Jane Hunter and the Mask

Review Jane Hunter and the Mask

Looking for a pokie packed with adventure without not having too high expectations? Then it’s time to launch this Pragmatic Play-pokie as Jane Hunter searches for the valuable Aztec ruler’s mask. The Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma pokie is an Aztec-themed game made by Pragmatic Play which means a few things. First, it is played on a standard 5×3 grid with 10 paylines. This is also a visually attractive game with detailed graphics and a nicely coloured background of a jungle temple. The symbols on the reels are also very impressive, which is thanks to their polished appearance and great colour scheme. Whilst playing, you will be treated with typical Aztec music. We believe this sets the right tone for an adventure you will not quickly forget.

How to Play

Jane Hunter and the Mask is a new release from the popular provider Pragmatic Play that sticks to a rather basic setup. The good thing about this is that it’s fairly easy to understand the rules of the game. Here is how to make a bet on the Jane Hunter and the Mask online pokie.

• Visit one of our recommended online casinos in New Zealand and look up the pokie. This will ensure you make your wagers at an analysed and an approved casino site, available to New Zealanders.
• Go for the hollow circle with two curved arrows, found below the last reel, as this will get you a spin in the Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma pokie game. The play button you’ll encounter here will substitute the existing icons and provide new ones. On the right side of the grid, on both sides of the same button, you can adjust the available bets by making use of the minus (-) and plus (+) signs. You should expect a total bet range of $ 0.1 to $ 100 per spin. These are rather favourable betting limits that should cater for the needs of most players.
• Then we have the auto-play sign as well which can be found on the right side of your screen. This gives you the option to launch the auto-spin feature, allowing the player to choose between 10 and 1000 rounds. Clicking on the 3 white lines will show the system settings, whilst the info icon will show you the payout table. You can also make use of the speaker icon to adapt the sound settings.

Symbol Wins

The story behind this new Pragmatic Play game is that you’re about to join Jane Hunter to discover the hidden relics of the Aztec tombs. The story is based on Montezuma’s unique headdress which is made of quetzal and feathers with sewn-on-gold detailing. On your quest to uncover hidden gems amongst the secrets of Montezuma’s empire, you are taken deep into the jungle where you’ll see a traditional Aztec tomb in the background.

On the reels of the casino game, you’ll see Aztec style A, K, Q, J and 10 royals as well as icons such as binoculars, shovels and pickaxes, satchels and of course, Jane Hunter. The red-haired traveller is the most valuable symbol with payouts of 0.5, 5, 20 or 200x the stake for combos of 2, 3, 4 or 5. Then there is the Mask of Montezuma Wild symbol which substitutes for all paying symbols. Very important, 2, 3, 4 or 5 wild symbols across a payline pays 1, 10, 50 or 500x the stake. Other symbols include the Aztec Tomb Scatter and the Montezuma II Bonus which activate or appear during bonus features. Here is what the different symbols do for you in Jane Hunter and the Mask.

Bonus Features

The features in Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma are quite common for online pokies, just like the game grid itself. There are wild symbols, a pick & win bonus game, and a free spins round. During the free spins round of Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma, there is an additional feature called money symbols. Here is what the different bonus features can do for you:

Wild Symbols

You’ll want to land the mask of Montezuma as often as possible because it serves as the wild symbol. Wild symbols can land anywhere on the game grid and can substitute for any regular symbol, helping create winning combinations on the paylines.

Pick & Win Bonus Game

The pick & win bonus game in Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma is triggered by the bonus symbol. This symbol appears only on the rightmost reel of the game grid and resembles a native man with a yellow feathered headdress. When the bonus symbol lands on the game grid, you’ll see 5 chests. The player must choose one, which immediately reveals the prize. The possible prizes include:

• A cash prize of 2x, 3x, 5x, 7x, 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 30x, or even 40x your bet.
• Access to the free spins round with 10, 15, or 20 free spins.

Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma Free Spins

You can enter the free spins round through the pick & win bonus game or by landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters. For the scatters, you’ll receive 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. The pick & win bonus game is not available during the free spins round of Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma. However, you can win an additional 10, 15, or 20 free spins by landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters again during the round.

There is also a new feature active during the free spins round. All four premium symbols transform into what are called money symbols. This means the symbols now carry a monetary value of 2x, 3x, 5x, or 10x your bet. To collect the monetary values, you must land a wild symbol simultaneously with the premium symbols.

In this case, the money symbols have another role. Each time you collect their value with a wild symbol, the symbol itself is collected at the top of the game grid. When you have collected enough of the same premium symbols, the monetary value of that symbol will increase.

Bonus Buy Feature

Kiwis who prefer to purchase their access to the free spins round rather than activating it naturally can do so for the cost of 100x the stake. Buying these free spins will give you either 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols.

Payout Metrics

The Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma RTP is set at a comfy 96.02% which is just about average for an online pokie. Do note that Pragmatic Play has also produced alternative 95% and 94% RTP versions which may be used at some New Zealand online casino websites. The exact percentage can be verified by opening the game’s Paytable. Highly volatile (5 out of 5), there is no information on the hit frequency rate at the time of writing this review. As for the game’s win potential, the Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma pokie offers 5000x bet top wins per spin. This is very average for pokies that are produced by Pragmatic Play.

Summary

Jane Hunter heads out solo in the Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma pokie. As for the game theme, it is very basic albeit well designed. Don’t expect anything unique or innovative from a graphical point of view. When it comes to the gameplay, the Pick Bonus feature can deliver some small cash prizes or grant entry to the free spins bonus. The latter is where bigger wins will come from. This is because the 4 premium symbols are Money symbols. They help you on your way whilst they increase in value if you collect a certain number of them. Having that said, the top win of 5000x bet can be achieved by filling the reels with wild symbols. You can also win this in the Free Spins feature as a whole too. All together, the Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma pokie may be Jane’s first adventure. But it’s not worth getting too thrilled about. Other pokies offer bigger top wins and more variety on the whole, although we have to say this doesn’t surprise.

Name one game developer that lacks originality and Pragmatic Play will probably pop into mind. The provider pretty much lives with the copy-paste functionality, but they’re highly successful in doing so. As long as they sign deals with new operators they won’t be stopped from continuing with the same old trick, but soon or later they’ll bump into the same problem as NetEnt a few years ago that lost its reputation from being a premium supplier to leaving this space to new names such as Nolimit City and Relax Gaming.