You might be surprised to discover that the origin of the signs of the zodiac goes back to the area known as the Cradle of Civilisation found between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and home to the ancient Egyptians amongst others. However, the oldest zodiac images go back almost 20,000 years and were found in Palaeolithic cave paintings involving animals that seem to relate to star charts found in caves in Lascaux in France. In more recent times we have become familiar with the signs of the zodiac and their role in astrology, and everyone will be aware of the Chinese astrology chart which features 12 animals, each of which has a year dedicated to it. This is different to the Western zodiac chart, which, whilst it includes animals, also has symbols that relate to the stars and the manner in which constellations have been named. All in all, it is not surprising that game designers have gone to the world of astrology to find inspiration for their slots and have also used astrology to help them come up with creative designs for symbols. Click here to read more.
How Zodiac Signs Are Depicted in Slots
As mentioned above, most slots with this kind of theme use either the Western or Chinese zodiacs but almost never mix them. You may find twins representing the Gemini constellation, for example, since the two brightest stars, Pollux and Castor, are the most visible. This gives licence to designers, but often you will see the Greek symbol for them appearing in many games. These ancient symbols are also often used to represent the 11 other signs of the zodiac recognisable to Westerners. Indeed, the word zodiac comes from the Greek word meaning circle of small animals.
The zodiac wheel is a rich mixture of mythology and the pioneering astronomical work of the ancient Greeks, and again this opens up rich design opportunities too game makers.
Meanwhile, across the world the Chinese were creating their own version of the zodiac, represented by 12 animals, which first appeared in the 5th century BC in what is known as the Zhan Guo period. They were officially recognised over 2000 years ago in the Han Dynasty and have played a major part in Chinese culture since then. The calculations are made over a 60-year period, and each animal has its own year over a 12-year cycle involving the lunar calendar. The 12 animals represent a year, a day in the daily cycle and two hours in a 24-hour day. Don’t worry if this seems confusing, as now they usually relate to the years, and game designers have taken on the task of designing games that are not too confusing.
Naturally, with 12 symbols to involve in a slot game makers have plenty of options to squeeze in special features and create lots of fun with quirky characters and classical symbols.
Popular Zodiac Slots
At Slots Temple we offer thousands of slots for players to enjoy and provide reviews of all of them. Naturally, you will find zodiac-themed slots, so let’s take a look at a couple of the most popular games in this genre.
Starsign Clusters
Starsign Clusters is a zodiac-themed slot from game maker G Gaming. It is played on six reels which pay when clusters of matching symbols land on the reels - at least four must appear to create a win. Once wins land the matching symbols are removed from the 6x6 reel set and replaced in a cascade of symbols from above the reels. A win multiplier is applied on each cascade, and this increases as cascades continue via the tumble mechanic of the slot. Wins continue to increase until they reach the capped maximum payout of x5000 the stake.
There is a bonus symbol which triggers a new screen when at least three match in a cluster. During the bonus game players get to choose from a galaxy of signs, and you will get between two and five picks depending on how many bonus symbols trigger the game. Cash prizes are available, and the player receives the total of the accumulated prizes. There is also a comet symbol which causes neighbouring symbols to explode.
Look out for the free drops symbol, which, when at least four appear in a cluster, generates free drops that can reach as many as 22 bonus games. There are also five power-up symbols which can help you reach a spin on the jackpot wheel.
CritterPop
CritterPop is a 2022 release from AvatarUX Studios. It has an official RTP of 96.13% and displays high volatility. Reels can expand, creating a massive 65536 pay lines on the five reels. Each winning symbol pops and is replaced by two symbols, increasing the reel height continuing as more wins land. This means the grid can expand from three rows to a maximum of six in the base game or eight in bonus spins. The latter are triggered by three or more scatter symbols. Additional bonus games can be won alongside a win multiplier.
The number of win ways in the bonus games depends on how many scatters trigger this mode of the game. Three, four or five scatters create 2048, 6250 or 15552 pay lines respectively. Before this phase of the game begins you will be shown random reels options. You can win extra bonus games or different multipliers and also large symbols measuring either 2x2 or 3x3. Random wilds can also be won.
There are 11 winning symbols, with the Critters being the top-value symbols. They are depicted as animals in a heavenly environment, although they are curious elements of any zodiac, but the star-studded sky over which the reels sit gives you the idea that there is an astrological theme to the game. A golden toad is the top-value symbol, worth x6 the bet when six appear on a winning line.
You do not have to be a fan of astrology to enjoy these slots, but if you are they are sure to appeal.