Viking Mania
Back in July 2012, the games developer Playtech launched their fun Viking themed slot game called Viking Mania. Being a Viking isn’t easy the game states but it does appear to be a lot of fun. With comical cartoon styled characters that wouldn’t look amiss in a Shrek movie, this online slot looks to offer plenty of entertainment.
Viking Mania from Playtech is a 5-reel and 3-row online slot with 20 pay lines. These are not fixed so you can set how many you would like active for any game. You will find some standard features that appear in most Playtech slots and these include a wild symbol and a scatter symbol that can activate a free spins bonus round. In addition to these, you have an extra feature called the ‘Viking Playtime Bonus’ where you throw weapons at your friend for cash prizes. The Viking Mania slot has a top prize for the highest symbol of 10,000 coins.
How to play Viking Mania Video Slot
When you load the slot to play you will be treated to a short animated introduction to the game. Here you will see the characters from this game playing tricks on each other and this helps to show the fun element to this slot. When the game reels eventually load you are out in the open in what looks like a field with a path and with trees either side. The game reels look to be made of scroll paper and everything has a brownish look to it.
The game makes uses playing card values 9, 10, J, Q and K to denote lower value symbols for the game. You then have a sort of hog looking animal, a Viking horn, a Viking Mistress and the two Vikings themselves of which one offers the top cash reward and the other acts as the Wild symbol. There is also a Viking Map and this acts as the scatter symbol which can launch the free spins bonus round. Finally, there is a Viking (Thor-like) Hammer which activates the Viking Playtime Bonus.
Before playing the Viking Mania online slot you can adjust your cost per spin. This is done via the + and – symbols under the line bet option. The values range from 20p all the way up to £100. The number of active pay lines can also be altered from 1 to 20. Combining these options alows you to set the cost per spin from 20p (£4 for all active pay lines) up to a maximum of £2,000.
To start playing Viking Mania click the wooden looking ‘Spin’ button in the bottom right-hand side of the game screen. You can also play 10, 20, 30, 50 or 99 automated spins via the ‘Auto Play’ button. There is also a Bet Max button which will spin the reels at your current coin value per line multiplied by all 20 pay lines.
The base game for Viking Mania is the same as for any online slots and this is that you are looking to match symbols on a winning pay line and this can include the wild symbol. The wild symbols substitute for all others apart from the Scatter and Viking Bonus symbols. During the base game, you will be looking mainly for one of two features.
The first is the free spins bonus round which is activated by landing 3 scatter symbols during any single spin. Once activated you will receive 10 free spins with a 3x multiplier. During this bonus round, you are unable to land the Viking Bonus but the wild symbol becomes an expanding symbol. The free spins can be re-triggered during this feature if you land another 3 scatter symbols. Once the free spins are complete you will be returned to the base game.
The second feature you are looking for is the Viking Playtime Bonus. As the reels spin, if you land the Viking Hammer on the middle row of any reel, that reel becomes active and helps build the word bonus underneath the reels. Once you have activated all 5 reels, the Viking Playtime Bonus will be launched. This feature sees your friend tied to a wooden target. You get to choose various items to throw at him including a chicken, eggs, tomatoes, the Viking Hammer and a Viking Axe. You get 10 free throws. Some may miss but those that land on the target award you a multiplier against your total bet per spin. Once all 10 throws are complete you are returned to the base game.
Viking Mania Video Slot Tips
Click ‘info’ in the bottom-left to view a series of 4 screens that give information about the game. Here you can see the coin payout levels for the number of matching symbols on an active pay line and the mappings for each of them.
You can run this slot in Freeplay or demo mode at one of our recommended online casinos. This will enable you to learn how the game works and then if you want to play for real you can switch to real cash play at any time. You can play Viking Mania for free at Paddy Power Casino.
Is Viking Mania the right video slot for you?
The Viking Mania video slot has a theoretical RTP (return to player) of 94.96% giving a house edge of 5.04%. We tested the game over 100 spins at a minimum £4 cost per spin and found this slot to be a decent medium variance game. Although you have to be prepared to spend at least £4 on each spin, we never had a dry spell of more than 7 spins without a win. Then when we did receive a cash reward they were of a decent size.
The frequency of the wins and the level of reward means that we experienced a good level of extended gameplay. We also landed both the free spins and the Viking Playtime Bonus which helped boost our balance even further. If you have a free casino bonus then this would help with managing the cost per spin and let you play for the chance of the big wins, especially during the bonus features. Overall, Viking Mania is a fun and rewarding game to play.
