Valhalla Saga Thunder of Thor

Vahalla Saga Thunder of Thor Overview

It's been a little while since we have come across a Nordic Mythology slot; however, it is never in doubt that designers will keep coming back to this particular well of thematic inspiration. As many Nordic games do, this one focuses on the character of Thor, one of the principal gods in the pantheon of many deities included in the Nordic mythological tales. This game is the product of a collaboration between Yggdrasil, the large Swedish games designer and Jelly, a smaller, independent provider. The action in this game takes place on a 5-reel board with a maximum of 30 pay lines.

All told, there are four features included in this game. The first one is the Thunder of Thor bonus, a modifier that is triggered entirely at random. When activated, it deposits several wild symbols onto the reels, each of which comes with an attached multiplier. The next feature is the free spins round, triggered when players land five or more of the scatter icons on the reels simultaneously. This free spins round is slightly different as it has a position frames modifier aspect, which we will explain later in the review. Finally, there is also a bonus re-spin and bonus buy feature. As mentioned, all features will be described in greater detail later in the review.

Theme and Symbols

The theme for this game is one of Vikings, Nordic Gods and basically anything Scandinavian. This means that the slot takes place in the frozen north on a desolate plain, which looks to be a pillaging site from the burnt-out trees, where Vikings have just been through. On the topic of Thor, the mighty thunder god for which this game is named after, it is interesting to note that yes, he was incredibly powerful and unbelievably strong, but if you read the original stories, he is also painfully stupid, always being tricked and deceived by his much wiser half-brother Loki. This is a part of Thor's character, which perhaps is not as well represented in the modern Marvel adaptions of the god.

As we briefly mentioned, the background for this slot game is a wide-open expanse, which looks to have been recently ravaged by fire. The setting is, in fact, quite mysterious, with few clues to where this could be in the world. However, given that this is a Nordic-themed game, it is fair to say that the background players are looking at is located somewhere in Scandinavia - perhaps Norway. The cracked ground, bare trees and embers rising from the earth could indicate a second guess: we are at a lightning strike area, which would make sense given the particular skill set of the god that this game is named after.
The board for this game has been designed to resemble a wooden drinking hall table with golden perimeters, inlaid with intricate Nordic tribe patterns.

The symbols for this slot are split into low-value, high value and special symbols. The delicately engraved 10, J, Q, K and A in playing card royals are low-value symbols. These are then followed by the more valuable drinking flagon, axes, Viking longships, and Thor himself. Naturally, Thor is the most valuable symbol, paying out at 25x the current stake. The golden shield in this game represents the scatter, whereas Mjolnir, Thor's famous hammer, is the wild icon.

Game Play

Vahalla Saga Thunder of Thor is played on a 5-reel, 3-row machine with 30 fixed pay lines. To win combinations, players must land three or more matching symbols on pay lines moving from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.
The betting range for Vahalla Saga Thunder of Thor is 20p to £80 per spin. To adjust their bet levels, players can toggle their stake up and down using the tool located at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

Further information, including a short tutorial and a display of the paytable, can be found via the menu button in the right-hand corner of the screen. The spin and auto spin buttons are located in the centre of the screen.
Volatility for this slot is rated in the high range. The return to player percentage for Vahalla Saga Thunder of Thor is 95.9%, which is below average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 10,000x your stake.

Features

The first feature included in this game is a modifier that is randomly triggered on any spin, both in the base and free spins game. When it triggers, a random number of wilds with attached multipliers are deposited onto the reels in random positions. The attached multiplier ranges from 2x to 100x and is only applied if the wild attached is part of a winning sequence.

The second bonus in this game is the free spins bonus. To trigger this feature, players must land five or more of the free spin scatters somewhere on the reels simultaneously. Once in the free spins round, the triggering scatters' positions are framed in wood. When a new scatter lands throughout the bonus round, these positions will also become framed in wood.

If a scatter lands in a frame already encased in wood, it will be upgraded to the next material – bronze. Bronze is followed by silver, gold, and finally fire (not sure of the logic here). When the free spins are exhausted, and you reach the end of the round, each frame position is filled with a multiplier or jackpot. The material of the frame determines the prize available. These are explained below:

Wood – 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x, the bet.
Bronze – 10x, 15x, 20x, or Mini jackpot (25x).
Silver – 30x, 40x, 50x, 75x, or Minor jackpot (100x).
Gold – 125x, 150x, 175x, 200x, or Major jackpot (250x).
Fire – 400x, 500x, 600x, 750x, or Mega jackpot (1,000x).

Next on the features list is the bonus re-spin feature. This feature is triggered when players manage to land four scatter symbols on the same spin. When this occurs, all the reels with a scatter are frozen, and the remaining reels are spun again to try and collect that fifth scatter, which will provide you with entry to the free spins game.
Finally, this game also has a bonus buy feature. For 60x your stake, you can instantly activate the free spins round.

Conclusion

Valhalla Saga Thunder of Thor is everything that you want from a Nordic-themed slot. It is exciting, full of crazy god-like action and takes place in an intriguing setting in the far north. From a playing perspective, things are pretty good. The features provide a decent gameplay variability, and you do come across the odd decent win. However, you need to get into the free spins and load up the screen with frames to get anything worthwhile.