Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand slot review (Netent)
Usually, when it comes to Viking-themed slots, we think of a brutal slot. We know Vikings mainly as plundering warriors who made life a living hell for many others. Usually, slots with this theme look weather-beaten, where a stone-cold wind, snow and ice give you the feeling that we're talking about Vikings.
435.000x
riches-of-midgard-land-and-expand-slot-review-netent
Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand (Netent) – A Viking-themed slot but not as brutal as you'd expect
Not with this slot, though. Instead, you feel you're in the middle of the Irish countryside, which reminds us of those hundreds of Leprechaun-themed slots.
The sun shines, and it all looks peaceful. In short, it's intuitively strange. And the gameplay of Riches of Midgard? It's also peculiar.
SLOT: RICHES OF MIDGARD: LAND AND EXPAND | SOFTWARE: NETENTNumber of paylines: 9 to 29 paylines
RTP and variance: 96,03%, Medium variance
Maximum win: Unknown. Per spin, the max win is 435x
Bonus features: Free spins
Casino Hipster verdict: Hot but not HOT! The gameplay is original and distinguished, but the thrill is a bit missing
Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand – Gameplay and Features
Riches of Midgard has 3 reels with 3 symbols each. There are 9 fixed paylines.
The 3 high-paying symbols are those of the 3 Vikings, followed by two medium-paying symbols: a Horn and a tasty Ham. The low-paying symbols are the 10, J, Q, K and A.
Furthermore, you have Wild symbols, which replace all symbols except Scatters (Hammer symbols).
Land and Expand feature
On both the left and right-hand side, you have signboards (or hotspots) where the symbols also appear.
If both hotspots have the same symbol, the Land and Expand feature activates. It's required, though, that you also have the same symbol on 2 or 3 of the reels.
Now you get a free respin, where the symbols on the reels (that have the same symbol as on the hotspots) expand. It's similar to a Book of Ra slot.
If you manage to get the same symbol on the 3rd reel as well (if you haven't done that yet), you'll get, indeed, the full screen with identical symbols.
If it's a screen with the highest-paying Viking symbol, you'll have a grin on your face. In that case, you'll bag a 135x win.
How do you get the free spins?
Luckily there are free spins because these are way more enjoyable. You get the free spins once you spin 3 Scatters (Hammer symbols).
It´s the second Netent slot (after Serengity Kings) where you can buy the free spins with the Buy Feature. The cost is 80 80 times the original bet.
You're awarded another two extra free spins during the bonus round if you manage to spin another Scatter.
The Free Spins: heaps of extra active rows of symbols
Now, the real fun begins.
The number of rows of symbols can expand from 3 to a maximum of 7 rows. It also leads to 29 instead of the original 9 paylines.
If you spin a Scatter, you'll get 2 more free spins, but also an additional row with symbols. If you do this four times, you're talking about a maximum of 7 rows.
The good news is that the Land and Expand feature is also active during the free spins. So, you also get to spin full reels with identical symbols and potentially a full screen of identical symbols.
As it's possible to have 29 fixed paylines (if all 7 rows of symbols are "in-play"), the max payout can increase to a massive 435x.
The RTP of Riches of Midgard is 96.03%, which is again somewhat disappointing. I always associated Netent with one of the better-paying providers, but it looks like I need to reconsider this.
I'm sure online casinos won't complain!
Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand slot – the variance is medium.
Netent has not yet officially announced the variance, but at the moment, I expect it's at most medium. The top wins will be around 500x.
Original gameplay
Cheerful animations and theme
Buy a Bonus feature is always handy
The slot lacks some x-factor. It doesn't help that the win potential isn't so massive.
The RTP of 96.03% is a bit of a blow.
Recreational players seeking for extended playing time for a couple of tenners will enjoy this slot. The gameplay is original and delightful.
The slot lacks what you'd expect from a proper barbarian Viking-themed slot. Yes, I'm talking about the high variance and massive (brutal) win potential. I guess it's for a reason that the background is sunny rather than snowy, windy and icy.
We were warned.