Game setup for the Gonzo’s Quest slot
An area that Gonzo’s Quest very much gets it right for a video slot is in its sheer ease of play. The wonderful graphics, big video intro and goings-on onscreen might make some players worry about complications but it really is a breeze to get to grips with. There are 20 fixed lines on a stock 5×3 reel grid. This is pretty much the industry benchmark for a slot game and the reason IGT cloned their
classic Double Diamond slot into its
sequel Double Da Vinci Diamonds (itself a game which uses the tumbling or cascading reels format). The game does lack the quick spin feature of the latest NetEnt slots but retains the marvellous auto play options for bankroll management. Given this is slightly higher variance than many NetEnt slots, the latter is especially important.
The betting range, given the higher volatility, is a little surprising. With a minimum / maximum stake of 0.20 – 50.00 credits, a lot of high roller players might move on to other games in the range. On the other hand, given this is a game which will draw many free slots players to the cash game format, it does protect the player somewhat from getting carried away with their betting on a cold streak.
Gameplay and Theme for the Gonzo’s Quest slot
Only two symbols on the entire Gonzo’s Quest game come close to being called generic. The fixed wild, represented by a question mark icon and the multiplier symbol which is numerical. Given both of those aids you in keeping track of play. It isn’t a criticism but more of a compliment that from the ground up, every part of the Gonzo’s Quest slot feeds into its theme perfectly. True, on the mobile version of the slot you do lose the animations from the lead character himself but, he can get a little distracting (or even disconcerting) after a while. Coin wins with the base game icons, despite all the symbols being unique, could be a little hard to keep track of thanks to the sheer variety of icons. Fortunately, with that in mind, a one touch pay table comes in handier than on other slots and the icons have coloured backgrounds so you can follow the game play more easily.
The big draw in the base game of the Gonzo’s Quest slot and, the reason players tend to stay with it for long sessions, lies in the avalanche feature. Here, every win triggers an avalanche with the winning symbols being dropped off the reels and replaced from above similarly to the classic Nintendo Tetris game. For the traditional slots player, you can think of this like a free reel re-spin. What makes these so (potentially) lucrative is that each successive winning free fall adds a new multiplier, over four levels with x1, x2, x3, and x5 on offer.
Free falls rather than free spins
The bonus feature in the Gonzo’s Quest slot is called free falls. This is because of the avalanching reels rather than spins and for the slots veteran – it’s simply another version of a
repeating free spins feature. It’s a big one though, even though the initial 10 free games might feel a little lacklustre, all that glistens really is gold in this feature. Not only is there a standard re-trigger available for three or more scatters but, thanks to the avalanche mechanic also running in the feature you can get an extra one each time if you are winning.
To top it all off, as if the feature wasn’t enticing enough, the multipliers of the avalanche mechanic are tripled in the bonus game. That means, x3, x6, x9 or a maximum of x15 if you can get four avalanches in a row. It’s here that the combinations can suddenly feel like you really have found the fabled city of Eldorado and it contains a hoard of treasure!
Summary
Whether you love or hate the main man himself, the Gonzo’s Quest slot is here to stay. This is one of the most entertaining and well put together high volatility slots on the market even years after its initial release. It wouldn’t still be amongst NetEnt’s most played slots for real money were that not the case! The game has some high pay potential but, as with all
big potential high volatility games, you need to keep an eye on your bankroll and be wise enough to call the quest to a halt when needed.
Gonzo’s Quest written by Garry Edgards average rating 5/5 - 1 user ratings