Why are Ancient Temples Such a Popular Theme for Slots and iOS Games?

Scroll through the App Store in search of a mobile game and you're likely to encounter innumerable options that use a temple theme or setting. It's the same in sprawling slots libraries, where ancient themes seem to be more prevalent than any other genre.

There's something about temples that seems to stoke intrigue in players, as the ancient buildings often have rich and mysterious histories. Let's look at some of the most popular temple-themed games and discuss how they managed to attract so many players.

Slot Developers Often Turn to Temples for Inspiration

In the booming online casino industry, there are many games that use ancient temples and mythology for inspiration. For instance, when you play Temple Tumble Megaways slot, you'll notice that it has an Aztec theme, harking back to the civilisation that lived between the 13th and 15th centuries in central Mexico. It uses the Megaways engine as well, which enables more than 100,000-win lines. This means the reels morph in size, allowing for a tumbling effect resembling a temple that's falling down.

There are plenty of other slots that follow a similar theme to Temple Tumble Megaways. Many of these are set in ancient Egypt, within the fascinating pyramids built by that age-old civilisation. These include Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead, Eye of Horus: The Golden Tablet, and Eye of Atum. It seems that games with a historical theme appeal to a lot of slots players, who turn to these games for some change from their everyday lives. Because ancient cultures are so different to what we know today, it can provide an extra level of interest – players can even learn something from the games.

Some of the Biggest iOS Hits Have Used a Temple Theme

One of the most significant iOS titles of the mobile gaming era was Temple Run from Imangi Studios. The 2011 endless runner introduced a concept that hadn't really hit it off before, and it was an incredible commercial and critical success. In the game, players had to keep running forward as they were chased by demonic monkey-like creatures. The game's protagonist had just stolen a precious idol from a temple and the creatures were striving to get it back.

Temple Run was a major hit and led to other games in the series including Temple Run 2 and Temple Run: Brave. The titles also inspired a range of other endless runner games. For a different type of temple-themed offering, Lara Croft Go was an enjoyable puzzle game in which players had to work out how to get the tomb raider from the start to the end of each level. They had to get past a range of obstacles and pitfalls, with the difficulty progressively rising.

Because some of the most popular games of all time have used a temple theme, other developers have borrowed the idea and created games using it as well. These ancient buildings make a great choice for game creators who want to fill their titles with cryptic gameplay and hidden traps.