Sun and Moon Slot Machine
The Sun and Moon video slot machine was one of the first titles released by Australian casino game manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure.
In 2014, the game was adapted for online casinos, and the online version of Sun and Moon is essentially a clone of the land based version, so the game play and pay out information found on this page applies to both.
Designed to celebrate the ancient Mayan culture and their contributions to the science of astronomy, Sun and Moon brings players back to an era in which studying the skies above informed one's daily life. Flourishing throughout present-day Mexico and Central America during the 16th century, the Mayans developed one of human civilization's most advanced pursuits of astronomy ever known.
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Theme and Game Basics
Although the Maya were effectively wiped out following the Spanish invasion of the Americas, the Sun and Moon slot machine serves as a small tribute to their wider cultural contributions. Consider, before Galileo ever proposed his bold theories about a heliocentric solar system, Mayan sky watchers had already deduced that the Sun revolved around the Earth.
The game's title comes from the fact that the Maya revered both the Sun and the Moon as gods. The Maya Sun God was a male figure known as Kinich Ahau while the Moon God was depicted as a female figure called Ix Chel.
The title screen for Sun and Moon showcases the dichotomy between these two deities, with the Sun figure shown as a stern face etched onto a golden coin, one which stares directly at the player as she sits at the machine. The Moon figure coin is colored in a light blue shade while the face is turned to face the Sun. In the background of the title screen, you'll see the steps of two pyramids while traditional tribal patterning borders the entire image.
Once you enter the actual game, the background screen for Sun and Moon is more of the same, as you'll see a massive Mayan pyramid set against a forest backdrop.
On the reels Aristocrat has included the usual lineup of card rank symbols, so you'll be spinning the 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A symbols. As for the game's themed symbols, Aristocrat went deep into Mayan culture to come up with an array of historically accurate images. The themed symbols for the game are the golden Sun, the blue Moon, the idol mask, the pink ring, the feathered amulet, the green snake, and the Mayan pyramid.
The illustrations used for Sun and Moon's reel symbols appear to have been taken straight from an archeology book, as the artifacts and other items are drawn with attention to detail. Overall, Sun and Moon is one of Aristocrat's oldest slot machine titles, but the game's dedication to honoring its historic subject material is admirable. You might miss the bells and whistles that define the most modern video slot offerings, but by including a creative bonus game lineup and adding multiple wild symbols, Sun and Moon still provides an entertaining experience.
Game Mechanics & Features
Sun and Moon is a standard five reel, 20 pay line video slot machine. With three symbols per reel, you'll be playing with 15 symbols total.
As a true penny slot, Sun and Moon boasts a minimum coin denomination of just $0.01, and you won't find any tricks which increase that amount. If you want to place a single penny in this machine and give it a whirl, feel free to do so by activating just a single pay line and playing for the minimum.
However, most slot regulars know that pay line games are best enjoyed when all 20 pay lines are activated because this way you won't miss any possible winning combinations. For penny players, all 20 pay lines obviously move the minimum cost to cover per spin to just $0.20, making Sun and Moon one of the most affordable slot machines on any casino floor.
You won't find any forced ante bets either, so playing all 20 pay lines at $0.20 per spin will really cost you that amount, without the added expense of a Power Pay or other five credit ante.
Of course, high rolling players can up the coin denomination all the way to $2.50 per line if they prefer, for a $50.00 per spin rate.
The standard play for a game like Sun and Moon is to play all 20 pay lines and up the coin amount to a modest $0.05, which makes each spin of the reels cost just $1.00.
TThe Sun and Moon slot features the familiar Aristocrat gameplay structure, so you'll encounter wild symbols, scatter symbols, free spins, bonus games, and multipliers. One of the interesting twists found in Sun and Moon comes with the relationship between the wild and scatter symbols, and this will be described in detail later in the page. Unfortunately for players with their eyes on the biggest prizes in play, Sun and Moon is not connected to any larger progressive jackpots. A basic list of game specifications for the game can be found below:
- Wilds: Yes
- Free Spins: Yes
- Multiplier: Yes
- 2x during the free spins bonus round
- Bonus Game: Yes
- Progressive: No
- Return to Player: 94.981%
During the base game for Sun and Moon, you'll be playing for a pay table which falls on the lower end of the industry standard. Landing five of the golden Sun symbols, or the blue Moon symbols, on an activated pay line, will return a 1,000 credit payout. If you see five of a kind made up of BOTH golden Sun symbols and blue Moon symbols, the payout will be 500 credits.
From there, 300 credits are your reward for landing five idol mask symbols. Finding five of the pink ring symbols or five of the feathered amulet symbols pays out 200 credits. Five of the green snake symbols offer a 150 credit return. When you see five As, Ks, or Qs on an activated pay line, you'll earn 120 credits, and five of a kind in the Js, 10s, or 9s pays out 100 credits.
In the online version of Sun and Moon, players are granted the Gamble option, which allows you to wager your winnings from any successful spin on a simple guessing game. By pressing the Gamble button after your winnings are calculated, you'll be taken to a side screen displaying a single playing card turned face down.
Your job is to guess either the color or the exact suit of the card, and for guessing the former you'll earn double your money while the latter pays out quadruple. You can use the Gamble option successfully up to five times before being brought back to the base game or you may collect your winnings after each correct guess.
In an interesting divergence from Aristocrat's usual slot setup, Sun and Moon includes two wild symbols which can substitute for any other symbol, except for one another.
Of course, the wild symbols for Sun and Moon are the golden Sun symbol and the blue Moon symbol.
Adding to the alterations from standard slot play, both of these symbols also act as scatter symbols during the Sun and Moon base game. So when you see a golden Sun symbol or a blue Moon symbol hit the screen, they will simultaneously act as wilds and scatters, substituting for other symbols to create winners AND paying out no matter where they fall on the reels. Winning combinations which make use of a scatter symbol are always multiplied by the total bet, rather than the bet per line.
Another odd symbol to keep track of while playing Sun and Moon is the Mayan pyramid symbol. This will only appear on the second reel, and when it does, the Mayan pyramid symbol will actually fade away to reveal on of the game's other symbols. This feature doesn't add much to the gameplay except a little suspense while you wait to see which new symbol will be revealed.
NNo additional payouts or bonuses are given for the Mayan pyramid symbol, which makes it a rather odd inclusion, and it's no surprise that this symbol feature was not carried over to subsequent Aristocrat titles.
Free Spins Bonus Round
In order to enter the Sun and Moon free spins bonus round, you'll need to land two or more of either the golden Sun or blue Moon scatter symbols. The free spin allotment you'll receive is dependent on the amount of scatter symbols you land, and the breakdown for free spins can be found below:
- Two scatter symbols = five free spins
- Three scatter symbols = 10 free spins
- Four scatter symbols = 20 free spins
- Five scatter symbols = 50 free spins
During the Sun and Moon free spins bonus round all wins will have a 2x multiplier attached.
Even better, players can retrigger the free spins bonus round by landing two or more scatter symbols during any free spin.
For one of the oldest slot machine titles in Aristocrat's portfolio, Sun and Moon holds up surprisingly well. The level of dedication to the game's theme is apparent in the artwork and reel symbols, so players who have an interest in Mayan culture, astronomy, or mythology will have the little details to keep them entertained.
When it comes to game play and features, Sun and Moon mixes things up with the inclusion of two wild symbols that also act as scatter symbols, so Aristocrat regulars will likely enjoy the change of pace.