With Crown of Valor, Quickspin has proven once again that they are far more than a provider of nice-looking games for casual players. The swedish developer has taken a “dark turn” lately, crafting one epicly brutal beast after another on their 3D engine. The reel set wall is apparently the last thing standing between the crown and the invading hordes, they are throwing everything they have into the battle.
Battle axes are hurled to cut down the Burning Wilds to build the multiplier, and winning stone block symbols are chipped off the wall like failing plates of armor. Powder keg scatters blow up the whole grid to usher in the highly dramatic bonus round climax, and everything is accompanied by a gloomy soundtrack. The massive15,619xmax win makes this a tempting prospect, but be careful, as this one is certainly capable of “going medieval on your ass.”
You will get aBurning Wildin any Tumble following a cluster win, and per usual, the wild steps in for regular pay symbols to help you form winning clusters. If the Burning Wild is included in a new winning cluster, theprogressive multiplieris increased by+1. The tumble process goes on as long as you keep winning, and the multiplier keeps building per wild win. Everything resets once you hit a non-winning tumble however, at least in the base game.
You’ll see aWild Firemeter on the right-hand side, and you need a total of18 winsto fill it. This triggers the Wild Fire feature, and you’ll see the camera angle shift in a dramatic sequence where the horde of barbarians are bombarding the reels with burning rocks.
This gives you4 randomly placed burning wilds, and every wild that’s part of a winning combo contributes to the progressive multiplier with +1. Battle axes are hurled against each wild, dropping them off the grid one by one as the multiplier builds up.
When3, 4 or 5 BNS powder kegsfind their way onto the grid, there is a massive explosion that blows up, among other things, the Wild Fire meter on the right-hand side (effectively taking it out of play for the ensuing Bonus Round). You are then granted10, 14 or 18 free spins, respectively.
Every winning tumble increases the multiplier with +1 in the bonus round, in addition to any Burning Wild involved in a winning combo. The progressive multiplier does not reset between spins, which means that it will only grow as you keep winning. Eachnew bonus scatteryou land awards1 extra free spin.
Depending on your jurisdiction, you can purchase the bonus round for 80x your stake. Thebonus buyoption is not available for UK players, per usual, but eligible punters are guaranteed 3 to 5 BNS powder keg scatters on the next spin.
We like how the winning stone block symbols are chipped off the wall in this game, and we landed a decent 15x win to trigger the Wild Fire feature. This gave us a 6x multiplier win, and right after that we decided to buy the bonus round. This happens one and a half minute into the 3-minute highlights video you can check out below.
Crown of Valor is a step up from Quckspin’s Nero’s Fortune, although the 2 heavy-hitting grid/tumble slots are obviously ‘forged in the same furnace’. Visually, this follow-up title is far more impressive, taking even more advantage of the 3D engine. You can expect waves of dead spins crashing up against the castle walls, but the game throws you the occasional lifeline via the 18th win Wild Fire feature.
The bonus round literally starts with a bang, and it really feels like you’ve now managed to finally breach the walls. The multiplier can reach insane levels when luck is on your side, but you also need to brace yourself for some disappointing setbacks where the siege is unsuccessful. The 15,619x potential is almost twice of what Nero offers, but still a bit below the epicly brutal Hammer of Vulcan.
Pros
Cons
Nero’s Fortune- comes with a similar 3D engine and grid setup, but this time the action takes place in the Roman empire. Multiplier arrow X’s are added behind the reels, and these can be revealed to accumulate a multiplier boost. The progressive multiplier does not reset in the bonus round, which can lead to payouts up to 8,168x your stake.
Thor’s Lightning- is a Red Tiger grid slot with a theme lifted from norse mythology. It comes with a cluster pays engine like the game at hand, and Thor will manifest in front of the reels to trigger features at random times. You have 2 different bonus rounds to look forward to also, and the volatility is a bit less brutal here.
Hammer of Vulcan- is set in bowels of Mount Etna, where the roman god of metal work and fire has his legendary forge. Vulcan wields his massive sledgehammer, leaving wilds in its path, and the bonus round comes with an unlimited progressive multiplier. This can lead to payouts hovering above 20,000x your stake.