You might think there would be a quiet week in our online gaming world once in a while with no new slots being released. But game providers have other ideas, and we are glad they do because most games coming out in the next days or weeks are spectacular creations. Take Netent’s blockbuster slot Vikings, named after the immensely popular TV series that has won millions of fans around the world and is now into its sixth season. The Swedish studio has produced a unique game that includes random features, scattered pays, and free spins with an expanded game window. And let’s not forget a huge win potential of 10,000x the initial stake.
Next in line is Yggdrasil with another LeoVegas exclusive. Pirates Smugglers Paradise is a grid slot with some wicked pay mechanics and a big win potential, thanks to a win multiplier of up to x10. Wicked we stay as Microgaming is soon releasing Wicked Tales: Dark Red with an unusual moving reel window that sees a block of three reels moving to a random position on each spin. Last but not least, let’s have a little mystery with the new creation from Quickspin, Ark of Mystery, with yet again a wicked pay mechanic and respins that can see the win multiplier increasing up to x22 for mega-win potential.
Vikings Video Slot | Netent
We have known since February 2018 that Netent signed a licensing deal for two video slots, Vikings and Narcos. The first one will be released on November 22 and Narcos is planned for the beginning of 2019. Ever since the news broke, we have been anxiously waiting to get a first glimpse as to how Netent would port the Norse theme from the ever-so-popular TV series to common slot reels. And it looks like they made every effort to create something spectacular with a crazy-high win potential of up to 10,000x the initial stake on a single spin.
The result is a video slot with five reels and 243 ways that will expand to a massive 5×7 game window with 78,125 ways in the main feature, the Raid Spins. The attention to detail is remarkable. Two of the main characters from the series, Ragnar Lothbrok and Lagertha, are making their appearance on the reels in stacks of up to three symbols high. The graphics and animations are just stunning, while a dark, suspenseful soundtrack is minutely synchronized to the action on the reels.
Features of the game include a random Shield Wall, a Hot Spot area that will award scattered pays, and Raid Spins with the expanded game window. The game trends towards high variance and has an RTP of 96.05%. Bet sizes start at a low-roller-friendly 0.20 coins while the maximum bet of 200 coins will please the high-rollers among the slotting community.
The Shield Wall is randomly triggered on any spin in the base game and in the Raid Spins. A wall of shields with sizes ranging from 3×2 up to 5×3 symbols is randomly placed on the reels, revealing a common character symbol or the Gold V symbol. This offers one of the best chances to hit mega-wins.
The Hot Spot area is the third reel in the base game and the three middle positions of Reels 3, 4, and 5 in the Raid Spins. Any of the four character symbols landing as a full stack within the hot spot area will transform all other character symbols in view into the same symbol. A scattered pay is awarded based on the number of symbols on the reels, starting at 3x the bet for three symbols and peaking in the base game at 2,43x the bet for 15 symbols. That number can increase to 27 symbols in the Raid Spins, awarding a scatter pay of 10,000x the total bet.
Shield scatters on Reels 3, 4, and 5 will trigger seven Raid Spins, which cannot be retriggered. The game window increases to the aforementioned 5×7 format with 78,125 ways. The Hot Spot area is also increased to cover the three middle positions on Reels 3, 4, and 5 for more potential to activate the scattered pay. The random Shield Wall now appears in bigger sizes of 4×2, 5×2 and 5×3 symbols. This is doubtless one of the best moments to hit the maximum win on the slot.
Pirates Smugglers Paradise | Yggdrasil Gaming
Yggdrasil surprises us on Pirate Smugglers Paradise with yet another unseen pay mechanic that mixes cascading symbols with cluster pays, symbol collection, multipliers, and three types of free spins on a 5×5 game grid with rolling reels. Any cluster of a minimum six symbols will set the new mechanic in motion. All instances of the triggering symbol will remain on the screen including those outside the cluster, while all other symbols disappear. The triggering symbols will settle at the bottom of the game window and a cascade of new symbols drops into place. Any further occurrences of the triggering symbol will stay and another cascade is initiated after the non-winning symbols are removed. This continues until no further matching symbols appear on a cascade. Wins are paid according to the number of triggering symbols on the screen by the end of the spin sequence.
Filling a minimum two rows will activate an x2 multiplier while three, four, or five full rows will award x3, x5, and 10 multipliers, respectively. They reset after every spin sequence. A full screen of the top-paying symbol will award 25x the bet multiplied by x10, equaling 5,000 coins or 250 times the initial stake.
Free spins scrolls can drop on any reel and are collected on the left of the game window. Getting three within one spin sequence will trigger seven free spins, which cannot be retriggered. The game offers three options for the free spins – Win Fall, High Seas, and Multiplier Madness.
In the Win Fall round, two extra winning symbols are added on each winning cascade, increasing the win amount. The High Seas round is played with all low-value symbols removed from the reels. In the Multiplier Madness round, the multiplier is not reset after a spin sequence and accumulates throughout the free spins.
Wicked Tales: Dark Red | Microgaming
The new slot from Microgaming is a production by Triple Edge Studios, the makers of the Playboy Gold and Halloween games. In Dark Red, they have given the popular fairy tale a wicked twist for the spooky season. The slot features their signature game window with Wandering Reels, a group of three reels that spin together and move randomly to one of three positions in every round. With four instead of three rows, they contain 3×3 jumbo symbols, providing a higher chance of landing big wins.
Hitting three moon scatters will trigger the Wolf’s Bonus Wheel, which guarantees one of the two features on the slot. The wheel contains coins wins of up to 20x the stake as well as the Forest of Fortunes pick-and-click bonus game and a free spins round. Players will turn the wheel and collect the coin wins until one of the two features is awarded.
Ark of Mystery | Quickspin
Ark of Mystery is yet another stunning slot creation from the Swedish studios of Quickspin, taking players on a quest to unlock lost Egyptian treasures. They will join heroine Anna as she explores the ruins of an ancient pyramid in search of those coveted artifacts. Played on five reels and 20 pay lines, it trends towards high volatility and comes with a top win potential of 6,500x the initial stake.
Wild Ark Respins will trigger when the golden arks are landing on Reel 3, 4, or 5. The arks will expand by one position on the same reel until the entire wheel is wild. Unlocking the respins one wheel at a time, a total of six respins can be awarded, results in having all three middle reels filled with wild symbols, which is the best moment to score those monster wins.
The kicker, though, is a win multiplier displayed in the top right corner of the game window. A pyramid can appear on Reel 5, increasing the multiplier in increments of x1, up to a maximum of x22 within one respin sequence. The multiplier is reset after a spin or when the respin sequence has ended.