This review will take an in-depth look at the popular Hall of Gods jackpot, operated by Swedish gaming company NetEnt.
Every aspect of the game will be examined, from its appearance to how it functions and what players can expect in terms of payouts and special features.
There will be a particular focus on how to play Hall of Gods, and there will be a specific breakdown of what payouts are available.
On top of this, there will be some technical context which provides insight as to how Hall of Gods is kept fun and fair by the use of things such as a specific return to player percentage, a low-medium slot volatility and a random number generator.
The central theme of Hall of Gods is based on Norse mythology and the game is animated accordingly.
It is clear that a lot of thought and effort has gone into developing the graphics on offer with Hall of Gods as the imagery is closely aligned to common perceptions of the Norse gods, and a good example would be Thor’s hammer featuring as one of the lower-ranking reel symbols.
This game utilises high-quality graphics and detailed Norse art in order to give you an immersive experience when playing the game. All five of the Norse gods are depicted as characters in the game, each with unique and eye-catching artwork.
A lot of players may have previously heard of the Norse gods and goddesses, whether that might be having learnt about Norse mythology when at school or through having seen it portrayed in a TV show or movie.
The result is that the legendary names of Odin; Thor; Freya; Loki and Idun give you a sense of significance and familiarity right from the start.
The game has a godly appearance befitting of its name, as the slot reels are sat upon a base of crisp white clouds, thereby drawing upon heavenly connotations.
A very classical colour theme is on display when playing Hall of Gods. Colours such as silver and gold are predominantly used for symbols, some brighter colours are used for the important characters in the game, and more neutral colours such as shades of brown and green are used respectively for the background and the buttons players use to operate the game.
Getting started
In order to play Hall of Gods players for real, players will need to have a funded account and this can be done by making a deposit with the online casino you are using. It is always advisable to check for any potential deposit bonuses that may be available which you could use on this game.
Once this is done, you can launch the game and start playing. In the first few spins players have plenty to take in with a wide range of symbols in the game, and it is inevitable that it will take a few spins to become familiar with which symbols are rare and significant compared to those which are more common.
Most online casinos allow players to play the game ‘for fun’ without staking real money, so if players wish to become familiar with the objective of the game and how it operates before playing with real money, then they have the option to do so.
Aim of the game
When playing Hall of Gods, the aim of the game is to spin the reels and land matching symbols which correspond to as big a payout as possible.
There are a total of 15 symbols displayed at any one time, and players win when they match three or more symbols one any one of the 20 line combinations. This is with the exception of the symbols of Odin, Thor, Freya or Loki in which case players win when they match two of these characters on any particular line.
The ultimate aim of Hall of Gods is for the player’s dreams to come true and win big, which would be to hit the mega jackpot. More information on how this can be achieved can be found in the ‘bonus round’ section.
Possible stakes
The lowest possible stake at Hall of Gods is €0.20, with a maximum stake of €50, giving players plenty of flexibility.
There are two ways in which players can alter their stake. The first of these is to alter the ‘coin value’ of your stake, which effectively means the amount of money you are putting on each of the 20 win lines. The minimum coin value is 0.01 and the maximum is 0.50.
Secondly there is the option for players to alter the ‘level’ of the bet, the lowest being level 1 and the highest being level 5. This multiplies the amount of coins won on any win line (as displayed in the paytable) by the bet level.
For example, if a player stakes €1 (broken down as 0.01 coins on level 5) and spins a winning line of Thor’s Hammer x3, this would return 6 coins on level 1, but because the player is playing on level 5 it is multiplied by five to return 30 coins.
Hall of Gods symbols
Hall of Gods presents players with a wide range of symbols, ranging in rank from a set of five lower ranked icons representing mythical objects, to the best symbol being the bonus icon.
The basic five symbols are a wooden chest of red apples, an elegant necklace sat atop a rock, a silver ring with gold engraving on the front of it, a small axe, and none other than Thor’s hammer.
The five Norse gods are more significant and offer higher payouts. Idun is pictured as having flowing red hair and piercing green eyes, and the only other female god Freya has long and curly blonde hair and while fair faced she has a fierce look of intent about her.
The male gods start with Loki, who is purple-skinned and has bright red eyes giving him a look of menace which matches the traits he is known for within Norse mythology.
Next is Thor, who has bright red hair flowing out of his golden helmet and unlike the other characters he is staring right at the player.
Most grand of all the god symbols is Odin, who has a noticeably large white beard and an equally stand-out left eye which is bright blue, with a shiny golden helmet sat on his head.
There are three special symbols, these being the wild, bonus and scatter symbols.
The wild symbol substitutes for any symbol apart from the bonus and scatter symbols, and it is displayed as a magnificent snarling green dragon with the word ‘wild’ in bright yellow letters at the bottom of the symbol drawing the player’s eye to the symbol wherever it lands. Wilds can expand at random which enhances the unpredictability and excitement for players.
The second rarest symbol is the scatter symbol, which is depicted as two black ravens with a bright full moon in the background. Landing three or more scatter symbols will result in the player receiving free spins.
Most celebrated of all the symbols is the bonus symbol, which is pictured as Thor’s hammer surrounded by lightning, appearing to strike a wooden shield. If players land three of these symbols then they are in with a chance to win one of the three jackpots available.
How the bonus round works
As outlined above, in order to progress to the bonus round players need three bonus symbols to land on any one spin of the reels - they can appear anywhere on reels 3, 4 and 5 and do not need to be on any particular win line.
