Thunderstruck II
Pros
- - Play up to 40 Paylines
Cons
- - Max jackpot is is just 1,000 coins
Experienced video slots gamers may have heard of, or be familiar with, the predecessor to the Thunderstruck II game, which was, of course, called Thunderstruck. The intro to the game features an opening clip of images on a background of lightning accompanied by thunder.
Thunderstruck II is from the Microgaming stable of video slots games. Those who like video slots will be familiar with the games created by this company, and with how imaginative the games creators are. They take inspiration from a huge variety of sources.
Norse influence
The inspiration for Thunderstruck II comes from Norse mythology, which features the most famous god of thunder, Thor. The other Norse gods to feature in the game are Odin, the god of gods, Loki, the trouble maker, and Valkyrie, whose task is to select the warrior who will be next to give up his life in battle.
Most video slots games are pretty true to the legend or story on which they are based, at least as far as characterization goes. That is why it is a little surprising that the game features a character called Valkyrie. Fans of Norse mythology will know that there were numerous Valkyries, who were all woman who selected the next to die. We were a little thunderstruck at the presentation of a character named Valkyrie.
The action is set in the ancient and mythical city of Asgard, the home of the Norse gods. No game based on Norse legend would be complete without a long ship, the famous vessel used by the Vikings in their conquests.
Other symbols
In common with many video slots games, the Thunderstruck II game has room for high value playing cards ranging from the 9 to the Ace. There is also the Thunderstruck II logo, which is used as the wild symbol, while Thor’s famous hammer represents the scatter symbol.
Graphics
We have come to expect very high standards of graphics in modern video slots games, and Thunderstruck II does not disappoint. The characters are drawn and colored in the style of the most popular comic books. The game makes use of eye-catching animations throughout.
The game
When it comes to winning combinations on standard 5 x 3 slots games, 243 seems to have been adopted as the de facto standard. This may be the most popular because it means the player does not have to enable winning lines. Coin values from 0.01 to 0.25 can be deployed, and bets of up to 10 coins per line can be placed.
The wild symbol is truly wild, and matches any symbol on any line when it appears. If this produces a win, the payout is doubled. Unlike many other games, the wild symbol plays no part in triggering a bonus game, of which there are two in Thunderstruck II. The first bonus game in Thunderstruck II is called the Wildstorm Feature. This is activated randomly. When the feature is active, players can spin up to five reels.
The Great Hall of Spins is the second bonus game. Players get into the hall when they get three or more scatter symbols (Thor’s Hammer) on the reels. When the scatter feature comes into play, the player may get different options depending on how many times he or she has entered the Great Hall of Spins previously in the current game.
Likes and dislikes
We liked the stunning graphics in this game, and the clever animations. We also liked the pleasant surprise of activating the random Wildstorm Feature, and the variety of games that come up on successive visits to the Great Hall of Spins.
The only downside is that Thunderstruck II is unlikely to appeal to serious video slots gamers. The maximum jackpot, which is not progressive, is just 1,000 coins.
