Stormforged

As far as visually appealing online casino slots go, Stormforged is perhaps one of the very best. It features an assortment of highly detailed symbols and immersive scenes that appear before each bonus. The theme for this title is Norse Mythology, and while the base game is set in a snowy mountain range, elements of fire are introduced periodically. The Stormforged slot comes with a total of 5 reels, 14 pay lines, and a minimum stake size of 0.10 per spin!  

It may come as no surprise to punters that this title was created by Hacksaw, with the company being known for producing games that host an array of impressive graphics. Their portfolio is loaded with popular video slots, including Wanted Dead or A Wild, Book of Time, and Buffalo Stack'n'Sync. Hacksaw has also produced instant win games, such as Coins Dare2Win, in the past.

Regular icons in this slot consist of the J, Q, K, and A symbols that are often included in slots online. Premiums are next, shown as swords, an axe, a helmet, a ram, a crow, and a dog. These can award players with 10x, 15x, 20x, 30x, 40x, or 50x their stake size, respectively, should five form a matching combination.

The Stormforged slot also comes with a massive number of special symbols. There are treasure chests that can contain fixed values, alongside the Hand of Surtur and 'Ice Brand', both of which can turn reels wild. As for scatters, there are three, shown as a Viking, the hammer of Thor, and Surtur himself.  

Finally, there is a regular wild symbol, displayed as 'W', that can replace any standard or premium icon as part of a combination. While these special symbols are linked to specific mechanics, most of them can form their own combinations, too!  

The first feature in Stormforged is linked to the previously mentioned Hand of Surtur symbol. If these land and can create a matching combination, they will tear down to the bottom of the reel, leaving a Portal to Muspelheim in their wake. These portals are wild, and if they remove a wild from the board, the corresponding position will come with a multiplier of 2x to 200x. If more than one multiplier wild is used in a combination, the values are added before being applied. 

Interestingly, if a chest appears below one of these Hand of Surtur symbols, it will open when the hand tears downwards. This will reveal a coin with a fixed value of between 5x to 2,500x the stake size, which will be immediately awarded to the player. Should the hand open a chest and remove a wild at the same time, the wild multiplier will be applied to the value on the coin, too. 

Should 3, 4, or 5 Surtur scatter icons land simultaneously, players will be awarded with 10, 12, or 14 free spins, respectively, before they are taken to a fiery lair. Throughout this mode, the first wild that lands on any reel will lock into place for the remaining free spins. If an 'Ice Brand' symbol activates a wild, it will perform in a similar way to the 'Hand of Surtur', slashing all the way to the bottom of the reel. Again, it can unlock treasure chests and add multipliers in place of regular wilds. It's also worth mentioning that this mode can be retriggered, as landing 2, 3, 4, or 5 scatter icons will award 2, 4, 6, or 8 more spins, in that order. 

Last but not least is the 'Warriors of the Storm' bonus which can be activated if 3, 4, or 5 Viking scatter symbols appear in the base game. Players will be awarded with 10, 12, or 14 free spins, with Hammer of Thor symbols being added to the reels before the round begins. Should one of these appear, it will turn the corresponding reel into a fully stacked wild for the rest of the round.  

After each spin, each fully stacked wild reel will reveal a Viking, or the word 'Storm'. If a Viking appears, a multiplier of up to 200x will be applied to the wild, depending on which character is present. If the text 'Storm' is revealed, the wild will be moved one position to the left before the next spin. Should more than one multiplier wild be part of a combination in Stormforged, the values will be added together before being applied. Players can also receive 2, 4, 6, or 8 extra free spins in this mode if 2, 3, 4, or 5 Viking scatter icons appear simultaneously.  

To summarise, the Stormforged slot offers an immersive experience to players, thanks to the engaging sounds and outstanding visuals. It also comes with two different bonus modes, alongside a selection of spin modifiers!