Loki’s Riches: Slot Overview
Loki’s Riches is a captivating grid slot game from Pragmatic Play, a studio renowned for its prolific game production. The game draws inspiration from mythology, a theme Pragmatic Play has skillfully utilized in previous creations. This time, the focus is on Loki, a fascinating figure from Norse mythology who has gained renewed attention through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as portrayed by actor Tom Hiddleston. The design of Loki in this game closely resembles the Marvel version, complete with a gold-horned helmet and a striking green and gold outfit. The gameplay is notable for its unique expanding feature, complemented by tumbling reels, free spins, an ante bet option, and a bonus buy feature.
The game is set against a mesmerizing backdrop illuminated by the Northern Lights, with Loki positioned to the right of the central gaming grid, holding a staff or spear and exuding a playful yet unpredictable aura. When free spins are activated, the serene green atmosphere shifts to a dramatic, lava-filled landscape with flashing lightning, reflecting the variable temperament often associated with this ‘trickster god’. The game is enhanced by a harmonious symphonic soundtrack, further immersing players in the mystical world of Loki’s Riches.
In Loki’s Riches, players engage with a 7×7 grid, where wins are formed by landing a minimum of five identical symbols connected either vertically or horizontally. Betting options range from 20 cents to $/€240 for each symbol drop. The game features a free spins purchase option, but notably, it does not include an ante bet. With high volatility, Loki’s Riches offers a default Return to Player (RTP) of 96.04% during regular play and a slightly lower 96.01% when opting to buy free spins.
The game utilizes a tumble mechanism, where winning symbols are removed from the grid and replaced by new symbols falling from above, offering additional opportunities to win. This tumbling continues as long as new winning combinations are formed. On the grid, players will find nine regular paying symbols, including five rune-carved stones as lower-value symbols, followed by a round object, a hammer, a ring, and a high-value golden Loki symbol. Rewards range from 0.1 to 2 times the stake for clusters of 5 matching symbols, scaling up to 50 to 10,000 times the bet for clusters of 25 or more matching symbols. Unique to Loki’s Riches, the game does not include wild symbols to assist in forming winning combinations.
Loki’s Riches: Slot Features
Loki’s Riches offers a straightforward set of features, including tumbles, special expanding symbols, free spins, and the option to buy free spins.
Special Expanding Symbol:
In the base game, a random pay symbol may occasionally be chosen as the special expanding symbol. When selected, this symbol does not explode during tumbles. Instead, after all tumbles from the initial spin have concluded, it expands into a 2×2 block of four identical symbols. Wins involving the expanded symbol are then calculated. The expansion direction varies based on the symbol’s position: it expands to the right and down by default, but alters to right-up, left-down, or left-up depending on whether the symbol is located at the bottom of the leftmost reel, anywhere on the rightmost reel except the bottom, or at the bottom of the rightmost reel, respectively. If expanding symbols overlap, they are counted as a single instance of the symbol.
Free Spins:
Triggering 10 free spins in the base game requires landing four or more scatter symbols. At the start of the free spins round, one pay symbol is randomly selected to serve as the special expanding symbol throughout the round. If four or more scatters are hit during this feature, an additional 10 free spins are awarded.
Buy Free Spins:
Players can opt to purchase the free spins round for 100 times their bet. Upon purchase, the game automatically triggers four or more scatters.
Loki’s Riches: Slot Verdict
While Loki’s Riches delivers a solid gaming experience, some players might feel that it falls short in terms of feature-rich gameplay, particularly given its cluster paying grid slot format. Such slots are often brimming with an array of extra features like symbol collects, power-ups, meters, and modifiers, but Loki’s Riches adopts a more straightforward approach. It primarily relies on its core mechanics and the special expanding symbol feature, which might seem somewhat sparse in comparison to more feature-dense games.
From a numerical standpoint, the game’s potential for a 10,000x bet win is certainly noteworthy. The primary objective seems to be either landing numerous golden Loki symbols or getting enough of them as special expanding symbols to fill the screen with 25 or more, thereby unlocking the top prize. However, this heavy reliance on a single feature could render the base game somewhat monotonous over time, as it lacks additional elements to complement the tumble/cluster dynamic.
In summary, while Loki’s Riches is competently executed with an appealing presentation and solid statistics, it might not rank as one of Pragmatic Play’s most thrilling releases. Its overall impact is slightly diminished by the absence of those extra touches that could have elevated it to a more exceptional status in the realm of slot games.