CleoPatrick DoubleMax

CleoPatrick DoubleMax: Slot Overview

In the words of its maker Jelly, online slot CleoPatrick DoubleMax could be the 'hybrid we didn't know we needed and will soon love.' Bold statement but one we're happy to put to the test. In this unusual meeting of Ancient Egyptian royalty and Irish folklore, Jelly has not only brought together two characters you don't usually see in one place but also two gaming mechanics not normally seen tougher either. That is, DoubleMax, a game mechanic invented by partner Yggdrasil Gaming and a hold 'n win money symbol bonus round - potentially with a multiplier.

Rarely, if ever, since Play'n GO's 2013 Leprechaun Goes Egypt slot has it really been possible to view both leprechaun and Ancient Egypt so prominently together in one place. Here's a question: what came first, the name or the concept? It's easy to imagine someone at Jelly vocalising the word 'CleoPatrick', perhaps by accident, thereby evoking exotic images of supernatural Irish beings inhabiting the hot, sandy lands of the Pharaohs. It could help to explain why the game has been in the works since 2022. Either way, the Cleo character in the game looks as surprised by the idea as anyone, perhaps a little displeased; her expression is a little hard to read. Not as hard as Patrick's biceps though, and shoot, leprechauns rarely appear as buffed in a slot as this guy does.

Available in four RTP settings, CleoPatrick DoubleMax's default return value is 96%, and its math model has been classed as highly volatile. Offering a bet range of 20 c to $/€80 per spin, the gaming matrix includes 5 reels, holding 4 rows each and instead of paylines, players are provided with 1,024 ways to win. Winning combinations pay left to right on adjacent reels from the leftmost side of the grid at a rate of 29.14%, triggering cascades and the DoubleMax multiplier.

The dual themes are represented by the ten regular pay symbols, made up of 10-A card ranks, a harp, some tools (or thereabouts), a top hat, a scarab, and Cleo. Hitting a 5 OAK royal way pays 0.5 to 1 times the bet, while a 5 OAK premium hit is worth 2 to 10 times a gambler's stake. Patrick is printed on the wild symbols, appearing on all but the leftmost reel. Wilds substitute for all regular pay symbols, helping to complete winning ways.

CleoPatrick DoubleMax: Slot Features

As previously noted, winning ways trigger the DoubleMax multiplier and the cascading win system. Also, be on the lookout for Patrick's Modifiers, Cleo's Respins bonus, the respins buy, and Golden Bet.

DoubleMax

Each win triggers a cascade and increases the DoubleMax multiplier. Winning symbols are removed, and others fall down to take their place. The DoubleMax multiplier active on that win is applied, and it resets at the end of a cascade sequence. When triggering Cleo's Respin Bonus, the DoubleMax multiplier is carried over.

Patrick's Modifiers

Patrick's Modifiers may be triggered on any spin:

• Patrick's Mystery Symbols - mystery symbols are added to the reels, and all instances of them in view transform into any symbol except for wilds. It is possible to trigger Cleo's Respins bonus via mystery symbols.
• Patrick's Expanding Wilds - a wild landing on reels 2, 3, 4, or 5 can expand to cover all 4 positions.
• Patrick's Lose to Win - on any losing spin, Patrick can turn the reels into a win.

Cleo's Respins Bonus

Money symbols appear on the reels, holding values of 0.5x to 100x the bet. When a money symbol hits, it gets collected in a pot, creating a chance to 'burst the pot' and trigger Cleo's Respins bonus. Landing 5 or more money symbols guarantees to trigger the bonus. If the bonus is triggered, the coins and their values carry over to the feature and remain in place.

The feature starts by awarding 3 respins and only money symbols are shown on the reels. If a money symbol hits, the number of respins resets to 3. The values of the money symbols are added to the total win. If a reel is filled with money symbols, the money symbol values are multiplied by the DoubleMax multiplier. The multiplier is then doubled for the next reel. If the respins round is triggered with a DoubleMax multiplier, it is brought over to the round.

Respins Buy and Golden Bet

Players can buy Cleo's Respins bonus for 100x the bet, or they are free to activate the Golden Bet, which increases the stake by 50% for more chances of triggering Cleo's Respins bonus.

CleoPatrick DoubleMax: Slot Verdict

Apparently, according to the 19th-century account 'Irish Wonders' by D. R. McAnally, Jr, it is said that leprechauns were often seen mending their own shoes because they wore them out by running around so much, and this was the ideal time to catch one. Gotta say, Patrick would have racked up a lot of miles running from Ireland to Egypt. Herein lies one pedantic nitpick, just for fun, because the first known mention of leprechauns was in the 8th century, while Cleopatra ruled Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, meaning Jelly has had to use some impressive creative licence in bringing the two main characters in CleoPatrick DoubleMax together.

Kind of works, though, thanks in part to the clever merging of Cleo and Patrick for the game's title. Mechanics are merged, too, since players rarely find a streak respin round in a DoubleMax game. Typically, free spins are the bonus round in a slot like this, where the multiplier does not reset until the feature comes to an end. So it was in the original Raptor DoubleMax, and so it is in many which have followed. CleoPatrick DoubleMax keeps the multiplier, but it felt somewhat neutered compared to how the doubling effect up can go ballistic in a regular free spins round when let loose. The multiplier value does increase in Cleo's Respins bonus when reels are filled with locked coins, but it might struggle to reach the pulse racing x1,024, x2,048 or beyond that it can do elsewhere unless you're extremely fortunate on the triggering base game spin. CleoPatrick DoubleMax's max win suffers as a result, as its (still respectable) 5,000x the bet top prize is obliterated by the 20-25,000x's found in other DoubleMax slots.

In its defence, CleoPatrick DoubleMax probably isn't a game with ambitions to take on the biggest slots in the DoubleMax space. Instead, it sets out to offer players bored by the usual persistent multiplier free spins element something new by replacing it with a less often used streak respins feature, which might, under the right circumstances, be enhanced by some DoubleMax magic.