Vikings Slot Machine
Are you a fan of the TV hit series Vikings? Then get ready to go on a raid with the fearless warriors Ragnar Lothbrok and Lagertha on the reels of this NetEnt video slot. In February 2018, the Swedish studio signed a licensing deal to develop an online video slot with the Norse theme of the series. The result is nothing short of spectacular.
The Vikings slot is a 243-ways-to-win game, which will expand to a massive 78,125 ways in the Raid Free Spins, with the potential to pay 10,000x the stake on a single spin. And it doesn’t stop there. A random Shield Wall feature and a Hot Spot area that will award scattered wins add even more action and excitement.
The Warrior’s Slot Reels
How do you do justice to such a popular TV series? Anything less than spectacular would disappoint the millions of existing and soon-to-be fans. But NetEnt did not let us down. They went out of their way to produce a Norse-themed video slot with great attention to detail, stunning graphics and animations, as well as an expanding game window that will see it grow to a 5x7 size in the Raid Spins.
The background in the base game is a seashore where the Vikings just landed to go on their raids. Their battleship is moored just off the coast and remains visible through the translucent slot reels. A battle standard on the left of the game window indicates that they made landfall at dawn under the cover of the wavering fog. The Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and the shieldmaiden Lagertha are the main characters on the reels, and they appear in majestic-looking stacked symbols. A suspenseful, dark soundtrack is minutely synchronized to the action on the reels.
The scene changes during the Raid Spins feature to a burned field in the aftermath of a battle. The Viking banner on the left window indicates they have won the fight and are now off to raid the conquered land. Battle noises, cries of the two Vikings, and arrows hitting the shield scatters give the feeling that the battle is happening right before our very eyes.
The Vikings video slot has 10 pay symbols and one scatter intricately designed in a Norse style. All symbols can appear as single or stacked symbols. The low-value symbols are the usual 10s to As suits, while the premium symbols are three depictions of Ragnar Lothbrok and one of Lagertha. The top-paying symbol is the gold V symbol. The scatters appear as a shield in blue and red colors with the words ‘Raid Spins’ across it. There are no wilds or other bonus symbols on the reels.
The Viking Numbers and Stats
Vikings is a video slot with five reels, three rows and 243 ways to win. During the Raid Spins the game window increased to five reels, seven rows and 78,125 ways to win. The slot’s features include Hot Spot areas that award scattered pays, a random Shield Wall feature, and Raid Free Spins with the expanded game window. The RTP of this medium-to-high-variance game is set at 96.05%. The slot is in HTML5 format and can be played on desktop, mobile, and tablet across all OS platforms. AutoPlay allows players to choose from 10 to 1000 consecutive spins, with a range of options as to when the run should stop.
To join the Vikings in their raid, players can bet 0.20 to 200 coins. Pays for a single five-of-a-kind range from 0.5 to 2.5x the bet. With the expanded game window in the Raid Spins feature, it is possible to hit seven of a kind – this will award wins between 1x to 3.5x the bet. The maximum win on a single spin peaks at a massive 200,000 coins, or 10,000x the initial stake.
The Random Shield Wall Feature
The feature can be randomly triggered on any spin in the base game or in the Raid Spins. In the base game, a shield wall in the size of 3×2 or 5×2 is randomly placed onto the reels and will reveal one common character symbol or the gold V symbol. In the Raid Spins, the feature can trigger after the win from the current spin is paid or on a non-winning spin, but not when the Hot Spot area is activated. The size of the shield wall is increased to a 4×2, 5×2 or 5×3 size. Wins are evaluated after the common symbol is revealed. The feature cannot be triggered on a spin in the base game where the Hot Spot feature or Raid Spins are activated.
Hot Spot Areas and Scatter Pays
The Hot Spot feature is available in the base game and during Raid Spins. In the base game, only the third reel is a designated hot spot area, and it is highlighted on every spin. During the Raid Spins, the area will widen to cover the three middle positions on reel three, four and five.
The Hot Spot feature will be triggered when one of the four main character symbols land fully stacked in the hot spot area. All non-triggering character symbols on the reels will be transformed into the triggering character, while a scattered pay is awarded based on how many symbols are on the reels. In the base game, the pays range from 0.33x to 243x the total bet for three to 15 symbols. In the Raid Spins with the expanded window, the number can increase up to 27 symbols, which would award the top win of 10,000x the total bet.
The Raid Spins Feature
Having shield scatters land on reel three, four and five in one spin will trigger seven Raid Spins, which cannot be retriggered. The game window increases to the expanded 5×7 format with 78,125 ways to win. The Hot Spot area also increases and will now cover the three middle positions of reels three, four and five – providing a higher chance to activate the Hot Spot feature. The bonus feature is played with a different reel set. Low-value symbols can now appear in stacks of up five symbols high, while the premium symbols appear in the same configurations as in the base game.
The random Shield Wall feature can also be triggered during the Raid Spins – either after a win from the current spin is paid or after a losing spin, but not when the Hot Spot feature is activated. The size of the shield wall is increased to 4×2, 5×2 or 5×3, providing super mega win potential. No doubt, this would be the best moment to hit those mega wins that can go up to 10,000x the initial bet.
Other Viking Warrior Reels
The Norse warriors are a common appearance on video slots. The legends around the Vikings and their raiding expeditions provide ample fodder for exciting games. Some of the best examples are Vikings Go Berzerk from Yggdrasil Gaming and Thunderstruck 2 from Microgaming.
The Verdict of a Reel Warrior
This is one superb slot. NetEnt have dug deep into their creative chests and produced a spectacular game that is not only entertaining with lots of action and features on the reels, but which also comes with sky-high win potential. After all, who wouldn’t be happy to bag a win worth 10,000 times their bet?
Although this slot trends towards high variance, the random feature and scattered pays will keep you going for a long time. Brace yourself for mega wins in the Raid Spins on that huge game window with 78,125 ways to win. Ready to be a Viking warrior?
