Loki Wild-Tiles Slot Machine
Novomatic has yet again gone for a first. Better known for classics such as Book of Ra and Lord of the Ocean, recently in 2018 Novomatic surprised us with thrilling games in unseen formats. After the reel-expanding novelty on Tidal Riches™ came the first-ever grid slot from the well-known game provider.
Was this the right path to take, or was Novomatic better off sticking to its tried-and-tested slot philosophy? Only time will tell whether their adventurous approach has paid off. Either way, with Loki Wild-Tiles, fans of cascading slots can enjoy a further addition to their favorite game format – one that can produce wins of up to 750x their stake on a single cascade.
Square and Fares
With Loki Wild-Tiles, Novomatic presents a video slot with an ornamented 5x5 grid and cascading square-shaped symbol tiles. The theme is leaning towards Norse mythology. Dark clouds are brewing in the background and the pay symbols are in cartoon-like style. Loki’s sword stands upright to the left of the game window, displaying the paid wins with an increasing multiplier on each winning combo. A generic soundtrack is only interrupted by the typical slot noises on winning drops.
The RTP of this low-to-medium-variance game is set in the usual 95-96% range. Bet sizes start at a reasonable 0.4 coins and peak at 100 coins. The top win in a single cascade can reach 750x your stake in the bonus game.
Norse Signs and Symbols
All pay symbols resemble artifacts and items from Norse mythology. In the base game, a drinking horn and an intricately designed amulet are the lowest-paying symbols, followed by a fighter with a helmet, as well as single and double occurrences of crows and wolfs. Another Nordic fighter and Loki are the top symbols in the base game. Pays for a five-symbol combo range from 2.5x to 50x your bet.
The bonus game is played on a separate grid with new pay symbols. All are tiles depicting various Nordic items such as amulets, axes, swords and helmets. The top symbol is Thor’s hammer. Pays in the bonus game are awarded for scattered symbols ranging from 50x to 150x your stake for 10 symbols.
Drop Them In for a Big Win
At the beginning of each game round, 25 pay symbols drop down from the top to fill the grid. A minimum of three adjacent matching symbols or any three of the four medium-paying symbols are needed either horizontally or vertically to score a winning combo. Once the win is paid, the middle symbol will transform into a wild symbol while the other two fade away.
Four- or five-symbol combos will only award the respective win. A win multiplier is increased by x1 for each round of winning combos, indicated on the left of the game window. No new symbols will drop into the empty spaces, but removing all symbols on the grid will be rewarded with an extra coin win.
The Hidden Treasure Bonus
On every new cascade, one to five vertical rows with the word “Bonus” are randomly hidden behind the dropping symbol tiles. Clearing a row to fully uncover it will trigger the bonus game with 10 free drops. Hitting five scatter Loki symbols during the bonus round will add a further five free drops.
The game leads to a second screen complete with new symbols and pay table. Five to ten matching symbols scattered on the grid will award wins of up to 150x your stake. A win multiplier will be awarded, equal to the number of cleared “Bonus” rows on the triggering cascade, with the maximum capped at x5. The top multiplier can increase the top win for a single drop in the bonus game to 750x the initial bet. The bonus round ends once all free drops have been played, and any accumulated wins will be added to the win from the triggering spin.
More Dropping Tiles
The concept of game grids with cascading or dropping symbols has been used in countless games. Play’n GO has the most titles in this format with Gemix, Golden Ticket, Viking Runecraft, Reactoonz and Sweet Alchemy leading the play lists. Other exciting examples include Tiki Fruits from Red Tiger Gaming and Pots of Luck from Leander Games.
Our Verdict
Admittedly, Loki Wild-Tiles is not and will never be the most exciting game from Novomatic. It has rather low volatility, a simplistic design, little to no animations and only a generic soundtrack. Plus, the top win is peaking at just 750x the stake – well short of the usual slots from this game provider. On a positive note, it will provide long gaming sessions, even with a smaller starting balance, as it produces smallish wins very frequently.
