For reference, ‘Valhall’ is an anglicized version of the Old Norse term ‘Valhīll’, meaning ‘hall of the slain’. One half of combat casualties goes to Odin’s hall in Asgard, while the other half goes to Fólkvangr to hang out with Freyja. Fittingly, Valhall Gold from ELK Studios concludes the popular Gold slots launched in 2019 with Ecuador Gold, which introduced the gambling community to the explorer Kane, who has since visited Tahiti, Louisiana, and Kathmandu. On one last visit to Valhall, he’s played a slot featuring traditional Gold gameplay and new features.
Valhall Gold is no exception to Kane’s ability to adapt. This adventurer wears Viking gear, carries an axe, and has his hair styled like Uhtred, son of Uhtred from The Last Kingdom. He blends into a majestic Viking setting of mountains sloping into water like a fjord, two imposing statues guarding the entrance to a regal space in the distance, accessed when free spins trigger, of burning braziers, a banquet, and a tree likely Yggdrasil. Its thick Viking mood tempts gamers to play the last Gold slot.
Why not address one of Valhall Gold’s issues now? As the series went, features and winning potential increased, but RTP decreased to 94%. This is true whether playing in standard mode, wagering 20 p/c to £/€100 each spin, or using X-iter bonus options. Valhall Gold’s volatile basic game starts with 6 reels, 4 rows, and 4,096 possibilities to win on a dynamic grid. The reels may be up to 9 rows high, with 531,441 ways to win.
Valhall Gold contains 12 conventional pay symbols plus a stack of specials. The pay symbols are 4 runic blocks of stone lows, 4 Viking/Celtic mids, and 4 Kane-topped highs. The runes pay 0.3x, the pattern symbols 0.8-1x, and the remaining high pays 2-5x when 6 OAK winning ways hit. These pay symbols might be 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4. Any normal pay symbol can be replaced by the regular wild in all sizes.
Valhall Gold Slot Features
Valhall Gold slots
Free spins on Valhall Gold slot
New and classic features in Valhall Gold include Avalanches, Odin’s Ravens, Trickster Loki, Almighty Thor, Spike Symbols, a bonus game, and the X-iter extra purchase menu.
Avalanches
When winning symbols hit, Avalanche removes them from the grid. Dropping symbols fill empty spots and add a row of symbols on the reels. The reels can reach 8 rows with consecutive Avalanche wins. However, enormous overflowing symbols can activate the ninth row, and when symbols exceed the current number of rows, a refill tops the other reels to the same height. The standard game resets reels to 4 rows every spin. The safety level resets after each free spin. Thor and Loki symbols have 1×1 wilds in vacant spaces below them, whereas huge symbols have matching 1×1 symbols.
Odin’s Ravens
Odin’s Ravens alone block. However, 2 or more Odin’s Ravens symbols become wilds and pay 1×1.
Trickster Loki
Loki, a 2×2 blocker symbol, with a new modifier for each win. Loki is active for the round after a victory. Loki’s feature before the win evaluation:
Loki Multiplier—the victory assessment is multiplied by x2, x3, x5, or x10. Loki adds to bonus game multipliers saved.
Loki Both Ways evaluates wins left-to-right and right-to-left.
Loki Spike Storm adds a random amount of spike frames to symbols to make them spike symbols.
The Loki Axe Fury transforms a random number of symbols into one.
Spike Signs
Win-related spike symbols replicate in the direction of their frame spikes. Loki, Thor, and Odin’s Ravens are unaffected by spikes.
Almighty Thor
This 2×2 wild symbol sticks after one drop.
Bonus Game
Landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatter symbols in the main game awards 10, 15, 20, or 25 free drops. The bonus game begins with 5 rows of safety following the first winning drop. The safety level is the minimum reel height when symbols are dumped at spin start. Each successful free drop adds 1 row to safety up to 8. When a huge symbol enters the ninth row, it stays there.
A Loki modifier victory in the bonus game activates Loki’s inventory slot. The next Loki feature win saves the modifier in the inventory and makes it persistent for the round. Saved Loki multipliers add. Loki multipliers stored in inventory double all future winnings. Loki may offer more multipliers after saving the first. The extra amount multiplies wins subject to Loki’s inventory multiplier and a new multiplier.
Saved on the inventory, the Both Ways modifier remains active for the duration of the round and Loki no longer awards it. The Spike Storm activates when symbols drop in each remaining free drop after it is saved in the inventory. Loki may give more Spike Storms after saving them in inventory. After the symbols drop, the Axe Fury will trigger on each spin if stored in the inventory. After saving the Axe Fury in inventory, Loki may provide extra characteristics. Finally, 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatter symbols deliver 10, 15, 20, or 25 free drops.
X-iter
The X-iter function offers 5 game modes:
Bonus Hunt: 2x the wager per drop, double the bonus game chance.
large Block – 5x wager each drop with a guaranteed large symbol.
Trickster Loki – 25x bet each drop with a confirmed Loki symbol.
Bonus – 100x wager to buy bonus round.
Super Bonus – 500x the stake to buy Loki’s complete inventory bonus round.
Valhall Gold Slot Review
Valhall Gold review was a week of farewell. Valhall Gold, the final slot in ELK Studios’ Gold series, and Money Train 4, Relax Gaming’s final train slot, were reviewed two days apart. Money Train 4 was a monster final game, with 150,000x winning potential, a large list of features, and a unique pay system. However, Valhall Gold isn’t as good as many Gold slots before it. Nor is Valhall Gold a bad game. The only difference is that ELK Studios hasn’t made a big splash.
Valhall Gold is an excellent game that does the series justice, despite the declining RTP values, which may have bothered some. Other from that, winning potential has increased from 2,500x in Ecuador Gold to 25,000x in Valhall Gold. Valhall Gold was fickle, maybe just right for some, maybe too much for others, and buying extra rounds was risky. However, when its vast features fire and Loki’s inventory activates repeat features, Valhall Gold can go off. Loki is called the ‘trickster god’, and Valhall Gold has no trouble pulling tricks, sometimes not funny.
Valhall Gold is a well-made game with great aesthetics and ideas. ELK Studios’ success with the Gold line of slots makes it impossible to fathom abandoning the reels, avalanche, and safety level game principles. Kane’s games have been so enjoyable that it’s fascinating to see if and how the studio will develop something similar. For now, Kane?