Asgard

This is the second Asgard slot to have been released recently, with the other being released by another game developer a few months back. This version however is from Pragmatic Play and of course, as the name suggests, it is another in the seemingly long line of Norse themed slots.

In this version of Asgard, we have four gods, Loki, Thor, Odin and Freya and they are the central characters of the game and they play a key role in the slot, and in particular the different bonuses that you can trigger.

Asgard, for those of you that don't know, is the name of the mythical realm which is inhabited by the Asgardians, such as Thor, Loki and co. Although perhaps best known from recent Marvel films and comics, it is taken directly from ancient Norse mythology.

So is this one Norse myth that you are better off leaving to legend, or does this new version of Asgard hammer its way to the top of the pile when it comes to Norse-inspired slots? It's got some pretty stiff competition to beat with the likes of Microgaming's classic Thunderstruck the leader in this particular genre.

Let's take a look at how it shapes up.

Overview

• Game: Asgard
• Developer: Pragmatic Play
• Reels: 5
• Pay Lines: 25 (non-selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.25
• Maximum Bet: 125.00
• Jackpot: 500 coins
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Medium

Where can I play the Asgard slot?

If you are looking for the best option when it comes to casinos where you can play the Asgard slot then look no further than Black Diamond Casino where for a limited time, you can take advantage of a special new player offer, specifically designed to support the release of this game.

Sign up today and as a new player you will receive 25 Free Spins as a new customer when you do, which you can use on a wide range of slot games. Then you will receive a fantastic Matched Deposit Bonus of 200% on your first deposit, which means if you make the maximum deposit of $1,000, then you will receive a hefty $2,000 bonus, trebling the amount of money you have to play with at a stroke.

We're not sure how long this offer will be available for the Asgard slot before it reverts back to the standard offer, so it may well be a good time to head over to Black Diamond to see if the offer still remains available.

Presentation

I have to be honest and say that I was somewhat disappointed with the presentation of the Asgard slot. The reels are red and gold, which to me brings to mind a more oriental themed livery, while seeing the standard playing card lows on the reels was a big disappointment and shows a lack of originality. The four characters on the slot are nicely done as are the Wild and Scatter symbols but the backdrop to the game is somewhat plain and uninteresting and doesn't really make you want to play on more. The sound is decent though, and there are options to decrease or turn off the ambient sounds as well as the reel sounds, which is a nice touch.

What's on the reels?

There are essentially two different types of symbols on the reels in the Asgard slot from Pragmatic Play. The first are the standard low value symbols and these are the five playing card symbols, from 10 through to the Ace and these offer wins from 5 coins up to 50 coins, which isn't a huge amount considering you are wagering 25 coins per spin.

The better value wins come from triggering one of the four character symbols in the game, Loki, Thor, Freya and Odin. These offer wins from 15 coins up to 250 coins, which again isn't a huge amount considering you are wagering 0.25 per spin.

There are no multipliers in the game which is a shame but there are two other symbols on the reels which unlock the main bonuses of the slot, the Wild symbol and the Scatter.

Wild features

The Asgard symbol is the in game Wild and this serves two purposes. Firstly it can offer pay outs of 25 coins up to 500 coins if you land three, four or five across the reel and this latter amount is the in game jackpot.

However, the symbol can also substitute for the standard symbols in the game to create winning pay liens and furthermore, the symbol can be stacked on the reels and of course, the more of these symbols you land on a spin then the greater the potential value of the win.

Free Spins features

To trigger the Free Spins bonus you need to land three or more of the helmet Scatter symbols anywhere across the reels. When this occurs you trigger one of four bonus games.

The games are based on the four characters in the slot, Freya, Odin, Loki and Thor and you will initially receive five Free Spins. However on each of your Free Spins for that character, you will trigger the same base game random bonus feature on that spin (details of these bonuses are outlined in the section below).

These bonuses can lead to some of the bigger wins available in the game, especially if you can trigger the Odin bonus and land several reels Wild on the spin.

Other bonus features

There are four additional base game bonus features that can trigger randomly during the base game and each has a different benefit to the player. The bonuses are based on the four main characters of the slot, Odin, Freya, Thor and Loki.

The Thor feature when triggered will turn all lower Value Odin, Loki, Freya and Thor symbols into Wilds at the end of the spin and calculate new pays based on this.

