Rise of Maya Slot Review

Rise of Maya Slot Overview

Rise of Maya is a classic NetEnt video slot with 5 reels, 3 rows and 10 fixed ways to win. The action is set in a Mesoamerican rainforest, with a Mayan temple framing the reels and flaming torches at the sides. Stakes run from 10p up to £75 per spin, which suits low rollers and solid mid‑stakes play, whether I am spinning on desktop or mobile.

By design Rise of Maya does not really offer any true innovation, yet the whole package feels well put together. The default return to player sits around 96.42%, though many sites use a slightly leaner 96.12% setting. Volatility leans medium to high with a hit rate of roughly 25%, and the slot can reach wins of up to around 6,000 times your stake.

Symbols and Paytable in Rise of Maya

All premium symbols in Rise of Maya are carved Mayan masks in different colours, headed by the striking deer‑horned mask which acts as the top payer among regular icons. Low paying symbols are the usual royals styled to fit the theme. Winning combinations pay left to right and you can even get paid for just 2 matching premiums on a line, which feels quite handy in a medium to high variance slot.

According to the paytable, both the wild and the deer‑horned mask can pay 250x for five of a kind, which is very strong for a non‑jackpot game. The red mask pays 50x for five, then brown, green and blue masks drop to 30x, 20x and 15x. Royals award between 7.5x and 3x. The golden serpent wild substitutes for regulars and even counts as a scatter for triggering features.

Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	Wild
	5	x500
	4	x100
	3	x10
	2	x1
	5	x500
	4	x100
	3	x10
	2	x1
	5	x100
	4	x20
	3	x4
	2	x0.5
	5	x60
	4	x12
	3	x3
	2	x0.5
	5	x40
	4	x10
	3	x2.5
	2	x0.5
	5	x30
	4	x8
	3	x2
	2	x0.5
	5	x15
	4	x3
	3	x0.5
	5	x12
	4	x2
	3	x0.5
	5	x10
	4	x2
	3	x0.5
	5	x8
	4	x2
	3	x0.5
	5	x6
	4	x2
	3	x0.5
	Scatter

Bonus Features in Rise of Maya

There are four different wild symbols in Rise of Maya, and this is where the slot starts to show its teeth. You get a standard single serpent wild, two expanding Serpent Wilds and the Serpent Stack. All wilds substitute for regular icons as usual, whilst the expanding versions grow either up or down to cover a reel. Stacks only appear in certain situations but can change a spin completely.

A stand‑out extra in Rise of Maya is the Scatter Nudge feature. After a non‑winning spin, the slot can randomly nudge a wild or scatter onto the screen, which has often bailed me out with an extra payout or a feature trigger. On top of that sits the optional Bonus Bet: Second Chance Scatter Respin, which doubles your stake but significantly improves how often scatters and wilds show up.

When Bonus Bet is active and you land two scatters or wilds, the remaining reels respin, giving you another shot at free spins or a wild‑heavy hit. I like toggling this on when the balance is healthy, as streaks of respins can feel very engaging. Combined with the fact that wins can land with only two matching premiums, these mechanics keep the base game from feeling flat.

Free Spins Feature in Rise of Maya

The free spins feature in Rise of Maya triggers when at least three scatters or Serpent Wilds land in a single spin, in any mix. You receive 15 free spins to start with, and every reel that held a triggering scatter or wild turns into a hot reel for the whole round. Serpent Stacks landing on a hot reel expand to fill it, new Serpent Wilds can turn fresh reels hot, and extra spins can take you up to 24.

Rise of Maya RTP and Volatility

RTP on Rise of Maya can feel a bit sneaky, as the game ships with a range. The higher setting is 96.42%, whilst the less generous one is 96.12%. That difference means a house edge of 3.58% against 3.88%. Over thousands of spins the lower figure chews through a bankroll faster, so I always check the help screen in real‑money mode to see which version the casino is actually running.

In practice Rise of Maya plays as a medium to high volatility slot, especially once you start leaning on Bonus Bet. You will often hit plenty of small to mid‑sized line wins whilst waiting for the wild features and free spins to land. With sensible bet sizing I have had sessions of a couple of hours from a modest deposit, yet the 6,000x top win keeps the potential for explosive spins on the table.

Rise of Maya Verdict

Rise of Maya sits in a crowded field of Mayan themed slots, yet NetEnt has managed to deliver an above average game here. I like the four‑way wild system, the scatter nudge and the way hot reels work in free spins, and being able to win with only two premiums helps. On the downside there is no bonus buy, RTP ranges can feel unfair, the max bet is only £75 and the 6,000x cap is decent rather than insane.

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