This is a continuation of my article describing what I consider to be the top 10 online slots at NJ online casinos. Part I of the top 10 online slots in NJ introduces you to seven of those slots. Here in Part II, you will learn about three more.

Space Wars: An online slot that’s “out of this world”

One of the reasons why online slots are such a popular pastime is that they provide a very convenient temporary escape from the pressures, monotony, and sometimes harsh realities of everyday living.

Furthermore, you can spend as little or as much money as you wish. A big bankroll is definitely not required, and you completely skip the added cost and time of traveling.

Up to this point, all of the online slots we have covered have a theme that we can still relate to based on our own experience. But Space Wars transports you to a world beyond the realm of earthly experience into the extraterrestrial.

Space Wars basics

Space Wars is an online video slot by NetEnt consisting of five reels, 4 rows, and 40 fixed paylines.

Unlike some online slot games, the theme of this slot is obvious both from the title and as soon as you start playing. Anyone who has watched the TV shows or movies Dr. Who, Star Trek, or Lost in Space will be reminded of them upon hearing the Space Wars soundtrack and coming face to face with the animated aliens on the screen.

Otherwise, playing the slot game Space Wars is a novel experience. You board a virtual spaceship and take off on a wild ride to the farthest realms of the galaxy. Your ultimate mission is to find an elusive red crystal, That’s the game’s highest paying symbol, returning a whopping 1,000 coins for five in a row. But even if you don’t succeed, it’s still an adventure worth taking.

As you venture forth into parts unknown, you’ll encounter many aliens. But don’t let their strange appearance scare you away. Some of them will prove surprisingly friendly and bestow you with generous gifts.

Stacked wilds and free re-spins keep the win meter climbing

Also, this game comes with a unique special feature that can augment your winnings in a big way. With every win you get on a paid spin, first, all of the contributing symbols get cloned, and then you get a free re-spin!  I don’t know of any other online slot that includes this feature.

As if all of the above isn’t enough, the graphics, sound effects, and animations are spectacular. Planets, stars, dust clouds, and meteors in varying shades of purple form the backdrop for the game. Meanwhile, the reels themselves have no borders and are completely transparent. This allows you to focus entirely on the stacked wilds and 3-dimensional aliens on the reels and watch the latter light up like a laser when they form winning combinations.

This is a space adventure you will want to repeat over and over again!

Space Wars bet range

Space Wars is a game that should fit the budget of most players. The minimum bet per spin is 40 cents, and the maximum is $200.

Space Wars RTP and volatility

All of the slot games that NetEnt creates come with an RTP of at least 96 percent. But the RTP of Space Wars is up in the stratosphere. It’s one of its highest paying online slots, with an RTP of 96.75 percent.

Space Wars also has medium volatility. You will experience enough variation in the results to keep the game interesting but not so much that you will put your bankroll in jeopardy. While you probably won’t experience earthshattering wins, you will be getting very frequent payouts and a high probability of a positive outcome.

Space Wars Symbols

The symbols in Space Wars include 11 regular symbols and a wild symbol. There is no scatter symbol or bonus symbol. Therefore, you will have to be content playing just the base game because that’s all there is. There is no separate bonus or jackpot game.

But keep reading because this game offers other special features that can be very lucrative.

Winning combinations are formed in the usual manner by lining up three or more matching symbols across a payline, starting with the reel farthest to the left.

The highest paying regular symbol is a red crystal. Five of them across a payline will pay 1,000 coins, four will pay 250 coins, and three will pay 50 coins. But be forewarned. Having this symbol land in a paying sequence on the reels is a very rare occurrence. During the course of your play, it probably won’t happen at all.

Otherwise, all of the regular symbols are aliens. The remaining five higher paying regular symbols, in descending order of value, are as follows:

• Orange alien with octopus tentacles, wearing a helmet
• Yellow frog-like alien with large blue eyes
• Green alien with three eyes and missing teeth
• Blue alien with gigantic pink eyes
• Purple one-eyed alien with the claws of a crab

The five lower paying regular symbols are baby versions of the same creatures. They have large round bodies and tiny tentacles.

