Play Gold Trio: Zones

Three excited chilli peppers set the stage in Gold Trio: Zones, a Mexican-themed slot from Playtech. Behind the cheerful presentation is a five-reel game with three rows and 30 fixed paylines. The ordinary symbols bring tacos, sombreros and tequila to the reels, while coloured Coins provide a chance of activating Gold Trio Respins. Once that round begins, Cash Prizes, Mystery Prizes and multiplier Zones all come into play. 

The game is set in a bright Mexican village, where strings of bunting hang between terracotta buildings. Its three chilli pepper characters wait above the grid beside the green, red and orange Coin meters. They are hardly a quiet trio. During the respins, the chillies put on sombreros and moustaches, pick up their instruments and perform while the round plays out below them. Traditional objects and food provide most of the reel symbols. These include a taco, tequila bottle, sombrero and a plate of cucumbers and onions. A smiling dancer is the most valuable regular symbol, while the lower end of the table is occupied by colourful playing card letters. There is a noticeable change of mood when Gold Trio Respins start. The daytime background becomes a dark evening scene, fireworks appear and coloured outlines divide the grid into separate Zones. An expanded grid can look busy, though the colours help distinguish one Zone from another. 

The values below are shown as payout multipliers. 

• Wild replaces the regular paying symbols when helping to complete a winning line. It does not substitute for Coins. 
• Cash Prize Coin carries a value between 0.25x and 5x during Gold Trio Respins. 
• Diamond Coin adds a Mystery Prize Coin to the respin grid. 
• Mystery Prize Coin reveals one of the four fixed prizes. 

Gold Trio Respins 

Gold Trio Respins can be triggered at random after green, red or orange Coins land in the main game. One colour is enough to provide a chance of starting the round, although two or three coloured Coins can activate their respective modifiers together. Three Coins are already locked on the grid when the feature opens. Each colour has a separate role.  

The green Coin activates Xtra Spins, beginning the feature with four respins rather than the usual three.  

Xtra Cash belongs to the red Coin and increases the values shown on randomly selected Cash Prize Coins.  

The orange Coin activates Xtra Zones, adding positions above the standard grid. If this modifier is used, the feature area can grow from 15 to as many as 25 spaces. 

Zone Multipliers 

The grid is separated into differently shaped Zones carrying multipliers of 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x. Cash Prize and Mystery Prize Coins lock wherever they land, and each newly locked Coin returns the counter to three respins. A Zone multiplier is not awarded merely because a Coin has appeared within its border. Every position in that particular Zone must be occupied before the multiplier affects the collected Coin values. 

Prize Coins 

Mystery Prize Coins can uncover one of four fixed awards. Mild pays 10x the stake, Medium pays 20x, Hot pays 200x and Xtra Hot pays 1,000x. Completely filling all available positions also awards the 1,000x Xtra Hot prize.  

Gold Trio: Zones does not include a traditional Free Spins round.

Regular play uses five reels, three rows and 30 fixed paylines. Winning combinations contain three or more matching symbols on consecutive reels, beginning on the first reel and continuing from left to right. If more than one win is possible on the same payline, only the highest is counted. The coloured Coins follow different rules from ordinary symbols. They are connected to the random respin trigger and its three possible modifiers rather than the paylines. Cash Prize and Mystery Prize Coins then appear once the respin grid is active. The maximum possible win is capped at 1,000x the total stake which is on the lower-end compared to most modern online slots. 

• Gold Trio Leprechauns Luck: This closely related release combines the three-character format with leprechauns, Coins and a Hold and Win-style feature. 
• Gold Trio: Sinbad’s Riches: The familiar Gold Trio setup moves to an Arabian adventure, with Coin collection features and character-based modifiers. 
• Chillies Trio - Hold & Respin: Three chilli characters and a Hold and Respin feature make this particularly close in both theme and general bonus style. 

The multiplier Zones give this game a little more to consider than a standard Coin collection round. Filling an individual Zone matters just as much as landing a Cash Prize Coin, since an incomplete section receives no multiplier at the end. The coloured modifiers also affect the feature in genuinely different ways. One provides an extra opening respin, another improves Cash values and the third creates more room on the grid. The regular game is much plainer by comparison. Its symbols have modest payouts and much of the activity is reserved for Gold Trio Respins. Overall, this online casino slot is best suited to those who favour Hold and Win-style rounds with several connected modifiers rather than an elaborate base game.