Review of Gonzo’s Quest Slot

I don’t know about you, but I constantly dream of suddenly coming accross large amounts of money or gold. People had this dream since the beginning of time and they were often ready to risk everything they had, including their very own lives, just to lay their hands on a fortune. Nothing embodies this dream better than the true story of the conquistadors, who left Spain to go on a risky and life-threatening journey to find the mythical golden city of Eldorado. They were led by Gonzalo Pizzaro, hence the name of NetEnt’s slot which is the topic of this review – Gonzo’s Quest.

People today still dream of earning copious amounts of money or gold in a short amount of time. Fortunately, we no longer go about and plunder distant civilisations. Nowadays, we have slots. And Gonzo’s Quest is one of the most popular and commonly played slots in Britain and abroad. In this article you can read all about the features and characteristics of this game, how much money you can earn, how playable it is; in short, everything you need to know if you consider giving Gonzo’s Quest Slot a go.

Essential Information About the Quest

As I already mentioned, this game was developed by NetEnt, a company that is already one of the main names in the iGaming industry, with a solid reputation. Having played a lot of their slots, I can tell you that Gonzo’s Quest is definitely one of their greatest masterpieces. The game features 20 paylines, it has 5 reels and 3 rows. You can play it with as little as one coin per payline and the minimum value of a coin is 1p, which means you can play with 20p and up to 5 coins per line worth 50p which makes a total of £50.

The game starts with a high-quality animation and an animated 3D figure of Gonzo Pizzaro is always present on the left-hand side. What is really unique and original about this game in terms of graphics and playing experience is the fact that the reels don’t spin like they usually do. Instead, as soon as you press the spin button they fall onto the reels. This feature is called avalanche reels. Moreover, whenever you hit any of the paylines, winning symbols just explode and are replaced with new ones. The sounds match the game dynamics perfectly, subtle when there’s nothing going on, intense when there’s a win.

Unique Symbols and Fair RTP

As you noticed, many things in this game aren’t conventional, the symbols aren’t either. No dull old Jacks, Queens or Kings here. The symbols present in this game are Ancient Inca symbols: Spirit, Quetzal (a bird that resided in Inca forests), Snake, Fire Idol, Fisherman Idol, Healer Idol and Moon Idol. In addition to these seven main symbols, there’s also a Wild symbol and a Free Fall symbol. The Wild symbol is a question mark and it can substitute any symbol, whereas the Free Fall symbol, increases your winning odds and 3 of them can activate the Free Falls Bonus.

Gonzo’s Quest by NetEnt

The symbols are graded starting from the Quetzal Spirit, Snake, Healer Idol, Fisherman Idol, Fire Idol and finally the Moon Idol symbol. The last one gives a 50 times multiplier on bet per payline if 3 symbols appear, 250 if there are 4 symbols and a staggering 2500 if 5 symbols appear. The return to player (RTP) ratio at Gonzo’s Quest is 96%. So, statistically, out of every £100 that players wager on this slot, £96 are returned back to them as winnings. This is a quite neat percentage since a lot of slots have much lower RTPs.

Free Falls and a Really Wild Symbol

I already mentioned that after every win, the winning symbols explode and are replaced by new ones. This is one of the best features in terms of winning opportunities as well. Since, whenever you win anything and the symbols explode, the rest of the symbols fill in their spots, Tetris-style and new symbols emerge, allowing you to get a second win in a row. Moreover, with every win, the bet multiplier raises from x1 to x2 and then eventually to x3 and x5 if you win 4 times in a row.

The most wanted outcome in a spin (actually fall would be more appropriate) is to get three Free Falls symbols on any reel. Bear in mind that the Wild symbol can replace all other symbols, including the Free Falls (Scatter) symbol. Not only does hitting 3 Free Falls give you 10 free falls/spins, but you will also notice a change in the multiplier, 1x becomes 3x, 2x – 6x, 3x – 9x and 5x – 15x. So, even though the game doesn’t have a lot of bonus or extra features, the one that it has is quite extraordinary, because not only does it offer free falls, but also an exceptional multiplier.

Gonzo’s Quest Touch

Gonzo’s Quest Slot popularity grew rapidly right after it was launched in 2010 and the people at NetEnt were quick to realise the potential of this thrilling and in many ways revolutionary slot. Not long after the original Gonzo’s Quest Slot was introduced, NetEnt developed a mobile version of this slot called Gonzo’s Quest Touch Slot. In fact it was their first game of the popular Touch series of mobile slots. This game was very successful, so a lot more of their popular online slots got a mobile ‘twin’ in the Touch series. I tried playing both version of the game simultaneously and I can tell you that there’s absolutely no difference between them. You literally get the same experience on your phone/tablet. All the symbols are there, you can see Gonzo jumping around as you win the Free Falls, every aspect of the gaming experience is reflected in the mobile version.

Definitely Worth Playing

Gonzo’s Quest is a one of a kind, yet quite simple and straightforward slot game. If you’re a fan of more traditional slots that all look alike, then this game will fail to amuse you, otherwise you may find yourself playing it for hours. Well, at least that’s what happened to me. This game has quite high regular payouts and hitting 4 or 5 Moon or Healer Idols can be quite lucrative. It has only one bonus feature and no mini games, but this keeps the game simple and uncomplicated and you can win an amount of £112,500 on the bonus game.

Other Amazing Slot Games

I really enjoy playing South Park and while there are a lot of similarities between it and Gonzo’s Quest in terms of animations, graphics and sounds, the games have significant differences. Unlike Gonzo’s Quest which only has one bonus, South Park offers 4 different bonuses and 3 mini-features, which make the game a lot more-multifaceted. Both games feature a small number of paylines – 20 and 25. When it comes to paylines very few games offer more than Microgaming’s Thunderstruck Two, which features an amazing number of 243 paylines. However, if you’re looking for progressive jackpots, which offer the highest payouts, then I’d have to mention Genie Jackpots.