Gates of Valhalla Review
From Pragmatic Play
Gates of Valhalla is a super-volatile grid slot from Pragmatic Play with a classic Norse-mythology theme. Utilising a well-worn narrative about slain warriors joining the god Odin the game is set in a snowy, rocky mountainside before the great gates, dominated by a 5x5 reel set. Norse statues spin alongside colourful gemstones, whilst bonus features include Tumbling Reels and Roaming Wilds With Multipliers. In the free spins round a Progressive Multiplier is added to the mix to boost wins. This Nordic adventure can pay up to 10,000x your bet.
OUR RATING:
Name: Gates of Valhalla
Developer: Pragmatic Play
Paylines: 10
Reels: 5
Rows: 5
RTP: 96.46%
Variance: High
Top Payout: 10,000x
Jackpot: No
Release Date: January 2022
Features: Tumbling Reels, Wilds, Walking Wilds, Progressive Multipliers, Free Spins
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About This Slot
NOTE: Screenshots on this page are taken whilst we played this game for real money at Temple Nile.
Norse warriors, the mighty Odin and the mythical hall of Valhalla have provided inspiration for many slot games down the years, from age-old classics like Thunderstruck 2 to modern games like Play n Go’s Ring of Odin. The epic narratives and striking imagery are what makes these stories so appealing to slot providers. There are many ways to cut it, from mighty progressives to Megaways™ formats to classic 5x3s. Not many have gone down the route of the grid-slot, but Pragmatic choose that option here, and it is an effective basis for an interesting slot that does not go too heavy on features but still holds your attention thanks to regular event triggers and a potent injection of multipliers throughout your spins.
Theme and Design
In loading up Gates of Valhalla we were stuck by how visually dramatic it is, with blue skies and rugged mountains providing an icy backdrop to the main game. The 5×5 grid contains faces of Norse gods along with brightly coloured gems. Overall, it has a simple appearance, which in itself is a pleasant aspect of the experience, making a change from many of the highly complicated products over-packed with features to confuse and confound that we regularly review right now.
RTP, Variance and Top Payout
In terms of maths Gates of Valhalla plays at an RTP of 94.47% in the UK. This is because Pragmatic Play slots have a variable RTP setting. Outside the UK there are some casinos that offer these games at 96% and above, but sites in this country use the 94% setting. We have verified this at Temple Nile casino which you can see below.
Gates of Valhalla Slot RTP verified at Temple Nile – 94.47%
The minimum bet of 20p is another standard feature of Pragmatic Play slots but the key point is the highly volatile gameplay which will bring a very uneven distribution of wins and makes the slot attractive only to those who enjoy the thrills of risky betting. You can expect some big ups and downs in payouts and you might well need to dip into the bankroll to see you through the lean spells, but the potential rewards are good if you get on a winning streak in the bonus round where Roaming Wilds and Progressive Multipliers are your friend.
The top payout is 10,000x, with published odds of 1 in 5 million of hitting this. The free spins round is triggered on average 1 in 351 times.
Symbols and Graphics
The symbols in Gates of Valhalla include brightly coloured gemstones in the shape of card suits and the stone faces of Norse gods. To ensure a payout you need to land 3 matching symbols running vertically or horizontally on adjacent reels. The gemstone card suits can award from 2.5x to 5x stake for 5 matches, while the stone faces can award from 10 to 75x stake for 5 of a kind.
There is also a golden lion symbol, which is the Wild for the game. This can stand in for the other symbols to create more potential wins. The Wild also has some special powers and can trigger the bonus feature.
What We Like
Norse theme and epic landscape
Free spins with progressive multipliers
Tumbling reels format
Good 10,000x top win
High risk gaming
What We Don't Like
Well-worn theme
Gameplay and Features
The features here are classic gird slot ones but with a pleasing twist as Wilds perform an enhanced role in driving up wins as they come with multipliers as well as roaming across the reels. These are the key actions in the game:
- Cluster Pays and Megaways™ fans will all be familiar with the TUMBLING REELS mechanic that plays out on EVERY winning spin. All winning symbols drop off the reels to be replaced with new ones. If this creates more win, then the process repeats.
- BUT … look out for a key difference between this and other Tumbling Reels slots. In this instance we have ROAMING WILDS. These DO NOT drop off the reels after a win, instead they just move position and increase their MULTIPLIER by 1x. These can reach as high as 5x in a 5 win sequence.
Those are the key drivers in the base game but the fun doesn’t stop there because Gates of Valhalla also comes with a free spins round which works like this …
- 3, 4 or 5 scatters landing at once gets you 10, 12 or 15 spins which have their own global multiplier which is applied to ALL wins during the round.
- This global multiplier INCREASES by 1x with EVERY tumble.
- It DOES NOT re-set between spins – instead it just keeps on growing!
- In addition, your ROAMING WILDS are still in action.
- AND … Free Spins re-triggers are on the table too and landing more scatters and pushing your multipliers up with consecutive tumbles can bring on some big, big wins!
Our Verdict
Gates of Valhalla is an enjoyable slot with an attractive appearance and dramatic mountainside setting. Although it’s not the most original of themes, the graphics are nicely drawn and for us, during our session the gameplay was entertaining once it warmed up, especially when we hit a few back-to-back tumbles and Multipliers in the base game.
The Free Spins round seemed to be a bit erratic with less triggers than we would have expected, but once you are in then the Multiplier Wild is an exciting addition that can make a big difference to your rewards. Remember, you have a basic multiplier here that will activate regardless of anything else. But really, you need to have the wilds dropping AND a good run of consecutive wins driving up the progressive multiplier if you want to experience any decent size wins.
This is a slot for players who enjoy high risk action for big payoffs and if you’re partial to a Nordic adventure with Tumbling Reels, Gates of Valhalla will be a top choice. So next time you feel in the mood for a mountain trek, we’d recommend you meet up with Odin, Thor and the gang for a few spins.
Good
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