Marching Legions is the latest online pokie from Relax Gaming. It allows you to follow the military exploits of a Roman legion as they trek across the world and gain territory. It’s played on a 5×3 grid and offers 243 ways to win on each spin.

RTP

You’ll find a lot of Marching Legions reviews that list its RTP at 98.12%. However, this is actually the RTP when you’re engaged in the non-cash mode.

When playing for money, the return-to-player percentage is 97.13% during the free spins round. I could find no reliable information for the RTP during the base game.

Betting Range

There are a dozen wagers to choose from. The lowest is $0.10 per spin, while the highest is $100. This makes it suitable for most players, which is always a good thing.

Finding the Game

Marching Legions is available at casinos carrying titles from Relax Gaming. Since they’re a smaller design company, your options may be limited. For Aussies, I suggest King Johnnie, as they also carry games from at least nine other designers.

Marching Legions Paytable

In this section, we’ll look at the paytable for the Marching Legions poker machine. Payouts are based on the player’s wager, so expect the amount to increase with larger bets. For the examples listed below, I’ve assumed a wager of $25 per spin.

  • Caesar Icon – Pays $5 for three matches, $12.50 for four, and $25 for five.
  • Roman Legion Icon – A stylized symbol of an eagle with spread wings, it pays $5 for three matches, $15 for four, and $25 for five.
  • Building with Laurel Wreath Icon – Worth $7.50 for three matches, $15 for four, and $30 for five.
  • Sword – This lethal weapon of war pays $15 for three matches, $30 for four, and $50 for five.
  • Laurel Wreath Award – This military honor pays $20 for three matches, $35 for four, and $62.50 for five.
  • Roman Legion Standard – On a winning line, this symbol is worth $25 for three matches, $45 for four, and $75 for five.
  • Roman Legionary – This heavy infantryman pays $25 for two matches, $37.50 for three, $50 for four, and $62.50 for five.

Marching Re-spins

Re-spins trigger when an entire row is filled with soldier symbols. Before each re-spin, these warriors will march one space to the left. This continues until they have marched off the reels. If new rows of soldiers are formed during this period, they will also begin to march and confer re-spins.

Nudge

This generous feature comes into play when you have two partial stacks of legionary on the reels (marked with a golden border). The reels nudge, causing the stacks to fill up, which immediately activates the marching re-spins. This feature isn’t available if a full stack is already present.

Collect for Free Spins

When a stack of legionaries marches off the reels, the player advances one spot on the collection meter. Once filled, the meter moves up a level and starts back at the bottom. Fill five levels to activate the free spins bonus.

While it’s fun to watch the meter rise in pursuit of the bonus, it’s also a lot of work. Since many pokies can award free games with a single spin, this system is a lot more difficult and time consuming.

Purchase Free Spins

The free spins bonus is also available for purchase. This doesn’t interfere with your progress on the collection meter, and it costs 120x your regular wager.

Marching Reels pokie from Relax Gaming

Free Spins

Regardless of how they’re triggered, the free spins start with a neat series of animations. A plume of dust roars across the screen, and we see the legionaries marching across the land.

The bonus is played in waves. You’ll start on Wave One, with a stacked group of legionaries on the rightmost reel. After each spin, they march one reel to the left until eventually moving off the screen.

You’ll also notice a new meter with room for three horns. You begin the wave with one horn, but the remaining two are earned when the horn icon appears on the fifth reel.

If you collect three horns, then you advance to the next wave. With each subsequent wave, you’ll start with an extra row of legionary. At Wave Five and beyond, all reels are filled with legionary.

The bonus continues until the last stack of legionary moves off the reels and you’ve failed to collect three horns. The maximum payout during the bonus is capped at 10,000x the triggering wager.

While the bonus is enjoyable, it can also be frustrating. For example, I spent over an hour trying to move the meter enough to trigger the round. Finally, I gave up and purchased it. Then, I didn’t manage to advance past the first wave.

Final Thoughts

Oddly enough, there are no wilds or scatters in the game. That’s not something you see often with modern pokies.

Everything revolves around the free spins mode, although triggering this phase can be a real hassle. And even if you outright purchase it, there’s no guarantee that you’ll advance past the first wave.

I also wasn’t pleased that Relax Gaming prominently displays the free-game RTP of 98.12%. However, they neglect to mention the percentage for cash games, which is the number that actually matters.

While it’s entertaining enough, Marching Legions and its free spins mode can grind you down after a while. For those who want to give it a try, make sure you’ve got a solid bankroll and plenty of patience.

Additional Reading

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