There is something easy to like about a slot that does not try to explain everything at once. Lion Gems starts with a simple setting. The reels take you into the African savannah, with lions and other wild animals appearing alongside diamonds and traditional symbols. The layout is familiar, so there is no need to spend a long time learning how the main game works.
Then the pace can change. A Scatter can take the reels into Free Spins, where the lion Wild becomes more powerful. Diamonds can lead towards the Hold and Win feature, where the focus moves away from normal paylines and towards bonus symbols, jackpots and filling the reel positions.
That change is what makes Lion Gems slot interesting to explore at Richmama . Rather than being one long stream of features, the game has clear stages. The base game gives you the starting point, while its bonus rounds introduce a different way to watch the reels.
Play Lion Gems at RichmamaLion Gems: Hold and Win was released by Playson in March 2022. The original game uses five reels, four rows and 30 paylines. Its theme centres on African wildlife, with the lion taking the leading role.
The 5x4 layout keeps the opening experience straightforward. You have a set number of positions to watch, and the regular animal symbols form the heart of the base game. This matters because the more unusual parts of Lion Gems are easier to understand when the starting point is simple.
You can first enjoy the regular reel action. Then, when the right symbols appear, the game has somewhere else to take you.
The regular reels are not overloaded with complicated mechanics. Instead, they introduce the symbols that become important later.
The lion acts as the Wild, helping to substitute for other symbols in winning combinations. The Tree Scatter is connected to Free Spins, while Diamonds are linked to the game's Hold and Win side.
So even before a bonus begins, the reels are already giving you clues about what can happen next. This creates a nice rhythm.
Normal spins give you the familiar part of the game. Special symbols create the possibility of moving into something different. That simple structure helps keep Lion Gems approachable without making the base game feel disconnected from its bonus features.
The lion is naturally the symbol you notice first. It is also one of the most useful.
As the Wild symbol, the lion can substitute for other symbols when forming winning combinations. But its role changes during Free Spins.
Once Free Spins begin, the Lion Wild becomes a Wild x2. This means the feature does more than simply give you extra spins. It changes how the Wild works during those spins.
That gives Free Spins a clear identity. You are still looking at the same basic reels, but the lion has become more valuable as part of the feature.
Three or more Tree Scatter symbols can trigger eight Free Spins. Three or more Scatters during the feature can also award another eight spins.
The interesting part is how little needs to change visually for the experience to feel different. You still have the safari setting. You still have the same basic reel layout. But now the Wild can carry a 2x multiplier, making the lion much more important when it appears as part of a winning combination.
This is a useful example of a bonus feature that builds on something the base game has already introduced instead of replacing it completely.
Free Spins keep the action on the regular reels. The Diamond route takes things in another direction.
Diamond symbols are connected to the Diamond Peak feature, which can activate the Hold and Win Bonus Game. Playson lists Diamond Peak as one of the game's key features alongside the Hold and Win mechanic, Mystery symbols and jackpot features.
Once this happens, you are no longer simply looking for animal combinations. The focus moves towards individual bonus symbols and the spaces they occupy.
That gives Lion Gems two different feelings without needing two completely different games.
The Hold and Win feature is where the game becomes more focused. Bonus symbols can land on the reels and stay in place while respins continue. When another qualifying symbol lands, the respin sequence can continue, giving you another chance to fill more positions.
Instead of quickly checking one spin after another, you begin paying attention to the spaces that have already been filled. That creates a different kind of excitement.
An empty position is no longer just an empty part of the reel. It becomes a space that could still be filled during the feature.
The official game materials describe the bonus as a Hold and Win game with four jackpot types and a Grand Jackpot awarded when all empty reel positions are filled.
The 5x4 layout has 20 positions. During the Hold and Win feature, those positions become much more important because the goal is no longer simply to complete a payline.
You start watching how much of the layout has been filled.
| Stage | What You Are Watching | How the Game Feels |
|---|---|---|
| Main game | Animal symbols and regular wins | Familiar reel play |
| Free Spins | Scatters and Lion Wild x2 | Faster bonus-focused reel action |
| Hold and Win | Bonus symbols and empty spaces | Slower, more focused play |
| Full bonus layout | Filled positions and jackpot outcome | Clear end goal |
The table shows why the same 5x4 layout can feel different depending on where you are in the game. In the base game, the positions help create paylines. In the Hold and Win feature, those same positions become part of the bonus objective.
Not every bonus symbol gives you an immediately obvious result. Lion Gems includes Mystery symbols, which can become jackpot symbols as the Hold and Win feature develops. The game includes Mini, Minor and Major jackpot symbols, along with the Grand Jackpot.
This gives the bonus another small layer of anticipation. You can see that a Mystery symbol has landed, but its final role is not immediately clear.
That fits the Hold and Win format well. You are already watching the board grow, so a symbol whose result is revealed later gives you another reason to keep an eye on the feature.
The jackpot system is another important part of Lion Gems. The game has four fixed jackpot levels: Mini, Minor, Major and Grand.
The game guide lists the Mini at 20x the bet, Minor at 50x and Major at 150x, while the Grand Jackpot is linked to filling all 20 bonus positions and is listed at 3,000x the bet.
The useful thing here is that the jackpot system works with the bonus layout. The Grand Jackpot is not simply another symbol sitting on the paytable. It is connected to the full-board condition.
That gives the Hold and Win round a visible objective.
This is perhaps the easiest way to understand Lion Gems. It starts calmly. The main game introduces the animals and lets you get used to the reels.
If Free Spins appear, the lion becomes more powerful and the regular reel action gets a bonus twist. If the Diamond route takes you into Hold and Win, the game slows down and the empty spaces become important.
So the game moves through different moods without becoming difficult to follow. Safari reels. Free Spins. Bonus board. Jackpots. Each stage has its own reason for being there.
The African savannah setting gives Lion Gems a strong identity, but the theme does not make the game harder to read.
The animals are easy to recognise. The lion naturally works as the Wild. Diamonds fit the game's name and bonus mechanics. Even the jackpot idea feels at home within a treasure-focused setting.
That connection between the visual design and the game mechanics makes the slot feel more complete.
You do not need to memorise every feature before trying the game. A few points are enough to get started:
Once you understand these basics, the rest is much easier to follow.
Lion Gems does not need a huge collection of mechanics to keep things moving. Its strength comes from changing the focus at the right time.
The base game gives you a familiar safari-themed reel setup. Free Spins give the lion a stronger role through the Wild x2. The Diamond route then moves the game into Hold and Win, where the empty spaces, bonus symbols and jackpots become the things to watch.
That gives the Lion Gems slot at Richmama a clear progression without making the game feel complicated. It begins with the wildlife. Then the reels open the door to something bigger.
Lion Gems: Hold and Win is a Playson slot released in March 2022. It uses five reels, four rows and 30 paylines, with Free Spins, Hold and Win, Diamond Peak, Mystery symbols and four jackpot levels.
Three or more Tree Scatter symbols can trigger eight Free Spins. During the feature, the Lion Wild becomes a Wild x2. Additional qualifying Scatters can award another eight spins.
Bonus symbols can remain on the reels during respins. The feature focuses on filling reel positions with bonus symbols and can include Mystery symbols and jackpot symbols.
There are four jackpot levels: Mini, Minor, Major and Grand. The game guide lists the Mini at 20x, Minor at 50x, Major at 150x and the Grand at 3,000x the bet when all 20 positions are filled.
No. Lion Gems: Hold and Win and Lion Gems 3 Pots are separate Playson titles. The original Lion Gems uses the four-jackpot Hold and Win format, while the later 3 Pots version has a different bonus structure.