The relentless ‘Book of’ type play, having ruled the dunes of Ancient Egypt for what seems like countless millennia, now makes its way to the cooler limits of Scandinavia. Pragmatic Play clearly had some downtime, because they came up with the unimaginatively named slot Book of Vikings by combining Book of Ra and Vikings. When dealing with something for the nth time, it’s normal to feel a bit jaded about it. Even yet, Viking’s are relatively new to the literary scene, so let’s see how they do.
The action unfolds on a standard 5-reel, 10-payline grid, as is customary, but this time it’s situated in a Fjord-like landscape, surrounded by high cliffs. In the lower half of the screen, long ships bob up and down while in the upper half, lightning flashes over a purple sky. It’s suitably Viking, creating the mood for the tried-and-true dynamics to do their thing on the reels. An acceptable audio, while not as powerful as the visuals, is present and does not detract from the experience.
You may play Book of Vikings from 10p/c up to £/€100 every spin, regardless of the device you’re using. Since there isn’t much more that can be done to alter the fundamental game, Book of Vikings remains a very volatile slot where the main objective is to collect scatter symbols in order to initiate free spins. With a default RTP of 96.5%, this is one of the most lucrative ‘Book of’ slots. Pragmatic has also made the astute choice, given the range of possible symbol values, to keep to the higher end of the scale.
Players may still win while waiting for the illusive free spins with expanding symbols by landing two or three of a type on any reel. Low-paying royals (10-A) require three of them to win, and their combination has a nice visual impact. In the top ranks, where one may find horns, helms, a fierce Viking warrioress, or a Chief with a lovely triple-plaited beard, this number drops to two or less. Free spins significantly increase the value of premium winnings, which pay out anywhere from 75x to 500x the wager for a full house.
Book of Vikings Slot Machine Functions
In keeping with the conventions of other ‘book of’ slots, the book itself is the most valuable symbol. It can be used as a substitute for other icons to complete winning combinations. It’s the scatter, thus seeing three, four, or five anywhere in view triggers 10 free games and an additional payoff of 2x, 20x, or 200x the wager.
One of the pay symbols is randomly chosen as the unique expanding symbol before the free spins begin by flipping through the pages of a book. Following the payment of standard wins during free spins, the unique symbol will extend vertically to fill all three spots on the reel. The extended form of these symbols pays all win ways, even when they are not in a row, column, or diagonal alignment. Only when it would result in a winning combination do symbols grow.
The good news doesn’t end there, though, as getting three or more scatters during the bonus triggers ten more free spins with the active special symbol. The number of occurrences is unlimited.
Case for Slots in the Book of Vikings
How did the Vikings do in the lead role, exactly? As well as any Egyptian pharaoh, scarab god, or deity. The gameplay is what matters most in a game like this, and Pragmatic Play has stepped aside to let the magic unfold. Book of Vikings is as good as any other game in this overcrowded slot genre.
Book of Vikings is, in some respects, the type of thing a tiny studio produces to make a mark, and you ignore it. At least Pragmatic Play has done it with style, because the audiovisual presentation of Book of Vikings is excellent. Low pay symbol animations that occur as part of a win are as pleasant as the swiftly shifting, gloomy clouds that drift over the screen.
The action is equally as fun, but that’s to be expected when using a formula as tried and true as this one. At least Pragmatic Play hasn’t messed with the formula by changing the value of symbols or coming up with their own rules. Studio ‘borrowing’ the Ra format and stumbling through an unplayable version is the worst possible scenario. It’s likely that regulars are already familiar with the game’s features, which may be employed to great effect when the correct expanding symbol appears on the reels. If you’re here for the first time, strap in because you might win as much as 5,000 times your wager on a single spin.
Overall, Book of Vikings provides clean ‘book’ gameplay but little else. It doesn’t really bring anything new to the genre, but it doesn’t really take anything away, either. Fans of this genre will find in Book of Vikings a worthy alternative to the plethora of Egyptian-themed games.