There’s not a playing card or fruit symbol in sight! What a refreshing change from most online slots where the lower paying symbols typically consist of these symbols that bear no relation to the theme.

The wild symbol displays the word WILD. It can only appear on reels 2 and 4, but it can substitute for any other symbol to help form winning combinations.

Space Wars special features

In lieu of a progressive jackpot and more commonly found special features such as a separate free spins round with multipliers, Space Wars offers the following:

• Stacked symbols

Any of the symbols, including the wild symbol, can land on the reels stacked.

• Free re-spins

Every paid spin that produces a payout will activate one free re-spin on a different set of reels.

But first, all of the winning symbols in the triggering spin get teleported to the cloning pod to the right of the reels, to be squashed and cloned into a different symbol. Then the new symbol returns to the reels as a stacked symbol for one free re-spin.

These re-spins give you an excellent chance to score back-to-back wins, and frequently, the win on the re-spin is much bigger than the initial win on the triggering spin.

Which NJ online casinos offer Space Wars?

You can play Space Wars online or on current iOS or Android mobile devices at any of the following NJ online casinos:

• BetAmerica
• BetMGM
• Borgata
• Caesars
• DraftKings
• Golden Nugget
• Hard Rock
• Mohegan Sun
• Ocean Online
• Pala
• Parx
• PokerStars
• Resorts
• Unibet
• Us.888

What makes Space Wars one of the top 10 online slots?

Despite having 40 paylines, Space Wars is a relatively simple online slot that will have novices, as well as experienced players, keep coming back for more. The outstanding RTP, nonstop excitement, and a unique “out of this world” slot experience combine to make a delightfully entertaining game.

Top progressive jackpot online slots

Slots are by far the most heavily played casino game, both online and offline, for many reasons. But one dream that all slot players share is to win a life-changing sum of money, and that is why progressive jackpot slots are so popular.

Typically, something’s got to give while you’re chasing an elusive mega-size payout. That is why most progressive jackpot slot games have a lower than average RTP and higher than average volatility.

If you don’t hit the jackpot, you can still win playing these games. But the winning combinations amounting to more than your bet size on other spins come with less frequency than you are accustomed to seeing.

However, two exceptions to this rule are the NetEnt games Divine Fortune and Mercy of the Gods. Both have an RTP above 96 percent. They complete my list of the top 10 online slots.

Divine Fortune

Do you know which online slot’s progressive jackpot has been hit more often by NJ online casino players than any other? It’s Divine Fortune! That fact alone is an excellent reason to play this game.

Divine Fortune is an online video slot by NetEnt consisting of five reels, three rows, and 20 fixed paylines. But don’t let the ordinary appearance fool you. Once you start playing, surely you will agree that this extraordinary slot is in a class by itself.

Ancient Greek mythology serves as the theme for many online slots, including Divine Fortune. Here the theme is reflected in every aspect of the game. As soon as you open the game, the statues of goddesses on either side of the screen and a Grecian urn to the right leave you no doubt that the setting is ancient Greece.

Also, if you’re at all familiar with Greek mythology, once you start playing, you will immediately recognize such familiar symbols as the snake-haired Medusa, the Nemean lion, and the winged white horse, Pegasus. The soundtrack complements the action on the reels nicely without being overly loud or distracting.

Never a dull moment and many ways to win

Speaking of action, Divine Fortune offers plenty. Falling Wilds, re-spins, a special Wild-on-Wild feature where the whole reel turns wild, and a thrilling Free Spins bonus round not only assure you there’s never a dull moment but give you many additional ways to win.

But wait–there’s more. If three gold coin symbols land anywhere on the reels simultaneously, you trigger the Jackpot Bonus Game, where you have a chance to win one of three jackpots, including the Divine Fortune Mega Progressive Jackpot!

Of course, you have to be in it to win it. Therefore, if you love playing NJ online slots, but lately, your luck has been disappointing, maybe some divine intervention can help.

