Zorro Slot Machine
The Zorro slot machine was introduced by Australian casino game manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure in the late 1990s.
Although the swashbuckling hero Zorro has existed as a fictional character since 1919, Aristocrat timed the release of their slot machine version to coincide with 1998's The Mask of Zorro. Starring Antonio Banderas as the titular masked man and Catherine Zeta-Jones as his damsel in distress, the film reintroduced modern audiences to this classic figure.
While the game doesn't incorporate actual film footage due to a lack of licensure with the film studio, Aristocrat had dozens of book, television, and film versions with which to synthesize their take. The result is a cartoonish Zorro figure, but one who remains instantly recognizable due to his signature black mask, dueling sword, and bucking stallion.
The game's background screen is lined with long vines and rose flowers. This represents homage to the Zorro character's penchant for holding a single rose in his mouth as he fights off enemies. Furthering the theme, the Zorro slot includes the familiar Spanish guitar twangs typically used to announce the hero's arrival on screen.
Like most slot games designed by Aristocrat, the Zorro game includes the standard array of card rank symbols, including 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A. Complementing these standard symbols are several Zorro themed images taken straight from the character's most memorable stories. Among the symbols you can expect to see when playing Zorro slots are various images of the man himself, along with a bag of gold coins, barrels, Juliana's face, the "Z" sign sliced into the screen, Zorro's famous dueling sword, his trusty black steed Tornado, his bearded nemesis Monasterio, and the letters Z, O, and R.
Of the hundreds of slot machine games released by Aristocrat over the company's long history, the Zorro game offers players an opportunity to play at the highest stakes, with a maximum wager amount of $175 per spin.
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About Aristocrat
In operation since 1953, Aristocrat has consistently been a pioneer in the slot machine industry. Their first big break through came with the 1956 release of The Clubmaster. It was the first slot machine to offer game play features like scattered pay outs and multiline play.
Publicly traded in Australia since 1997, the company secured a license to operate in Las Vegas in 2000. Licensed to operate in over 240 areas and over 90 countries, Aristocrat is truly a world leader in the slot machine and casino industry.
Gameplay Features and Mechanics
Zorro is a standard five reel, 25 pay line video slot machine which offers players low to mid-range variance. Each reel contains three symbols so 15 symbols are in play at all times.
As a true penny slot, Zorro begins with a cost per credit of just $0.01, but Aristocrat ensured that players of all bankroll levels can enjoy the game by increasing the maximum wager per payline to $5.00.
However, the game's wide menu of bonus round offerings can only be activated by pressing the Zorro Bonus button, which automatically increases the minimum bet to $1.05 per spin. Also known as the Ante feature, this Zorro Bonus button fundamentally changes the base game by adding the Z, O, and R symbols to the reels, while also allowing players the opportunity to trigger bonus games.
Those who play the Zorro slots regularly confirm that employing the Ante feature is the only way to enjoy this game's full functionality. Without pressing the Zorro Bonus button in the lower right hand corner of the screen, your gameplay experience will be entirely confined to the spin of the reels and its associated pay table. While this may be acceptable for some players, the vast majority of slot fans out there take their seat with the bonus games in mind, and the only way you'll be able to trigger a bonus round is by activating Ante feature.
Fans of Aristocrat slot games will recognize the familiar arrangement of wild and scatter symbols, free spins, bonus games, and multipliers. The game doesn't include a progressive jackpot feature though, so players who prefer hunting for the biggest scores out there may shy away from the Zorro slots. A list of basic specifications for the Zorro slot machine can be found below:
- Wilds: Yes
- Free Spins: Yes
- Multiplier: Yes, up to 10x
- Bonus Game: Yes, five unique bonus games are included
- Progressive: No
- Return to Player: 95.50%
The base game for Zorro offers a generous jackpot payout of 5,000 credits, which can be earned by landing five Zorro face symbols on an activated pay line. Four of these symbols are good four a payout of 500 credits, while three Zorro faces will pay out 100 credits, and a pair of Zorro faces totaling 5 credits.
The base game also offers a variety of non-jackpot payouts for lining up the correct combination of symbols on activated pay lines. Score five Julianas on the screen and you'll earn 2,000 credits. An arrangement of five Monasterios is good for a payout of 1,000 credits, while five barrels will earn you 500 credits. Score five As and you'll receive 300 credits, five Ks or Qs for 250 credits, and five Js or 10s for a 150 credit reward.
The wild symbol for the Zorro slots is represented by the man himself, so when you see Zorro's masked visage on the screen, this symbol can substitute for any other symbol except the scatter to form winning combinations. When you land three or more of these wild symbols anywhere on the screen, the game will provide you with three free spins.
TThe scatter symbol for the Zorro slots is represented by Tornado, the hero's black horse. By landing three of these scatter symbols on any reel; you'll receive an additional payout multiplier of either three, 20, or 50 times the standard payout.
Triggering the Bonus Round
After you've activated the Zorro Bonus button, also known as the Ante feature, spelling out Z-O-R-R-O on the same pay line using the newly inserted letter symbols will trigger the bonus round. Another way to trigger the bonus round is to land six of the flaming Z symbols anywhere on the screen.
Rather than a single predetermined bonus game, the Zorro slot machine mixes things up by giving players a choice between four unique offerings. Once you've triggered the bonus round, the screen will change to present you with four different buildings.
The game then asks you which building you believe contains the most gold or free credits. After you've made your selection, four individual game screens will then appear, each one representing one of the buildings. The reels for each game screen spin in normal slot machine fashion, and any winning combinations you land in your building's screen are guaranteed payouts. If your building happens to accumulate the most winnings among the four, you'll receive the accumulated winnings from all flour buildings.
Along with the building choice bonus game, the Zorro slot machine also includes four other bonus features that add variety and excitement to the base gameplay.
The Tornado feature rewards players with a randomized cash prize ranging from 50 to 500 credits.
The Gold Coins feature allows players to choose from an assortment of gold coins until two matching prize totals are revealed. Multipliers can also be revealed, and your final payout on this feature will amount to the matched total times any multipliers in play.
The Wild Z feature awards players three free spins, and on each on a wild Z symbol will appear and remain in place, giving you multiple chances to land winning combinations.
The Magic Door Feature lets players select from one of three doors, revealing Zorro, Juliana, or Monasterio. After that, five free spins are awarded and whenever you land the symbol for the character in play, a cash prize is credited to your account.
Finally, the Barrels feature encompasses its own set of four variations on the free spin games. Players can choose between the four free spin options found below:
- 20 free spins, all wins containing Zorro are multiplied by 2x
- 15 free spins, all wins containing Zorro are multiplied by 2x, 3x or 4x
- 10 free spins, all wins containing Zorro are multiplied by 3x, 5x or 8x
- 5 free spins, all wins containing Zorro are multiplied by 5x, 10x or 15x
Zorro Slots: A Summary
While many serious slot players lament the lack of a progressive jackpot on the Zorro game, Aristocrat's inclusion of so many bonus features should make up for that disappointment. Graphically, the game leaves a little to be desired when compared to other film themed titles, but overall the Zorro machine captures the essence of this classic character. When playing the Zorro slots, don't forget to activate the Zorro Bonus button. It's also known as the Ante feature. This is important because this will enable you to enjoy the game's full complement of features and bonus games.