Playing 9 Masks of Fire - First Impressions
I put a few hours into 9 Masks of Fire from Gameburger Studios, published via Microgaming. It plays like a classic fruit machine, but with a tribal mask hook: the prize ladder sits to the left of the reels and keeps teasing bigger scatter wins. Most of my base game momentum came from those mask hits, not paylines.
On desktop the controls are fine, with bet, autoplay and a lightning icon for faster spins. On mobile, the buttons felt cramped and a bit fiddly. I kept dipping into the burger menu to recheck the paytable and rules, mainly because the game leans on scatters and that side ladder more than you expect at first glance.
9 Masks of Fire symbols and paytable - What actually pays
The paytable is a neat mix of old school and theme. Low symbols are cherries and BAR (1x for five), then the bell (2x) and the golden dollar sign (3.25x). The premium run is all about the flaming sevens: five mixed 7s pay 3.25x, while five single 7s pay 7.5x.
If you land five double 7s it pays 20x, and five triple 7s pay 37.5x, so the top line wins are there, just not huge. The diamond wild substitutes for everything except scatters and can pay on its own, with five wilds on a payline worth 125x. Two scatters matter: the mask and the free spins shield.
Symbol Payouts
| Symbol | Payout |
|---|---|
 | Wild |
| 5 → x125 | |
| 4 → x25 | |
| 3 → x6.25 | |
 | 5 → x37.5 |
| 4 → x16.25 | |
| 3 → x2.5 | |
 | 5 → x20 |
| 4 → x6.25 | |
| 3 → x1.25 | |
 | 5 → x7.5 |
| 4 → x3.75 | |
| 3 → x1 | |
 | 5 → x3.25 |
| 4 → x1 | |
| 3 → x0.5 | |
 | 5 → x3.25 |
| 4 → x1 | |
| 3 → x0.5 | |
 | 5 → x2 |
| 4 → x0.75 | |
| 3 → x0.25 | |
 | 5 → x1 |
| 4 → x0.4 | |
| 3 → x0.25 | |
 | 5 → x1 |
| 4 → x0.4 | |
| 3 → x0.25 | |
 | Scatter |
 | Collect, Special |
How 9 Masks of Fire bonus rounds work
The mask scatter is the main event. It pays from anywhere, and the ladder on the left shows the exact return for your current stake. In my session, masks dropped often enough to keep the base game lively, and they tend to show in clumps. The pay steps are fixed: 3 to 9 masks pay 1x, 5x, 15x, 40x, 100x, 500x, and 2000x.
Free spins are separate, triggered by landing three shield scatters on reels 2, 3, and 4. You get an upfront 1x payout, then a wheel decides your package: 10 to 30 free spins with either a 2x or 3x multiplier. The best result is 30 spins at 3x, and the multiplier applies to wins except mask scatter pays.
Retriggers are possible in free spins by landing three shields again, and you keep the same spins and multiplier you started with rather than respinning the wheel. I did manage to hit a 25 free spins round and banked 270 credits, but overall I found the freebie trigger a bit slow compared to how regularly the masks themselves show up.
9 Masks of Fire RTP, volatility, and what it feels like over time
9 Masks of Fire runs at 96.24% RTP in its standard form, with medium volatility and a base game hit frequency around 39.68% to 39.75%. That balance showed in my test: plenty of small-to-mid returns, the odd chunky mask payout, but it was still easy to drift into a net loss if the free spins did not land.
9 Masks of Fire verdict after a few hours
I like the presentation: glowing embers, gold-framed reels, and a proper tribal drum soundtrack that makes every mask drop feel louder than it is. Mechanically it is simple and a bit light on depth, but the mask ladder lands often enough to carry the base game. Just keep an eye on RTP variants, and do not expect more than a 2000x headline win.
In-Game Screenshots
9 Masks of Fire FAQ
9 Masks of Fire — Comparison
| Game | RTP | Volatility | Max Win | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96.24% | Average | x2000 | 6.7 | |
| 96.24% | Average | x2000 | 5 | |
| 95.93% | High | x5000 | 5 | |
| 96.24% | Average | x2000 | 6.5 | |
| 96.38% | Average | x500 | 5 | |
| 96.24% | Average | x2000 | 6.5 | |
| 96.15% | High | x24185 | ||
| 96.47% | Average | x5000 | 8 | |
| 96.24% | High | x2000 | 7 | |
| 96.24% | Average | x2000 | 8 | |
| 96.24% | Average | x2000 | 4 | |
| 96.08% | High | x12500 | 8 | |
| 96.44% | High | x6000 | ||
| 96.58% | Low | x4000 | 5 | |
| 96.49% | High | x2146 | ||
| 96.47% | Average | x3000 | 6 | |
| 96.13% | Low | x500 | 6 | |
| 96.12% | Average | x1925 | ||
| 96.13% | Average | x20000 | ||
| 96.03% | Average | x1000 | ||
| 96% | High | x1000 | 5 | |
| 95.86% | Average | x4000 | ||
| 96.15% | Average | x2000 | 5 | |
| 96.40% | High | x10000 | 6.5 | |
| 96.42% | High | x12000 | 6.5 | |
| 95.74% | High | x15138 | 6.5 | |
| 96.2% | High | x25000 | ||
| 96.73% | High | x50000 | 6 | |
| 96.12% | High | x2500 | 7 | |
| 95.74% | High | x10000 | 7.5 |