Divine Fortune bet size

The minimum bet per spin is only 20 cents, while the maximum is $100. So, this is a game that will appeal to virtually anyone from small stakes bettors to high rollers.

Furthermore, contrary to what you may think, Divine Fortune is a game where you do not necessarily need to bet big to win big. Because of the exceptionally high RTP, combined with the chance to win a huge progressive jackpot, your best bet is to wager the maximum you can afford. But even if that is a relatively small amount, Divine Fortune is still worth playing.

If you’re not sure how much you want to bet, you can play for free in demo mode.

Divine Fortune RTP and volatility

Divine Fortune has an exceptionally high RTP of 96.60 percent combined with medium volatility.

This combination is a very good one for any size bettor. Although the results of individual sessions will vary, the frequently occurring payouts will keep you in the game for many spins.

You never know–you might win the jackpot of your dreams. But even if you don’t, you might still be a big winner. As long as you play at a level you can afford, you should be able to do so comfortably over many sessions.

Divine Fortune symbols

The lucky 11 symbols in Divine Fortune include eight regular symbols and three special symbols.

Regular symbols

All four higher paying regular symbols are familiar creatures in Greek mythology They are listed below in descending order of value.

• Medusa
• Nemean lion
• Minotaur
• Phoenix

The four lower paying symbols (depicted with Greek lettering) are the playing cards J-A.

Winning combinations are formed, as usual, when three or more matching symbols line up adjacently on consecutive reels, starting with the reel farthest to the left.

Wild symbol

The wild symbol is Pegasus, a white horse with wings. On its own, it has no monetary value. However, it can substitute for any of the aforementioned regular symbols to help form additional winning combinations.

During the base game, every wild symbol also triggers a Falling Wild and a free re-spin and in some cases another special feature as well called Wild on Wild that turns the whole reel wild.

During the Free Spins bonus round, any reel on which a wild symbol appears turns completely wild!

Scatter symbol

The scatter symbol is a clenched fist holding a lightning rod.  One or two scatter symbols won’t help you. But If three or more of these symbols land simultaneously anywhere on the reels, that will trigger the Free Spins bonus feature.

Jackpot Bonus symbol

The Jackpot Bonus symbol is a gold coin. If three or more land anywhere on the reels simultaneously, this could be your lucky day. You get to play the Jackpot Bonus game for a chance to win a Mini, Major, or Mega Progressive Jackpot!

Divine Fortune special features

You never know what to expect from Divine Fortune. Any of the following special features can instantly turn an ordinary playing session into an extraordinary one.

Falling Wilds feature

During the base game, anytime a wild symbol lands on the reels, it moves down one position, where it stays in place for a free re-spin. Then, as long as there is another position below it where the symbol can fall, the same thing will happen again.

Also, if any new wild symbols appear on the re-spin, they become Falling Wilds, too, and you get another re-spin. The feature continues until all Falling Wild symbols drop off the reels completely.

Wild on Wild feature

Sometimes during a re-spin, you will be lucky enough to get a new wild symbol to land directly over an existing Falling Wild. That will automatically turn the entire reel into one gigantic wild symbol!

But during the Free Spins bonus round, all you need is for one wild symbol to show up and the entire reel immediately turns wild!

Free Spins feature

3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols landing simultaneously either during a regular spin or a re-spin will trigger 5, 8, or 12 Free Spins, respectively.

Although the Free Spins feature cannot be retriggered, the feature can last for a lot more than the initial number of spins awarded. That’s because each time a wild symbol turns up, the whole reel turns wild, thereby triggering a series of Falling Wilds and re-spins,

Jackpot Bonus game

You will need three or more gold coins to land on the reels simultaneously to trigger the Jackpot Bonus game.

At that point, the screen will switch to a new 5×3 grid that contains only bonus symbols and blanks. Each bonus symbol has a random coin value assigned to it of 10-200x your bet level. You get 3 spins to start. If a bonus symbol lands, the multiplier is applied, and the symbol stays in place. You also get to spin again at least three more times. As long as at least one new bonus symbol appears on a sequence of 3 spins, you can keep spinning.

