SimplePlay are masters at crafting enticing video slots themed after Korean legends and this truly shows in Guardian of Flame, a 2022 release that gives you five reels with 30 fixed paylines to win on. A mythical creature shaped like a winged lion joins players during the spinning action to protect them against an evil fire beast and help them amass immense riches.
The game has medium volatility and supports maximum wagers of $6,000, rendering it ideal for reel spinners keen on betting big. The developers have included not one but two scatter symbols that trigger two different rounds of free spins with stacked wilds and multipliers. Read our thorough review to learn more about the payouts, special symbols, and bonus features in Guardian of Flame.
| Guardian of Flame Slot Summary | |
 Game Provider: SimplePlay |
Release Date: 2022 |
| Game Type: Video Slot |
Theme(s): Mythology, Oriental, Asian |
| Reels: 5 |
Wild Symbols: Yes |
| Rows: 3 |
Scatters: Yes |
| Paylines: 30 fixed lines |
Free Spins: Yes |
| Payout/RTP: 96.19% |
Bonus Game: No |
| Volatility Level: Medium |
Progressive Jackpot: Yes |
| Min Bet: 6 |
Autoplay: Yes |
| Max Bet: 6000 |
Max Win: 1200x |
Guardian of Flame Theme
The slot’s theme revolves around an auspicious creature from Asian mythology known as Pixiu. Shaped like a winged lion covered with scales, Pixiu is a powerful protector of the souls of the dead and is believed to have a gargantuan appetite for precious metals like gold and silver. Associated with prosperity and wealth, this winged lion is also said to ward off evil spirits and is the only creature powerful enough to drive fire beasts away.
The fire beast and winged lion dominate the main screen of Guardian of Flame, sitting opposite each other on either side of the reels. Both are expertly animated. The graphics are a bit cartoonish but this only complements the slot’s mythological theme in our opinion. Majestic mountain ridges tower behind the five semi-transparent reels. The traditional Korean music playing in the background enables players to fully immerse themselves in the gameplay.
How Guardian of Flame Compares to Other Slot Games
Guardian of Flame is by no means original where theme and visual presentation are concerned. There is a profusion of mythology-themed slots featuring creatures from East Asia mythology, with Pixiu by Arrow’s Edge ranking among the most prominent titles from the genre. What makes Guardian of Flame unique is that it offers two rounds of free spins with progressive stacked wilds and multipliers. Their triggering mechanism is also quite original as players must collect green and red crystals to unlock the corresponding free spins round.
More similar slots:
- Pixiu by Arrow’s Edge (95.66% RTP)
- Fortune Lion by SimplePlay (96.42% RTP)
- 5 Lions Megaways by Pragmatic Play (96.17% RTP)
- Fortune Lions by GameArt (96.00% RTP)
Guardian of Flame Symbols and Payouts
Guardian of Flame pays across 30 non-adjustable paylines, with all winning combinations involving regular symbols forming from left to right on the reels. Players receive a prize whenever they land three to five identical icons on one or more paylines. Coin denominations range from 0.20 to 20.00, with players being able to wager up to ten coins per payline. The payouts are multiplied by the line bet and the number of coins wagered.
The high-paying regular symbols include winged lions, fire beasts, tassel ornaments, hand fans, traditional tanggu drums, and a black plaque with yellow decorations. The wild yin-yang medallion yields the highest possible payout of 4 times the bet.
Playing cards Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, and Nine are used for the combinations awarding payouts of lesser value. These are nicely styled with traditional flower ornaments in line with the game’s theme and offer prizes of 0.16x to 1.66x coins, depending on the matching combination.
| Guardian of Flame Winning Combinations and Payouts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbols | 3 Matches | 4 Matches | 5 Matches | |
 Yin Yang Medallion |
0.5x | 2x | 4x | |
 Pixiu |
0.33x | 1.66x | 3.33x | |
 Fire Beast |
0.33x | 1.66x | 3.33x | |
 Chinese Ornament with Tassels |
0.33x | 1.66x | 3.33x | |
 Hand Fan |
0.33x | 1x | 2.5x | |
 Tanggu Drum |
0.33x | 1x | 2.5x | |
 Black Plaque |
0.33x | 1x | 2.5x | |
 Ace |
0.16x | 0.66x | 1.66x | |
 King |
0.16x | 0.66x | 1.66x | |
 Queen |
0.16x | 0.66x | 1.66x | |
 Jack |
0.16x | 0.33x | 1x | |
 Ten |
0.16x | 0.33x | 1x | |
 Nine |
0.16x | 0.33x | 1x | |
Bonus Features Overview
Guardian of Flame has two main bonus features that come in the form of two sets of free spins with increasing stacked wilds and multipliers. No bonus game is included but players will benefit from two different scatter symbols to trigger the free spins with and a wild that awards the highest possible payout on top of serving its usual function of substituting regular icons.
Wilds and Scatters
The symbol with the golden yin-yang medallion is wild and substitutes all other icons with the exception of the scatters. The wilds are the top payers in the game, awarding 15, 60, or 120 times the bet for three to five medallions. The SimplePlay developers have incorporated two scatters in Guardian of Flame represented by green and red crystals. The scatters award no payouts whatsoever but are valuable nonetheless, as they hold the key to accessing the free spins rounds.
Free Spins
We recommend you look out for the crystal symbols as they are scatters that appear on all reels and trigger 12 free spins with stacked wilds or multipliers. The green crystals represent the Pixiu, while the red ones are used for the fire beast. There is a counter for each type of crystal above the reel grid reflecting your current number of collected crystals. A meter’s value increases each time a crystal appears anywhere on the reels. Changing your bet size resets both crystal counters to zero.
The Pixiu round of free spins triggers whenever you collect 80 green crystals. Your first free spin starts with four stacked wilds on each reel and four more are added on each subsequent spin up to a maximum of 240 stacked wilds on the twelfth free round.
Fire Beast free spins commence whenever you collect 60 red crystals in the corresponding scatter meter. The round starts with a 2x win multiplier, with two more multipliers being added on each subsequent free spin, up to a maximum of 24x multipliers. Our only gripe with this slot is that the scattered crystals cannot appear during the two bonus features.
Pros & Cons of Guardian of Flame
- The free spins features are relatively easy to trigger.
- The progressive win multipliers and stacked wilds can significantly boost your payouts during free spins.
- The game is perfect for high rollers, with maximum bets reaching $6,000 per spin.
- The scattered crystals award no payouts.
- Minimum bets ($6) are higher than what many small-scale players can afford.
- Some players might find the graphics too cartoonish.
Guardian of Flame FAQs
- Where can I try Guardian of Flame for free?
- Most online casinos that partner with SimplePlay allow their customers to give the available games a free test drive in a demo format. We recommend you take advantage of this option before you deposit to master the rules and acquaint yourself with the gameplay.
- Is Guardian of Flame a progressive slot?
- Yes, Guardian of Flame is a progressive slot where you can win one of three jackpot prizes (Mini, Minor, or Major). The probability of landing a jackpot increases proportionately to your bet size, meaning that larger wagers stand a better chance of winning. Other than that, the game awards one of the three pots at random without requiring a specific symbol combination.
- Is there a bonus game in Guardian of Flame?
- No, Guardian of Flame offers no bonus game but this is hardly something to whine about considering the slot comes with two rewarding free spins features. If you still insist on playing slots with bonus games, we suggest you try Eyecon’s Fluffy Favorites Remastered, Inspired Gaming’s Big Egyptian Fortune, or Rally 4 Riches by Play’n GO.