away banging on the HyperSpins button.

Playable from 20 p/c to $/€60 per spin, the main aim of 9 Masks of Fire HyperSpins is to hit as many mask symbols as possible. Outside this, normal wins occur when matching symbols land adjacent to each other from the left side of the game panel. At least three are needed to create a winning line, made up of cherries, Bars, bells, dollar signs, a mixture of 7 symbols, single 7s, double 7s, or triple 7s. At best, a line of five of the premium value 7 symbols is worth a payout of 7.5 to 37.6 times your stake. Combinations of diamond wilds are worth more at 125x the bet for a line of five of them. Usually, though, they are replacing regular pay symbols to complete line wins.

9 Masks of Fire HyperSpins: Slot Features

The motivation for the re-release was to marry 9 Masks of Fire to the HyperSpins mechanic. The rest remains the same, meaning players get free spins with multipliers and mask scatter prizes.

The HyperSpins feature is only available in the base game and allows players to spin individual reels as many times as they like. This gives you the opportunity to land needed extra scatter symbols, more mask symbols, or complete line wins. The cost of spinning each reel is dependent on what is already on the reels. Only wins involving the respun reel are paid, and changing the stake will keep the reels as they are but increase the HyperSpins cost.

Keep an eye out for Mask symbols, appearing in any position - landing 3 or more of them awards a cash prize. The greater the number of masks in view, the larger the reward, so 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 masks on the reels equates to a win worth 1x, 5, 15x, 40x, 100x, 500x, or 2,000x the bet respectively.

Scatter symbols appear on reels 2, 3, or 4, and 3 of them in view awards a spin of the free spin wheel, plus a payout of 1x the bet. Each wedge of the free spins wheel contains a number of free spins and a multiplier value. It is possible to win 10 to 30 free spins with an x2 or x3 multiplier. The multiplier applies to all wins in free spins except mask scatter prizes. Moreover,? landing 3 scatter symbols retriggers the feature, awarding the same number of free spins that were initially won from the wheel.

9 Masks of Fire HyperSpins: Slot Verdict

As you'd probably imagine, since the main gameplay has remained untouched, how you thought about the original slot will dictate your thoughts on this one. HyperSpins is an aftermarket add-on that in no way changes the core experience. For some, this will be music to their ears. The first one seemed to release a flood gate of similarly styled scatter prize-winning slots. Like they say, 'ya cain't beat the original', so a re-release might be just what fans need to reignite the love affair. On the other side of the coin, if you missed the point of the first 9 Masks, this one won't hit any harder either.

HyperSpins are an acquired taste as well, but in this game, they make a bit more sense. For instance, let's say you've got a few masks on several of the reels. It can cost significantly less to spin an individual reel in hopes of landing more masks and scoring some prize money than hitting the actual spin button. Sometimes this pays off to a hilarious degree. At others, you can find yourself smashing the HyperSpins button like a woodpecker on crack and getting absolutely nothing for your troubles except a hole where your balance used to be.

One suggestion might be to try and not see the HyperSpins feature as a way of gaming the system, even though sometimes it can seem that way. In many ways, HyperSpins makes the ideal partner to 9 Masks of Fire, so the amalgamation makes a lot of sense. It adds a new dynamic to the way you can attack the game, which fans of the first may appreciate.