The object is to fill at least one of the three rows with bonus symbols before your free spins run out so you can win one of the three jackpots.

• If you fill one row with Bonus symbols, you win the Minor Jackpot of 20x your bet.
• If you fill two rows with Bonus symbols, you win the Major Jackpot of 100x your bet.
• But if you fill all three rows, you win the Mega Progressive Jackpot!

Which NJ online casinos offer Divine Fortune?

You can play Divine Fortune online or on current iOS or Android mobile devices at any of the following NJ online casinos:

• Bet365
• BetAmerica
• Betfair
• BetMGM
• Borgata
• Caesars
• Golden Nugget
• Hard Rock
• Mohegan Sun
• Ocean Online
• Pala
• Party
• Parx
• PlaySugarHouse
• PokerStars
• Scores
• Resorts
• Unibet

What makes Divine Fortune one of the top 10 online slots?

This game is loaded with special features that not only greatly add to the excitement of playing but give you many chances to win big, even if you don’t trigger the Free Spins or Jackpot Bonus game. But also keep in mind that over the years, the Divine Fortune progressive jackpot has been hit more often than any other online slot progressive jackpot. So, it could strike again at any time, and the next lucky winner could be you!

By the way, if you think you can handle a game with even wilder action, you might want to try your luck playing the brand new Divine Fortune Megaways with 117,649 ways to win and a top payout of $1,000,000!

Mercy of the Gods

Like Divine Fortune, its 2019 sequel, Mercy of the Gods, is a progressive jackpot game with a mythology theme containing five reels, three rows, and 20 fixed paylines.

But this game will take you back even farther in time to ancient Egypt. Instead of having to win over powerful Pegasus and creepy-looking Medusa, you’ll be at the mercy of other gods like Isis, Ra, and Anubis.

Do you have what it takes to handle this slot?

Another difference between this game and Divine Fortune is that Mercy of the Gods, like the title suggests, can be highly volatile. There’s a lot of big money up for grabs, but you could experience some unsettling bankroll swings along the way. It’s essential to go into this game adequately bankrolled. It is also not a game for the easily intimidated.

On the other hand, Mercy of the Gods is not only capable of delivering a virtual adventure of a lifetime but fantastic rewards. It comes with an even higher RTP than Divine Fortune. But that’s because of the four potentially highly lucrative special features it offers:

• The Gift of Life Re-Spins
• The Gift of Life Double Wilds
• Free Spins
• A chance to win one of three Gift of Life Jackpots-including the Progressive Mega Jackpot!

The setting for the game is an ancient Egyptian pyramid guarded on each side by the fierce-looking god Anubis. If Anubis isn’t enough to scare you away, perhaps the sight of the one-eyed Horus staring at you at the top of the reels or the eerie soundtrack will. And that would be too bad because you would miss out on a great experience.

Instead, look at the display at the top of the screen showing the amounts of the three jackpots up for grabs in this game. While the Minor Jackpot and Major Jackpot are fixed at 20x your bet and 100x your bet, respectively, the Mega Progressive Jackpot keeps growing and growing with every spin!

If the possibility to get your hands on one of those ginormous prizes isn’t enough incentive to muster up the courage to experience Mercy of the Gods, I don’t know what is.

Mercy of the Gods bet range

Mercy of the Gods offers a wide enough bet range to fit the bankroll and playing style of almost anyone. The minimum bet per spin is only 20 cents, while the maximum is $100.

Or, if you prefer, you can play for free in demo mode.

Mercy of the Gods RTP and volatility

Mercy of the Gods has a published RTP of 96.64 percent. This would be considered an outstanding rate of return for any online slot, even if doesn’t offer a progressive jackpot. The fact that you can win a progressive jackpot playing this game makes the exceptionally high RTP even more impressive.

On the other hand, where some players might run into a problem with this game is its high volatility. During the course of your play, you might experience epic-size wins that have you jumping for joy. But relying on the mercy of the gods to keep winning combinations coming indefinitely at a steady clip isn’t realistic.