The Loki feature will see stacks of Loki's special symbol land on the reels which then turn into the same single symbol to trigger an additional payout.

The Freya symbol will see three, four or five extra Wilds added to the reels randomly to trigger potential new pay outs.

Finally, the Odin feature will see stacked Wilds added to the reels and you can even land multiple stacks to turn up to five of the reels Wild.

Best feature of the Asgard slot

Without doubt the best feature of the Asgard slot is the four different bonus games you can trigger at random in the base game. Without these, the base game would be a real drag but they do add a good deal of excitement to the slot and can trigger some of the best base game wins. It is worth noting however that sometimes these random bonuses don't always offer big wins and you can win very small amounts when they trigger too. The four Free Spins bonuses are also good fun, but you need immense patience to get a chance to play through all four of them.

What does the Asgard slot lack?

Somewhat unusually, it is not what the Asgard slot lacks that is its greatest weakness in my view. I think all the ingredients for a brilliant slot are all present in the game, it is just how it has been structured and the size of the wins you tend to land that make this an ultimately disappointing game to play. Even with all the great bonuses on offer, you tend to find you get stuck playing the base game for a long time and with that comes smaller value wins, often much less than your total bet for that spin. Even when the random features trigger in the base game, these too can be hit and miss in terms of your pay out.

Conclusion

Being brutally honest, I find the Asgard slot from Pragmatic Play a little frustrating. Check out the different elements of the slot and you are going to be really excited as to what is on offer, however the way it has been put together and how difficult it is to land Free Spins, combined with the low value of the majority of wins in the base game means that although this is a medium variance slot, it can be quite punitive and uninspiring at times and that is really disappointing for a game that really had the ingredients to be one of the best games Pragmatic Play have produced for a while.

Ratings

• Presentation: 12 / 20 - I have to be brutally honest and say that I was a little disappointed with the presentation on the Asgard slot from Pragmatic Play. Considering it is a game that has to face off against some of the classic online slots available today, the slot needed to be spectacular to look at and play and while the cartoon graphics of the characters are nicely drawn, the rest of the reels and the backdrop is somewhat dull and uninspiring, though the music and sound effects on the game are nicely done.
• Game-play: 13 / 20 - While the Asgard slot is packed with some nice features, unfortunately they seem to be rather difficult to trigger and that essentially means you are left with the bare bones of the base game to play through for the vast majority of the time and unfortunately there isn't a great deal of excitement in this aspect of the game. As such, you tend to find that this Asgard slot tends to offer its bonuses a little less willingly and you are left playing what is bog standard slot most of the time although the randomly triggered bonuses do liven things up a little.
• Bonus Features: 17 / 20 - This Asgard slot has some very nice features and bonuses to trigger. This starts with four randomly triggered base game bonuses, each one linked to one of the four gods included in the game, plus four different Free Spins games, with each one again linked to one of the Norse gods. Add to this stacked Wilds in the base game and you have a number of excellent features which do give the game depth and excitement, however the main problem I have with them, especially the Free Spins bonus, is that it can be very difficult to trigger these bonus games.
• Entertainment Factor: 14 / 20 - I can't help but feel that the Asgard slot was something of a missed opportunity for Pragmatic Play. It's clear to me that they have used Microgaming's Thunderstruck II slot as a template for this game, and that is by no means a bad thing as that is a classic, but I just feel that the balance of the slot is a little awry and the visuals don't engage you as much as they should. That's a shame as the bonuses are great but the slot doesn't offer you enough access to them to make it more enjoyable and exciting to play.
• Play Value: 11 / 20 - It's worth remembering that you wager 25 coins per game on the slot but unfortunately the majority of three and four symbol wins offer you a return of less than this, which is really disappointing. The big wins come when you land five or more symbols on the reel but that happens relatively rarely, even with stacked Wilds.
• Overall 64 / 100 - It is rare that Pragmatic Play are wide of the mark with a slot and while the individual elements of their new Asgard slot promise much, how they are put together in the overall context and structure of the slot leaves you feeling a little hollow. This could have been a really exciting and enjoyable slot to play and a possible challenger to Thunderstruck II as the king of the Norse-inspired slots, but it falls well short due to very small wins in the base game and the fact it is such a struggle to trigger the bonus features. That and uninspired visuals means that this Asgard won't be winning entry into Valhalla for me.

Good Luck!

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