ABOUT THIS SLOT
Game of Thrones, based on the books by George RR Martin, is one of HBO’s most popular series of all time and was an obvious choice as inspiration for a branded slot game thanks to its epic narrative and unforgettable characters. Despite dating back to 2014, Game of Thrones slot still impresses even now and continues to out rank many of the newer games on release every year. It’s one that can be counted amongst Microgaming’s all-time great, alongside titles like Immortal Romance (2011) and Avalon 2 (also from 2014).
Load up this slot and you will instantly hear the familiar soundtrack that is still used as a ringtone on many smartphones all over the globe. In the gameplay, the iconic Houses of Baratheon, Stark, Lannister, and Targaryen battle for the Iron Throne, a Scatter that will trigger one of the four free spins features when three or more land at once.
RTP, VARIANCE AND PAYOUTS
There are two versions of this slot, both with 5 reels. One has 15 paylines and the other has 243 paylines. In both of them, gamers need to land at least three matching icons consecutively on a payline, or on three successive reels, from left to right, and starting from reel one. The 15 paylines game can be played from 15c per spin, whilst the 243 payline game can be played from 30c per spin.
Game of Thrones is a medium volatility slot, so payouts are likely to be distributed fairly evenly throughout a session, without the big troughs and peaks of a high variance game. The 15 payline version has an RTP of 95.03%, whilst the 243 payline game has an RTP of 95.07%. Bear in mind as well that the 243 payline slot also has a much higher top prize of 20,250x in the free spins round, compared to 5,000x in the 15 payline format.
In short, if you have a bigger budget and want to chase bigger prizes, the 243 payline version of Game or Thrones will be more suited to you.
SYMBOLS AND PAYTABLE
Game of Thrones has a stunning reel set with rich, high definition icons. The low value symbols are the cards, Jack, Queen, King and Ace. Unfortunately, we will not see John Snow, Eddard Stark, nor the lovely Khaleesi on the reels. Instead, Microgaming decided to use the banners of the four most important families in the TV series as the premium icons. Baratheon, being the rulers of the seven kingdoms, are first in line, followed by the Lannisters, Starks, and, finally, Targaryens.
All four houses will deliver from 5x to 8.33x per bet for five of a kind.
The Logo is used as the Wild that substitutes for all regular icons and lands in stacks both during the base game and the free spins feature. Meanwhile, the important Iron Throne icon is the Scatter that triggers each of the four Free Spins selections, as well as delivering 200x for 5 of a kind.
GAMEPLAY AND FEATURES
There are four free spins features to play for, which is where all the good stuff happens. To trigger one you’ll need to land 3 or more scatters. If you land only two scatters, do not despair, since it will secure you a Scatter Bonus of a random instant cash prize. 4 scatters will also get you a 20x win, whilst 5 scatters will get you a 200x win. Each feature, based on one of the Houses will include spins, multipliers and symbol stacks that drive up wins.
Here they are:
Baratheon Free Spins Feature
If you go for the rulers of Westeros, you will get 8 free spins, but the win multiplier will be 8x. The House Baratheon Banner will appear as a 3-stack symbol.
Lannister Free Spins Feature
This will be a perfect time to see whether a Lannister always pays his debt. Enjoy 10 free spins with a 4x multiplier, and the 5 House stack symbols.
Stark Free Spins Feature
Winter is coming, and you can warm yourselves with 14 free spins, only here the multiplier is set at 3x, while you also get 5 stack House symbols.
Targaryen Free Spins Feature
You can call every Targaryen crazy, but they will reward you with 18 freebies and a 2x multiplier applied on all wins. The House Targaryen Sigil icon also comes as 6-stack symbol.
OUR VERDICT
There are some basic differences between the two version of Game of Thrones – the betting range, top payouts and RTP. Otherwise, they offer the same features, same action and same thrills and spills. This is quite a basic slot in the base game, and it’s really the free spins round that it is famous for, as well as the iconography of the TV show of course. Don’t expect to trigger the bonuses too often, they can be tough to crack, but if you do land there, by far the most lucrative potentially is the Baratheon free spins round. Fans of the show will love this game, whilst those who aren’t fans may want to look elsewhere for their reel kicks!