The legendary Spartans were probably the closest to a comic superhero warrior throughout history. Their incredible feats have been immortalized in books, comics, and on the small and big screens. Some of these stories are amazing. Squads of a few hundred men have defeated whole armies, and we won’t even go into the feats of video game Spartans such as God of War’s Kratos. The legend of Sparta lives once more in Pragmatic Play’s slot, Shield of Sparta.
A highly volatile warrior-themed slot, Shield of Sparta is every bit as bloody as you expect. It plays out on a 5x4 grid with 20 paylines, pairing high variance with an RTP of 96.50%. While the base game doesn’t bring a lot in terms of surprises, the bonus with upgrade multiplier frames is pretty exotic.
The famous Spartans are up against an army of Persians, shielding their home from the invasion. The Shield in the name refers to a pair of symbols in the Bonus Round that is the true highlight of the game. It can pay up to 3,000x the bet, so it’s quite a rewarding slot that’s best played for real money at our recommended casino sites rather than for free.


Shield of Sparta takes an old-school approach when it comes to layout and design. It has a 5x4 reel set that fills up the screen and war-themed symbols all throughout. You’ll see warriors charging on horses, a catapult, and ancient battleships roaming the field looking for their next target. The reels are set in a frame held by two Ionic columns which clearly signifies the ancient Greece theme.
The warrior in the full Spartan outfit is the highest-tier premium, paying 25x for five on a line. There are four premiums in total including the symbols we mentioned previously. The reel set is completed by four low-paying card royals, a Warrior Wild, and two Shield Bonus symbols.
As expected, the graphics and audio are nothing short of amazing. Pragmatic Play created an immersive slot that’s great-looking too, with all the controls in their usual spots.
Developed on the HTML5 platform, Shield of Sparta can be played without any app downloads. Like most free online slots, you can play the Shield of Spart slot on the go via any mobile browser on Android and iOS devices.
When you fire up the Shield of Sparta slot, the default bet will be set at $2. You can use the adjustment tool to place bets from $0.20 to $100 which is the typical range for Pragmatic Play slots. The base game doesn’t have any special features. You just hope for top-tier premiums and Wilds to deliver the biggest payouts.
That being said, you can score some pretty decent wins with these symbols. The real surprises begin in the Bonus Round where Bonus symbols are either regular or magnetic.
Three, four, or five Bonus symbols will give you 10, 15, or 20 free spins. All triggering positions are now highlighted by a frame. These frames are highlighted and upgraded by new Bonus symbols that land within them. Landing two of the regular and sticky Bonus symbols makes them sticky for a single respin.
There are three upgrading tiers that get the multiplier frames up. Obviously, you will need to land Bonus symbols inside them to do this. Magnetic frames can pull any Bonus Symbol that lands on the same reel directly into the frame, giving you even better upgrade chances.
All visible multipliers are added together. The Bonus Round can be retriggered, landing further Bonus symbols which give you 10, 15, or 20 extra spins.
We’ve gotten used to seeing Pragmatic Play slots with an RTP of 96.50% and that’s the case with Shield of Sparta too. It’s a highly volatile slot that can pay a maximum of 3,000x the bet.
Shield of Sparta is another fine adaptation of the undying tale of Spartan might and bravery. It may not have too many surprises in the base game, but the Bonus Round with magnetic symbols and upgrading frame multipliers is more than enough to keep players happy. It’s a perfect ‘marriage’ between vintage slot machines and modern slot features, and the decent 3,000x winning potential is solid as well.
It’s a great real money slot for new players and seasoned veterans looking for a Bonus Round that plays just a bit differently than the rest. That, along with the great theme, makes it a great Pragmatic Play hit.


Karolis Matulis is a Senior Editor at Casinos.com with more than 6 years of experience in the online gambling industry. Karolis has written and edited dozens of slot and casino reviews and has played and tested thousands of online slot games. So if there's a new slot title coming out soon, you'd better know it – Karolis has already tried it.
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