Once the bonus has been achieved, players are then presented with 15 shield icons, each which you have to click on to reveal what is behind the shield. There are a wide range of numbers which can be revealed, each corresponding to a bonus amount.
The highest possible coin win in the bonus round is 7500.
Players can also find gem-like symbols behind the shields. These correspond to either the mini, midi or mega jackpots.
In order to win a bonus or a jackpot, players must reveal three matching amounts or symbols.
Hall of Gods wilds
The wilds are a dragon symbol which occupy one space each, but they are expanding wilds so they can expand to occupy a full column and this happens when a wild appears at the same time that a win line is activated.
The wilds in Hall of Gods substitute for any symbol apart from ‘scatter’ and ‘bonus’.
It is worth noting that the dragon wilds at Hall of Gods can only appear in the second, third and fourth columns.
Hall of Gods free spins
Free spins are achieved by landing three or more scatter symbols. Three scatters = 10 free spins, four scatters = 15 free spins and five scatters = 20 free spins.
Any winnings from free spins have a x3 multiplier applied. If a player was to spin another three scatter symbols when benefiting from free spins then the corresponding amount of free spins won is automatically added onto the free spins which were initially won.
It is worth noting that all free spins are played at the same level of bet lines, coin value and bet level as the round which activated the free spins.
As a result, the free spins round has the potential to be very rewarding for players.
Hall of Gods RTP
The theoretical return to player (RTP) of Hall of Gods is 95.3-95.7%, which is a mid-ranging figure in the industry. This means that on average, across all players playing the game, for every €100 staked, there will be a return of between €95.30 and €95.70.
It is important to note, however, that the law of averages does not apply to any one finite sample size. So while 95.3 to 95.7% may be the average return to players across the platform, one player staking €100 will not necessarily get between €95.30 and £95.70 in winnings from that particular playing session.
Slot volatility of Hall of Gods
The slot volatility of Hall of Gods is low to medium, which means that it tends to pay out little wins but quite often, which can enhance the enjoyment of the slot for the player as they are winning regularly, even if those wins aren’t particularly large amounts.
It could be argued that having a low slot volatility will increase the longevity of Hall of Gods as it prolongs the enjoyment of the game for players.
Possible Payouts
Payouts in Hall of Gods are fixed as opposed to variable, and operate from left to right on the columns, the reels do not pay both ways.
Based on the lowest possible stake of 0.20€, the payouts on winning lines at Hall of Gods are as follows, using the example of ‘symbol’: ‘amount of symbols on win line’ = ‘win amount’. The payout value is given in ‘coins’ and translates to 0.01€ per coin.
Players should always keep in mind that matching symbols must occur on one of the 20 win lines. Seeing three of the same symbol land after spinning the reels does not necessarily mean it will result in a payout, because they may not correspond to a payout line.
Random Number Generator
Like nearly all slot games, Hall of Gods uses a random number generator (henceforth RNG). This serves several purposes. Firstly, the RNG randomises the game and therefore ensures fairness to the player, but it also serves to safeguard against players that may want to gain an unfair advantage over the game.
RNGs are micro computers that are always generating numbers, normally between one and several billion, and they are able to do this every second.
This system is used to determine the position of the reels when they come to settle, so in other words the RNG is used to determine which symbols a player is presented with when they spin the reels.
An RNG randomises the frequency and size of payouts (keeping in line with the slot volatility and RTP) which maintains the unpredictability of the slot and keeps the game fun and fair for players.
About the jackpot
All three of Hall of Gods’ jackpots (mini, midi and mega) are progressive jackpots. This means that every time a player spins the reels, a small portion of their stake is contributed to each of the three different-sized jackpots.
The respective jackpots therefore increase in value the more people play - hence the term progressive.
The three jackpots available in Hall of Gods can drop at any time, at any amount, which keeps players on the edge of their seat every time they spin a bonus symbol!
Most recent win
The most recent win on the mega jackpot at Hall of Gods was on Wednesday 8th January 2020, where one lucky player scooped up €3,686,908. Unfortunately not much is known about the winner beyond the amount that they won at the time.
Largest wins
The largest mega jackpot win on this game took place on 18th April, 2015. The player was playing Hall of Gods at Unibet Casino when they very fortunately picked up €7,820,888.
It was won by a Norwegian player who opted to remain anonymous.
The second largest win on the Hall of Gods mega jackpot landed on February 8th 2012, and this also came on Unibet Casino.
The winner was a Swedish lady who chose to remain anonymous and her win was €7,673,975.
While her identity was not publicised, Unibet did quote the player as saying “You read in the papers about people winning big and always wonder what it would be like if it happens to me… it’s a dream everyone has, and now I’m living it!”
Hall of Gods is an immersive slot game which keeps players entertained with regular payouts thanks to its relatively low slot volatility combined with its RTP percentage being in the mid-90s.
When you add to the equation that this is a game with high quality graphics and a smooth reel spin action, it is a slot that is very easy on the eye when playing it and keeps players engaged.
It is no surprise, therefore, that Hall of Gods is currently regarded as one of the bigger and better jackpots slots in the industry.
The only minimal disadvantage which can be pointed out is that the bonus game is quite straightforward, and it can give players the feeling that they have no control of the outcome. Making the bonus game more interactive and introducing something like scope for player choice could enhance the player’s enjoyment of the game.
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