Embark On a Journey to Riches with Thunder Shields
iSoftBet invites you to embark on a journey to riches in Thunder Shields, the company’s latest pokie. Thunder Shields is available at dozens of online casinos and has been since November 19.
Viking-themed pokies are not exactly anything new, but none of them have iSoftBet’s Hold and Win engine. Is that enough to have you diving into a longboat and sailing off on a quest for glory? We are about to find out.
Thunder Shields Fundamentals
Pokies created by iSoftBet are known for their high-end graphics and sounds, and Thunder Shields doesn’t disappoint. iSoftBet has created a Norse / Viking pokie that looks and sounds the part.
High-tech algorithms and software lurk underneath the vibrant colours. They power the 5×4 layout and create a machine with medium-to-high volatility and an average RTP. That RTP is exactly 96%, meaning a 4% house edge which is almost exactly the industry average.
There are 40 win lines in Thunder Shields leading to some strange bet amounts. $0.01 per win line is the least you can bet and $1 per win line is the maximum. This leads to $0.40 min bets and $40 max bets.
You can win significant sums from this game. 4,035x is the biggest possible payout from this machine, which equates to $161,400 at maximum stakes. This isn’t the largest payout in the world, but adequate for a pokie with this variance level.
Thunder Shield Symbols
None of the Thunder Shields symbols is particularly high value, even the ones labelled as such. Royals from 10 to Aces make up the lowest-value symbols. They look pretty cool thanks to iSoftBet creating them in a runic font.
Four Viking characters represent the higher-value symbols but none set the world alight. A red-eyed man with a horned helmet pays 6.25x for landing five, for example.
Winning combinations are helped with the inclusion of a lightning hammer. This is the wild symbol that substitutes for every other regular symbol.
We have to admit the main game’s payouts are quite poor but things liven up with the bonus features.
What Are The Thunder Shields Bonus Features?
Everything positive about Thunder Shields revolves around the bonus features. There are four in total: Colossal Spins, Hold and Win, Mystery Spins, and Thunderstorm Prizes.
Mystery Spins happen during the base game and happen randomly. The crossed axes mystery symbols land in stacks and turn into the same random regular symbol. This can happen on any spin, adding at least three stacks of mystery symbols.
The Colossal Respin is triggered whenever a wild symbol lands on the board. The first two reels combine and create much larger symbols. Another reel merges and produces even larger symbols if a wild lands during the respins. These massive symbols can cover four reels and a multiplier comes into play too.
Cash Shield symbols are what you want to see plenty of because they unlock some of the biggest prizes. You need six or more Cash Shields anywhere on the 5×4 layout during the base game or colossal respins.
This starts the Hold and Win feature where only cash shields and five special shields land on the reels; you also receive three respins to start with. The cash shields come with fixed cash values of 1x to 250x. New bonus symbols lock into play and your respins reset to three. Modifiers come into play if a special shield symbols lands.
- 2x Multiplier – This doubles all cash values in view
- Collector – This collects all cash values in view and makes space for more cash shields to land
- Reel Boost – Hitting this activates an extra reel
- Cash Boost – All cash values in view increase
- Respin Boost – Your total respins increase by one
Are There Any Jackpots?
Everyone loves a jackpot and there are three in Thunder Shields: Mini, Major, and Mega. They can only be won during the Hold and Win feature and are worth 10x, 100x and 1,000x your bet. What’s great is these jackpot amounts increase with the use of modifiers, up to a 4,035x maximum jackpot.
Conclusion
We were excited to see iSoftBet launch a new pokie but it underwhelmed us. It has nothing new in its gameplay although its features are good. Are those features worth your time on their own merit? That depends on whether or not you’re prepared to grind through an average base game.
Many people are comparing Thunder Shields to Money Train 2. There are huge similarities but Money train 2 comes with a 50,000-times maximum payout. Play that instead, perhaps?
