Black Jaguar Temple: a grid that grows, free to play

Nine squares to begin with

The grid in Black Jaguar Temple starts tiny, just 3×3. Clusters of 5 or more identical symbols touching side by side win, burst and are replaced by new symbols dropping in, and after every winning drop the grid grows by a row or a column, or both after a big burst. It can reach 7×7. More room means more chances for the next cluster, so a spin that starts slowly can snowball. On the next paid spin the grid goes back to 3×3.

The poster does not bother with scenery: it is the jaguar's face, black coat with darker rosettes, amber eyes, fangs bared, framed by wet jungle leaves and a jade-green stone title. Nocturn Play keeps that black and green palette in the game. The symbols are a jade bead, a night flower, a jaguar fang and temple pottery at the low end, then the jaguar idol, obsidian, the golden sun and the feathered serpent.

Golden cells and fireflies

Each time the grid grows, it adds golden cells. When a golden cell is part of a winning cluster, that cluster's win is multiplied, +1 for each golden cell it covers, and the cell then goes dark.

Every winning drop also frees a firefly. At 12 fireflies the sky lights up and the next winning drop receives a surprise multiplier between ×2 and ×20. Fireflies carry over from a base spin into the free spins it triggers, then reset to zero with each new bet.

The Awakening

When the grid is full at 7×7, the black jaguar wakes and leaps. Its multiplier, anywhere from ×2 to ×50, applies to everything the current spin has already won, then to every winning drop that follows in that spin. In the base game it takes a long run of winning drops to get there, which is why the free spins matter so much here.

Jade mask free spins

Three or more jade masks on the grid when the drops stop pay a prize and award 8, 12, 16 or 20 free spins for 3, 4, 5 or 6+ masks. The bonus starts on a 3×3 grid that no longer shrinks between spins, so it keeps growing from one spin to the next, and every mask that appears adds a golden cell. Once the grid reaches 7×7 in the free spins it stays there, and the jaguar wakes again on the first winning drop of each spin. Three or more masks at the end of a free spin add 5 spins, up to 40. The maximum win is 10,000× the bet.

Testing it in the free demo

• Play 200 base spins at a fixed stake, the equivalent of £0.40 for example. Watch the grid size rather than the win figure: how often does a spin get past 5×5?
• Keep an eye on the firefly counter. Long cascades are where it moves.
• Then buy the bonus with virtual credits: 8 free spins for 59.7× the bet. Run it four or five times. The early spins, where the grid is still small, decide how many spins are left once the jaguar is awake.

Autoplay can stop when the bonus lands, and turbo shortens the drops.

Free play, no download, no sign-up

You can play Black Jaguar Temple free in any browser. The balance is virtual, nothing can be withdrawn and a big Awakening in the demo is no guide to the next session. If you want to play for a real stake, the same game is available for real money at the casinos listed below.