When it comes to the visuals, Austrian game development company, Rabcat, has never failed to impress. North Storm is no exception, featuring a dark and epic theme with Nordic runes as symbols and Viking warriors standing in the background. It’s undoubtedly a looker, with great visual effects and a well-crafted interface. But how does it play?
To start, you’re given five reels and 25 paylines. This is sufficient for a 1,000x total stake. The Return to Player is set at a reasonable, but hardly generous 96.13 percent. The feature list is a little better, including elements such as wilds, bonus falls, scatters and free spins, each with their own unique mechanics. Let’s take a closer look.
Your spins are set to utilize all 25 lines, with a minimum bet of $0.01 per line and a maximum of $2.00, resulting in a total bet ranging from $0.25 to $50. With the 1000x total stake, you can expect a relatively low maximum payout of $50,000. Fortunately, North Storm’s medium volatility and range of features make up for it.
The Dire Wolf is the wild card in North Storm. It can replace any paying symbol and will provide 100x the bet amount if 5 of a kind are landed. A feature you’ll come across more often is the bonus falls. When you land a winning combo, bonus falls appear to allow new symbols to replace existing ones, thus potentially leading to more wins.
This is further aided by a multiplier, which subjects consecutive wins to an increase of 1x through 4x, further improving your prospects. A glowing-eyed Viking represents your scatter, which ties into the bonus falls feature. You’ll receive eight free spins when 3 scatters land on a payline. Consecutive bonus falls will award from two to 20 more free spins.
The eight rounds of free spins mode is where you can expect the highest potential payout. This is especially true if you manage to get three scattered Warriors on a line, followed by feature triggers. This way, the multipliers are doubled for your wins, as are the bonus falls. Overall, the feature list alone is enough to make North Storm a compelling game.
There’s no denying that North Storm is a great looking game. The symbols are visually pleasing and varied enough to keep things interesting, while the light blue glow that indicates your multiplier values makes attaining them all-the-more satisfying.
Many people have pointed out that the theme and design draw similarities to other titles released in the past, such as Asgardian Stones and the Fist of the First Men. Intentional or not, the imitation is well executed. Most players will find the soundtrack fitting, though it might not be to everyone’s tastes.
Even if the gameplay and theme isn’t entirely new, it builds on past endeavors to offer a fresher and more exciting experience, which is something players can live with. If you’re looking for a slot that offers a relatively safe experience in terms of volatility, but without taking it to the point of being boring, North Storm is well worth a try.