Game in Action
Screenshot of the Nordic Heroes Slot
Graphically Nordic Heroes is as good as any IGT slot. It feels modern and well done, especially for a fantasy/adventure theme. The two main characters are well drawn and both realms are very unique, making you feel as if you play two different slots entirely.
Each character comes with a few different symbols on the reels. Whilst Thora features a bird of prey and an arrow, Ragnar comes with a wolf and a hammer instead. Those are also their weapons of choice in the battle bonuses, until you unlock more weapons, that is.
The first realm is set in a forest and the symbols feature forest items. The scenery here can feel a little bit cluttered and is not that easy on the eye, because a lot is going on. The second realm is the high seas, which features sea creatures and other items related to the sea. We liked this theme better, because it’s cleaner and easier on the eyes. It does take until level 5 before you unlock this realm, however, which is perhaps one reason we ended up liking it more.
By the way, you start off with Thora, the elf archer, as your main character. Only when you are on level 3 will Ragnar get unlocked and you can choose him. Click on the different character symbols to get an idea of what each is capable of.
Bonuses
The main feature in the base game is the random multiplier. After each winning spin that doesn’t result in a bonus feature, you can potentially trigger the multiplier. When your characters are on level 1 to 5, the multiplier can be between 2x and 20x your bet. We did get the 20x multiplier when we played and that was pretty awesome. On level 6 the multiplier increases to 25x maximum and for level 7 and 8 it can even go up to 30x.
In order to get any excitement out of the game, you’re going to want to level up and you’re going to want to battle the monsters. You’ll need the shield scatter on reels 1, 3 and 5 in order to trigger the battle bonus. Whichever character you played as when the battle bonus is unlocked, is the character you’ll fight as during the bonus game. Thora is better at blocking attacks, but Ragnar is packing more of a punch.
During each battle bonus you have to battle against three monsters. Defeat all three and you’ll get 1750 experience points, which help you level up. Defeat only two and you’ll get 750 points. Defeat only one and you may only get 250 points.
Your character has a health meter and so does the opposing monster. After every spin, whether you won something or not, both you and the monster get a spin for the weapons/attacks. The can land on empty and nothing happens, but they can also land on an attack that may result in a block or an attack, depending on the weapon you landed on.
Since this is very random, it’s entirely possible to be defeated by the first monster, if you are very unlucky. Usually you’ll make it to the third monster, but there’s no guarantee for that.
In the forest realm you’ll also get a guaranteed wild on every spin, which can be pretty awesome for winnings. Battle the first monster and the wild has no multiplier, but with the second monster comes a 2x multiplier and once you fight the dark elf, you get a 4x multiplier.
In the sea realm you get wild reels instead. During the first battle, you’ll get a wild reel anywhere on the screen. During the second battle, reel 1, 2 or 3 will turn wild, and during the third battle the 5th reel will be wild as well as an additional one anywhere else.
On top of that, once all monsters are defeated, you can get between 1 and 10 victory spins (usually we only got 1 or 2, if we got that far).
By the way, levelling up will also free up additional, stronger, weapons for your characters and the higher you climb in your levels (level 8 is the highest) the better the RTP becomes.
Other Slot Machines You Might Enjoy
Summary
When you play Nordic Heroes you are essentially in it for the long haul. This is not a fast game with quick rewards. Role-playing games rarely are, for that matter. That means you’ll have to have a decent budget to start off with and you’ll need to commit to levelling up. Thankfully your progress is saved, as long as you are logged in when playing. So, you’ll come back to the level you left off on.
As it happened, our first battle when playing was triggered after only a few spins, which tripled our starting budget. We kicked the game off with 1,000 coins and down the line had as much as 19,000 coins, ending on just over 14,000 coins once we’d successfully battled for the first time in the sea realm. We did play for over two hours as well, so it wasn’t an easy win, but the experience was quite rewarding and very entertaining.
Our rating: