Pillars of Asgardby NextGen Gaming

Screenshots

It’s time to drink some mead and get the axe ready because NextGen Gaming is bringing punters on a trip to Asgard.

In Norse mythology, Asgard is the realm of Gods with such figures as Odin, Loki, Thor, and all the rest.

In recent years, perhaps because of a very famous superhero movie, this theme has been very popular with many developers throwing their hat in the ring and making their own takes on Norse legends.

Theme

Everything is decidedly Norse in the graphical identity of the game. The reels are situated right at the gate of Asgard, and punters can see the Rainbow Bridge leading up to it.

The grid area is flanked by two very big and very white and golden pillars just oozing grandeur and loftiness.

They’re right there in the name so they’re clearly very important. It all combines to create an air of mystery and wonderment which is fitting given that the game is set in a place where Gods live.

As for the symbols…

…the low paying suite is the card numbers rendered in runic style while the high-paying ones are magical artifacts from the mythological canon including swords and elemental signs.

Overall, it works. When it comes to the theme part of the game, the developer has knocked it out of the park creating something that reads very clearly as epic and god-like.

In a sea of Norse-themed games such as Spell of Odin, this one definitely stands out.

Betting Options and Functions

While most games have a fixed grid, Pillars of Asgard went for a much different solution. In the base game, it’s a 6x4 grid but the number of rows extends in the game’s extra spins round going all the way to 10x4.

This also means that regular paylines are gone and replaced with a consecutive symbol win system. Since the reels change shape, the number of actual ways to win also increases. It goes from 4,096 in the base game to a staggering 1,000,000 once all the reels are fully unlocked.

To take a spin punters have to stake a minimum of 25 cents while the maximum is 10 dollars.

Autoplay is also present as an option for those who like to see the reels spin without having to click on a button every time.

Special Features

All the special features here revolve around the expanding grid mechanics which the developer calls “Reel Rise”.

To activate the mode, it’s necessary for scatters to land on the reels. Depending on the number of triggering symbols the reels can extend by 1,2,3, or 4 rows.

During the extra spin mode any scatter that appears on a reel will extend that reel by one tile up to a maximum of 10.

When this happens, the Odin’s Blessing Bonus comes into play and extends the extra spins round by five attempts.

If all the reels hit their maximum height, the Rise of Odin Bonus is invoked and 1,000,000 ways to win are unlocked and a wild stacked reel is present on every spin until the mode ends.

There’s more…

…as every win with a wild can apply a random multiplier to the win and as the number of wilds in a win line increases so does the maximum multiplier. Punters can also purchase entry into the extra spins mode and all normal wins can be gambled in a double or nothing card color guessing round.

Our Take

There are too many games inspired by Norse mythology and its Gods than we can count. Offerings like Ragnarok: Fall of Odin prove how popular this theme is.

So, how do Pillars of Asgard stack up? Quite well, actually. With many features, good graphics and an engaging reel extension system it’s definitely worth a look.