Hey, guys! I have a confession to make! I kinda sorta enjoy playing online slots… like, a lot. I’m not really a huge fan of other online casino games, or of casino in general (I play some blackjack and poker with my friends from time to time, but it’s rare and never for real money) – hell, I’ve never even stepped into a real casino before! But there’s something oddly relaxing about watching those reels spin, isn’t there? I don’t even really care about winnings – I don’t consider myself a gambler, so more often than not I just play slots on my phone in demo mode (funnily enough, my phone’s 3G network is better than my laptop’s wired Internet connection, if you can believe that). That’s not to say I don’t bet at all, I just don’t do it as often – I don’t consider myself a gambler, and besides, I prefer to spend my disposable income on stuff like books and videogames. But whenever I’m too tired to do anything, but still want to do something, I usually just lie down and open up a slot on my phone.
And I’m not the only one – online slots, and online gambling in general, is more popular in the UK than ever. I know for a fact that quite a lot of people are interested in it, but have no idea where to start. And since there’s plenty of brilliant guides for that online (and even if there wasn’t, I’m hardly the ideal person to introduce someone to the best online casinos), I decided to write up something a little different – a list of my 3 favourite fantasy-themed slots. I mean, there’s literally hundreds upon hundreds of slots online, but these three are my own, personal picks, and might be a pretty good place to start if you’re wondering what to try. If they caught your eye, then you can read more about the best online slots here. Remember – this is my list, so if you have your own favourite fantasy slots that aren’t here it probably means that I either don’t like them as much or I simply haven’t heard of it. In any case, always feel free to contact me and let me know! With that out of the way, let’s get right down to the list!
1. Thunderstruck II
Who doesn’t like a little Norse mythology? Whether you learned about it from history class, the recent Marvel movies or, like me, from Horrible Histories, you most likely agree that Norse mythology is one of the most fascinating ones ever crafted, perhaps second only to the myths of the ancient Greeks. With so many utterly badass characters and compelling worlds, it’s no wonder that the beliefs of the Nords have survived to this day. And since everything popular needs to have its own slot machine, Tunderstruck II was born, loosely based on the themes and characters from Norse mythology. In fairness, I have never actually played Thunderstruck I, as II is a very decent and sufficient slot all on its own. The main thing that makes it unique is the so-called “Hall of Heroes”, which gives you free spins if you manage to get three Mjolnir symbols (for the uneducated, Mjolnir is the name of Thor’s hammer). The bonuses you get depend on which of the four heroes from the Hall of Heroes you get, with each one providing you with a set number of free spins and some kind of bonus. For example, the Valkyrie gives you 10 Free Spins and a x5 multiplier on your winnings, while Odin gives you 20 free spins and the Wild Raven feature, which can randomly turn a symbol into a 2x or 3x multiplier (which stack). Which Hero you get depends on how often you manage to access the Hall of Heroes, which encourages playing the long game – if you want to get the best possible bonuses. Overall, “Thunderstruck II” is a very solid slot that wears its inspiration proudly on its sleeve. I only wish they’d included more Norse myths, like the one where Loki turns into a mare, seduces a horse and gets pregnant. Okay, maybe not that one…
2. Game of Thrones
Brace yourselves, obligatory “South Park” references are coming! Remember earlier when I said that everything popular needs to have its own online slot or at least a slot machine? You didn’t think that one of the most popular fantasy TV series of all time would be exempt from that rule, did you? “Game of Thrones” caught the world by storm when it aired a few years ago. It proved, once and for all, that fantasy wasn’t just about magic and unicorns – it could also be about betrayal, political games, public executions and oh SO many breasts (an average of 5.6 per episode). Sadly, none of that makes it into the online slot version… for obvious reasons. While gambling is illegal for anyone under 18, for some reason most, if not all online slots are so tame they’d easily be considered children’s games. I do believe that the use of the show’s more violent/controversial themes would’ve given the slot an identity, which it really needs considering that it’s pretty average overall. It’s kinda like fast food – it tastes really good and fills you up nicely, but in a few hours you’ll completely forget what exactly you ate. Similarly, the “Game of Thrones” slot looks and feels great, with smooth animations (though I could’ve used a few more frames per second), nice colour palette that really makes the symbols pop, and, of course, the music from the show playing in the background ad nauseam, but it doesn’t really have anything unique about it that will make you keep coming back for more. The most interesting feature is one that’s very similar to the “Hall of Heroes” from Thunderstruck II – getting three Iron Throne symbols allows you to join one of the 4 houses, with each giving you a set of free spins and multipliers. But unlike the Hall of Heroes, where the bonuses only grow, the houses’ bonuses are more or less equal (usually the more free spins you get, the lesser your multiplier would be, and vice versa). In conclusion, I’d say that the “Game of Thrones” slot is a pretty decent one… if you’re a fan of the show and have never played a slot before.
3. Avalon II
Keep in mind that this list isn’t in any particular order – I’m not really good at top 10s, or top 3s, in this case. But if I had to pick my favourite among the three, it would most likely be Avalon II. As the name might suggest, it’s A) a sequel to an apparently rather popular slot, which I’ve, admittedly, never played before in my life, and B) based on the Arthurian mythos. You know, Avalon is the place where King Arthur and most of his knights go after death… Or right before death, or something. I don’t know, Arthurian myths are confusing, and honestly, my biggest exposure to King Arthur comes from “Fate/Stay Night”, where he’s a lady, and “Monty Python”, where he’s a doofus. So I’m not exactly the biggest Arthurian expert around, but then again, we’re talking about an online slot machine here, not an English literature class. Basically, “Avalon II” tells the story of Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail, which is actually represented quite well with the slot’s mechanics. While you’re still looking, you’ll occasionally encounter Merlin randomly, who’s going to give you free spins and multipliers. It’s a really nice touch to nudge you forward a little bit when you feel like you’re stuck in a non-winnings streak. But the real fun comes when you finally do manage to find the Holy Grail (represented by, you’ve guessed it, getting 3 Grail symbols), which activates one of 8 different bonus games and conditions. I’m obviously not going to list them here because I would very much like to keep this article under 2000 words, but they’re al really excellent and interesting. You’ll be reforging Excalibur, making your way through forests and navigating keeps, with each game bringing its own rules and rewards to the table. It is INCREDIBLY satisfying, and it’s one of the biggest reasons why I’ve played this for as long as I have – the sheer number of bonus minigames, and just how different they are from each other, keep this slot very engaging and fun. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s even remotely interested in trying it out!