| Game developer: | Microgaming, Gameburger Studios |
| Release date: | Oct 2019 |
| Game types: | |
| Return to player: | 96.24% |
| Variance: | |
| Game Features: | |
| Max win: | 30000 |
| Min bet: | 0.20 |
| Max bet: | 240.00 |
| Number of paylines: | 20 |
| Game Themes: |
Before 12 Masks of Fire Drums raised the towers and stretched the grid to 5×10, there was this: nine golden Masks and a prize ladder that kept climbing with every one you landed. 9 Masks of Fire is the 2019 original that lit up Gameburger Studios' whole fire-and-masks dynasty, and playing it now feels like meeting the source code — 5×3 reels, cherries and flaming 7s, plus the hook the entire series still runs on. Golden Masks pay from anywhere on the screen, climbing a ladder from a polite 1x for three Masks all the way to 2,000x when all nine land at once. And with medium volatility behind a 96.24% RTP, this is comfortably the gentlest seat at the family table — the fire lives in the visuals here, not in the swings.
The second act is the Free Spins Wheel. Three Shield symbols on the middle reels send you to it, and a single spin decides your entire round: anywhere from 10 to 30 Free Spins at 2x or 3x line pays. The Masks keep landing and paying right through the bonus, retriggers are on the table, and the diamond Wild patches broken lines everywhere except the specials. And no — a whole family of sequels later, there's still no Bonus Buy: the Wheel can't be bought, only earned.
If you want to know what this pokie is like, our session pretty much said it all. Three Masks surfaced through blue flame for a ceremonial 1x, two Shields kept landing with the third nowhere in sight — you'll learn that particular ache fast — and then a proper Mask haul set the screen alight: totem drummers, a wall of fire, a BIG WIN banner... for 7.86x. We actually loved the audacity of it. Modest money, maximum theatre — that's this pokie's entire philosophy, and somehow it works.
The whole game glows like a savannah at dusk: deep reds layered with tribal zigzags, gold-framed reels, and the title mask watching from the corner with those unblinking blue eyes — less mascot, more supervisor. Masks don't just land; they rise through blue flame with coins spilling off them, and a steady drum loop keeps the pace without ever getting pushy. What surprised us most is how gloriously out of proportion the celebrations are: cross the Big Win line, and the reels shrink into a bonfire while two stick-figure totems appear to dance and hammer a djembe — all for a win the sequels wouldn't blink at. We caught ourselves running autoplay just to see the ceremony again, which probably says everything about how charming this 2019 original still is.
The paying cast is pure retro: Cherries and BARs at the bottom, Bells and Dollar signs in the middle, and flaming 7s running the show — with the Triple Flaming 7 topping the lines at 50x for five. Around them work the three specials: the golden Mask, which ignores paylines entirely and pays from any position; the Shield, which tips you 1x and holds the only key to the Wheel; and the diamond Wild, which substitutes for everything except those two.
You'll probably notice how fast the hierarchy flips in your head. Within a dozen spins, the fruit becomes background noise, and your eyes track nothing but gold — every Mask is a step up a ladder you can see beside the reels, so even dead spins carry a flicker of maybe. The Masks keep working through the Free Spins too, which is where the ladder and the Wheel finally overlap, and where the dream of landing all nine feels closest.
| Symbol | Payouts |
|---|---|
 WILD | 5 — x125 4 — x25 3 — x6.25 Substitutes for all symbols except the Free Spin symbols and the Mask symbols. |
 SCATTER | 9 — x2000 8 — x500 7 — x100 6 — x40 5 — x15 4 — x5 3 — x1 Three or more masks scattered on the reels award a cash prize. Appears on any reel. Only the highest win is paid per scatter combination. |
 777 (triple seven) | 5 — x37.5 4 — x16.25 3 — x2.5 |
 77 (double seven) | 5 — x20 4 — x6.25 3 — x1.25 |
 7 (single seven) | 5 — x7.5 4 — x3.75 3 — x1 |
 Any sevens | 5 — x3.25 4 — x1 3 — x0.5 |
 Dollar sign | 5 — x3.25 4 — x1 3 — x0.5 |
 Bell | 5 — x2 4 — x0.75 3 — x0.25 |
 BAR | 5 — x1 4 — x0.4 3 — x0.25 |
 Cherries | 5 — x1 4 — x0.4 3 — x0.25 |
Years after its release, the original still earns its seat. Frankly speaking, 9 Masks of Fire is the friendliest way into the series — one ladder, one Wheel, zero homework — and the medium volatility makes it a genuine session game rather than a patience test. We reckon it fits classic-pokie fans who want a twist without a manual, players who like their jackpot chance present on literally every spin, and anyone spinning anywhere between $0.20 and a frankly outrageous $240.
Side by side with 12 Masks of Fire Drums, the family resemblance is obvious — and the temperament isn't. The sequel raises the ceiling to 3,125x, grows its grid to 5×10 during Free Spins and banks a multiplier between rounds, but it pays for all that firepower with high volatility and longer droughts. The original keeps everything instant: Masks pay the moment they land, the Wheel settles your bonus in one spin, and wins arrive noticeably more often, just smaller. Our take — start here if the Masks are new to you, then head over to our 12 Masks of Fire Drums review once you're ready for the louder, deeper ritual.
Masks pay from any position, no paylines required: three award 1x your stake, and the ladder climbs through 5x, 15x, 40x, 100x and 500x up to 2,000x for nine at once. They keep paying during Free Spins as well.
Landing all nine masks pays the top prize of 2,000x your stake — up to $480,000 if you're spinning at the $240 maximum bet.
Land three shield symbols on reels 2, 3 and 4 in one spin. They tip you 1x on arrival, then the wheel awards between 10 and 30 Free Spins at 2x or 3x line pays — and the round can retrigger.
No. Neither the wheel nor the mask prizes can be purchased, so every feature has to land on the reels naturally.
The original is the gentler ritual: medium volatility, a fixed 5×3 grid, and instant mask prizes up to 2,000x. The Drums sequel plays high-volatility with a 3,125x tower, reels that expand to 5×10 in Free Spins and a multiplier you can bank between rounds.
| Software | Microgaming, Gameburger Studios | Gamzix | Microgaming, Neon Valley | Gamzix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2019 | 2023 | 2020 | 2022 |
| RTP | 96.24% | 96.06% | 92.08% | 96.10% |
| Game Type | - | - | - | - |
| Variance | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Themes | Classics | Classics | Classics, Ocean & Sea, Magic & Mystic | Classics, Fruits |
| Min Bet | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| Max Bet | 240.00 | 24.00 | 200.00 | 25.00 |
| Max Win | 30000 | 5400 | 500 | 1579 |
| Reels | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Paylines | 20 | 45 | 10 | 5 |
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