On the contrary, you need to be able to take the bad with the good because you might also experience long strings of consecutive spins that either pay less than the size of your bet or come up completely empty. If you’re not careful, these negative swings can do a serious number on your bankroll.

Despite this caveat, Mercy of the Gods still belongs in my list of top 10 slots based on its other outstanding qualities. Also, many players like the extra adrenaline rush from high variance slots and find playing them very exhilarating. As long as you play within your means and avoid marathon sessions, you should be fine.

Mercy of the Gods symbols

The symbols in Mercy of the Gods include eight regular symbols and three special symbols. The four higher paying regular symbols and all three special symbols directly relate to the Egyptian mythology theme.

Regular symbols

These are the four higher paying regular symbols, in descending order of value:

• Female explorer
• Horus falcon
• Scarab
• Tutankhamen

The four lower paying regular symbols are the playing cards J-A.

Winning combinations are formed in the same manner as on most online slots. You need three or more matching symbols to line up adjacently on consecutive reels starting with the reel farthest to the left.

Wild symbol

The symbol marked WILD doesn’t have any monetary value on its own. However, it can appear on any reel in both the base game and the Free Spins, where it can substitute for any symbol except the scatter symbol and bonus symbol to help make additional winning combinations.

In addition, just like in Divine Fortune, each time a wild symbol appears, it becomes a Walking Wild, moving down at least one position vertically and triggering a Gift of Life Re-Spin.

Scatter symbol

The scatter symbol displays the Eye of Horus. Three, four, or five of these symbols appearing simultaneously anywhere on the reels either during the base game or during a re-spin will trigger the Free Spins bonus round, awarding you with 5, 8, or 12 free spins, respectively.

Bonus symbol

The bonus symbol is a golden heart.  If three or more of these symbols land on the reels simultaneously either in the main game and/or Gift of Life Re-Spins, that will trigger the Gift of Wealth Jackpot feature for a possible shot at one of three jackpots!

Mercy of the Gods special features

The four special features found in Mercy of the Gods are patterned after and virtually identical to those of Divine Fortune.

Gift of Life Re-Spins

This feature duplicates the Falling Wilds Re-Spins feature in Divine Fortune.

Whenever a wild symbol lands on the reels, it moves down to the next row, where it remains in place for a re-spin. The higher up on the reel that the wild symbol is, the more re-spins you get, and of course, more wild symbols can show up during a re-spin, leading to more of the same. The feature continues until all wild symbols drop off from the reels.

Gift of Double Wilds

As in the Wild on Wild feature in Divine Fortune, on any re-spin where a new wild symbol lands on top of an already existing wild symbol, it will expand to make the entire reel wild!

Free Spins

Whenever a wild symbol shows up during the Free Spins bonus round, it will immediately expand to cover the entire reel and give you multiple Gift of Life re-spins.

Gift of Life Jackpot

In this game, the bonus symbol that you need three of to land on the reels is a gold heart rather than a gold coin. But otherwise, the Gift of Life Jackpot feature is identical to the Jackpot Bonus Feature in Divine Fortune.

Three jackpots are up for grabs. It’s possible to trigger the Gift of Life Jackpot feature and not win any jackpot. But there are three other possibilities. You could win any of the following prizes:

• A Minor Jackpot of 20x your bet
• A Major Jackpot of 100x your bet
• The Mega Progressive Jackpot!

Which NJ online casinos offer Mercy of the Gods?

You can play Mercy of the Gods online or on current iOS or Android mobile devices at any of the following NJ online casinos:

• Bet365
• BetAmerica
• Betfair
• BetMGM
• Borgata
• Caesars
• Golden Nugget
• Hard Rock
• Mohegan Sun
• Ocean Online
• Pala
• Party
• Parx
• PlaySugarHouse
• PokerStars
• Resorts
• Scores
• Unibet

What makes Mercy of the Gods one of the top 10 online slots?

Mercy of the Gods offers the same special features as Divine Fortune, including a shot at three jackpots. There are only a handful of progressive jackpot slots with an RTP above 96 percent, and two are on my list of top 10 online slots: Divine Fortune and Mercy of the Gods.