In May 2021, NetGaming added Viking’s Chess — The Conqueror’s Game to their growing collection of online slots. Based on a medieval Scandinavian game called Hnefatafl, often referred to as ‘Viking’s Chess,’ this high-volatility release has a maximum potential win of 3,443x.
To learn more about this unique slot, including its symbols, RTP value and bonus features, get stuck into this Viking’s Chess review.
Game Overview
Viking’s Chess — The Conqueror’s Game is unlike other slots. Based on the ancient Nordic game of Hnefatafl, you’ll see a fairly standard-looking 5×5 reel grid in the center of your screen. It’s styled to look like a Hnefatafl board and is positioned on a wooden table, with an ax and coin purse alongside it.
However, unlike most casino slots, this high-volatility game doesn’t feature a scatter. Instead, the wild symbol plays a much bigger role than usual, as you’ll discover later in this review.
NetGaming appears to be targeting more casual gamers with this release. The maximum win of 3,443x is appealing enough, although nowhere near as big as some other slots. While the maximum bet is capped at just $50, it’s possible to play for as little as $0.20 per spin.
Finally, finding loose slot machines is never easy. But this game’s RTP is 95.45%, slightly below what might be considered the industry average.
How To Play
Viking’s Chess — The Conqueror’s Game is different from traditional online slot machines, where the aim of the game is to match symbols on a payline. Here, you must match a minimum of three consecutive symbols, either horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally.
Select your bet size using the arrows marked Coin Value in the bottom-left corner. Then, hit the yellow arrow symbol directly below the third reel to commence your spin.
Symbols
There are no bars and bells in this game, unlike traditional slots. Instead, the lowest-paying symbols are all ancient Nordic runes. Each of these pays 5x your coin bet for three in a line, with 15x for four and 40x for five.
The only other regular symbols in Viking’s Chess — The Conqueror’s Game are the king and queen. Matching five of each returns a regal 120x, with four and three earning you 40x and 20x, respectively. However, it’s also possible to mix and match these for a 50% payout. For instance, connecting two queens and a king would earn you 10x.
Viking’s Chess has just one special symbol, which is the wild. This is a golden coin bearing the inscription “WILD” and can substitute for any regular symbol to create a win. What’s more, matching five in a line pays an impressive 150x your bet.
Unusually, there’s no scatter in this slot, but it’s still possible to trigger a free spins bonus using the wild.
Graphics
The reels of Viking’s Chess are certainly packed with color, given the shades of green, purple and blue from the rune symbols. In addition, the cartoon-style king and queen symbols are quite detailed.
However, the action takes place on a game board on a table, so the surroundings are quite bland. Brown wood is very much the theme here, and you’ll find plenty of other casino games online that sport more exciting backdrops.
One particularly nice touch is the animation when matching a line of kings or queens. Should this happen, their faces come to life, accompanied by a roaring sound.
Features
Like a lot of modern online casino slots, Viking’s Chess makes use of a cascade feature. NetGaming refers to their specific mechanic as “Gravalanche.” But in reality, it’s no different to Tumbling Reels or any other type of cascade.
When a winning combination is formed, the symbols involved will disappear from the reels, allowing new ones to fall in from above. This can lead to new wins, in which case the process continues until no more combinations are formed.
On the 5×5 reel grid, you’ll notice that five squares are highlighted. The center square is known as the King’s Hotspot, while the four corners are called Home Hotspots. These squares are crucial to the rest of the slot’s features.
When a wild symbol lands on any Home Hotspots, it becomes a 2x multiplier. As a result, any wins involving this wild will then pay double the usual rate. If two wilds land on Home Hotspots simultaneously, and both are involved in a five-symbol winning line, the two multipliers apply and become 4x.
Should a wild land on the King’s Hotspot, the four adjoining horizontal and vertical squares also turn into wilds. With a total of five wilds now present on the grid, your chances of securing a valuable win increase greatly.
Any wilds on the grid will remain in place until the round has ended, including throughout a Gravalanche.
Bonuses and Jackpots
The final feature in Viking’s Chess — The Conqueror’s Game is the free spins bonus. In order to trigger this game, you’ll need to drop at least three wild symbols on any of the five Hotspots. Doing so will earn you three free spins. Should four or five wilds trigger the bonus, your free spins reward increases accordingly.
If you’re able to land a wild on a Home Hotspot during the free spins round, you’ll add +1 to a progressive multiplier. Combinations of multipliers can really ramp up your wins.
Unfortunately, there’s no jackpot element to this game. If you’re looking to play progressive jackpot slots with an ancient or mythological theme, you may want to play a game like Cleopatra instead.
Similar Games
Do you like the sound of Viking’s Chess – The Conquerors Game? Then check out these other top online casino slots with a similar theme.
Vikings™
This slot from casino giant NetEnt was released in 2018 and is based on the TV series of the same name. The maximum payout is an impressive 10,000x.
Lightning Viking
Released by Inspired in 2023, this 6×4 slot with a medium to low volatility level also adopts a theme of Norse mythology.
Viking Reign
This highly volatile slot by Ainsworth Game Technology has a similar theme but a better RTP of 96.62%.
Viking Runecraft
Award-winning developer Play’n GO experiments with the Viking theme in this 2017 release with an impressive RTP of 96.71%.
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