History is littered with the stories of intrepid men and women who travelled where no one else had been before. The thirst for discovery is part of humanity’s nature. With the increasing popularity of explorer-themed slots, you can cross jungles and deserts without leaving the comfort of your own home. Click here to read more.
History of exploring
The Phoenicians, a seafaring people from what is now Lebanon, first set sail thousands of years ago. They travelled the Mediterranean, building colonies in North Africa as well as the Middle East. They were followed by the Greeks and Romans, two more ancient civilisations that made it their business to travel throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, filling in new maps as they journeyed. As they travelled east, the Chinese were travelling west, charting the great expanses of Central Asia.
In Scandinavia, the Vikings were notorious for their great sea voyages. Leif Ericson is believed to be the first European to have visited North America, centuries before Christopher Columbus. Exploring by sea wasn’t exclusive to the Vikings, however. Polynesian people sailed throughout the South Pacific, settling on many of the islands they found. This includes what is now the country of New Zealand, where the Māori would become the first human inhabitants.
From the 15th Century to the 17th Century, Europe entered what is known as the Age of Discovery. It’s also known as the Age of Exploration. Explorers from Spain and Portugal, then England, the Netherlands and France all set out to find - and claim - every corner of the globe. No stone was left unturned as they unveiled Earth’s greatest secrets.
Even after the end of exploration’s golden age, there were still some parts of the world yet to be traversed by humans. Now that we have seen practically all of the earth’s surface, ideas of exploration are turning toward space, which is often called “the Final Frontier”. Even so, the imagery of the explorer trudging across hostile ground continues to capture the imagination in literature, film, television and slots.
How to choose a slot
There is a slot for every period of discovery in human history. Explorers slots come with different layouts and bonuses on desktop, mobile and tablet. You can play free slots or play for real money. If you’re trying to pick an explorers slot to suit you, you could try to search for a particular feature that appeals to you. For example, you may want to try Multipliers Slots if you want extra opportunities to multiply your winnings. There are a lot of slots with multipliers available, so you should be able to find plenty of explorers slots among them.
Another option is to choose slots from a particular developer that you know you like and trust. Pragmatic Play slots, for example, have won multiple awards for their modern, innovative games. The newest slot, due out in April, is called Egyptian Fortunes. It will give you the chance to explore one of the slots’ world's favourite civilisations: Ancient Egypt. Combining exploration and Egypt is a sure-fire way for a slot to be a hit.
Egyptian Fortunes isn’t Pragmatic Play’s first Egyptian slot, and Egypt isn’t the only place you can explore. There are safari-themed slots where you can explore the wildest parts of Africa while seeking some of Earth’s iconic animals, or you can be a prospector searching for gold in Gold Rush. Follow a legendary Chinese quest in Journey to the West or explore the ocean in Great Reef. You can even discover a more mythical location with Queen of Atlantis, set in the famous sunken city.
Popular slots
If Ancient Egypt is where you want to be, Book of Ra is one of the most popular slots in the world. Novomatic gives you the opportunity to become an explorer in the Land of the Pharaohs, where rewards include some impressive free spins. If you’re intrigued but want to expand your horizons a bit more, why not try Book of Maya from the same developer? Instead of Egypt, it will take you to Central America, where there are even more opportunities to win.
With exploration capturing imaginations around the globe, it’s no wonder that fictional explorers have also taken a place in popular culture. This includes such famous characters as Lara Croft, who has graced the reels to great acclaim. Microgaming’s Tomb Raider, Secret of the Sword will soon being seeing a sequel in Lara Croft: Temples and Tombs. The first game has 15 paylines and the second one has 243 ways to win, but both give you the chance to join the iconic hero as she quests through ruins in search of treasure.
Many adventurers have searched for the lost city of Eldorado and its fabled gold. With Gonzo’s Quest, you can join Gonzalo Pizarro, the real historical figure who helped conquer the Incan people before his greed led him on a failed quest for the mythical city. This NetEnt slot has five reels and 20 paylines, with an impressive avalanche feature that brings with it some unmissable win multipliers.
Leave the land behind and explore by ship with Brave Viking from SoftSwiss. Join the Norse warriors on one of their epic adventures with some impressive graphics and a range of exciting bonus features. The sky may look foreboding, but once you start hitting the multipliers and seeing your rewards grow, things will soon be sunny again.
For a chillier adventure with the Vikings, you could try Arctic Fortune from Microgaming. An incredible 1,024 ways to win mean that if you can stand the cold, you could be in for some impressive rewards. That’s even before you reach the bonus game, which might not be for those scared of spiders but does offer you some extra prizes. Just make sure you wrap up warm.
Whether you want to see the desert or the ocean, a steaming jungle or an icy Polar landscape, there’s a slot for you. Travel through all seven continents, meet new cultures and win some incredible treasures with explorers slots.