The newest NetEnt release, Asgardian Stones is one more slot that draws inspiration from Norse mythology. This doesn’t mean that the game is like all others that fall into this category. It focuses on rune stones and their magical powers to bring fortune to the player – or take it away. The game includes wild symbols, cascading stones, multipliers and a bonus round.
That’s fairly simplistic for a NetEnt slot, but this isn’t necessarily bad. Asgardian Stones slot is easy to pick, but difficult to walk away from.
Gameplay
Asgardian Stones mobile slot has five reels with three rows and 20 paylines. The bet limits are 20p to £200, which should suit both low-rollers and those who like to risk. The slot RTP is 96.31% and the maximum win is exactly 2,000x your bet (up to £400,000). Having played for quite a while already, we can conclude that it’s a medium variance slot.
There are eight different symbols, or stones, in the game, excluding the wild symbol and the bonus wheel. Each one of them, aside from the three low-paying fillers, are dedicated to a single deity. The highest symbol is, of course, Odin, which you can identify as the orange stone, paying up to 25x.
The theme of stone symbols is well incorporated into the gameplay mechanics. The base game features cascading stones, which means that there’s a re-spin after every win. The winning stones disappear and new stones fall from the top in their place. Colossal stones occupying 2×2 or even 3×3 spaces are also frequent. If they fall during re-spin, they may crush smaller stones below. This awards a multiplier for each row they destroy, up to the maximum of 4x.
Bonus Features
Other than the already mentioned colossal reels and the multiplier, there’s just one bonus feature to talk about. On any spin, the bonus wheel symbol may randomly appear on the far right. This wheel occupies a 3×3 block and even if a single row is visible, its effect will apply. However, while the wheel can select up to three bonuses, you’ll only get one for each row the wheel occupies. For the maximum effect, it needs to be fully visible.
When it lands, the wheel will spin and select three out of eight fields. Three of them include five bonus spins, while five include cash prizes up to 5x your bet. The maximum win from these prizes is 36x your bet, not counting the free spins, of course. Those are a completely different story.
Depending on the outcome of the wheel spin, you can get from five to 15 extra spins. The bonus round includes all the base game features like crushing colossal blocks and even the bonus wheel. In other words, the bonus round can be re-triggered at any time. On top of that, the bonus round has colossal wilds, which are exempt from the base game. They’re quite frequent too and will often result in many re-spins and big wins.
Despite the fact that most features are available in the base game, we had much better luck with the bonus round. During our first run, we managed to hit 130x win from the extra spins in twenty minutes. The base game wasn’t nearly as lucrative during the same period, having returned no more than 25x win in a single spin.
Performance
Like always, the company did a good job with the looks of this game and its mechanics. Just like other Viking-related titles from NetEnt (think Hall of Gods or Viking’s Treasure), Asgardian Stones uses an atmospheric and ambient soundtrack to create tension. The falling of the stones seems loud in the nearly silent background, making every spin much more dramatic.
We also enjoyed playing the slot thanks to its visual design. Valhalla and Odin’s Hall in the distance behind the stone wall adds even more charm to the game. Also, it reminds of Gonzo’s Quest, which uses the same layout. Regardless of that, the two slots don’t feel similar at all, which probably wasn’t easy to pull off.
Asgardian Stones slot is available on desktop and mobile devices in HTML5, the new technology currently trending in the industry. The game has lots of special visual effects, such as light rays when symbols explore, dust when they fall and many glowing elements. All this is very pleasing to look at and the game runs very smoothly at the same time. You should be able to spin the slot for extended periods of time and still enjoy quick, uninterrupted gameplay.
To sum it up…
While not stuffed with features, Asgardian Stones is very entertaining and fun to play. It has wide betting limits, good payout potential and a unique combination of features. Not to mention the great production quality! As an early release in 2018, it should be more than enough for NetEnt fans while they’re waiting for bigger releases this year.
