Gonzo's Quest Slot: Is This Game An Adventure Worth Undertaking?

The Spanish conquistadors are perhaps a somewhat unusual topic for a slot, but what NetEnt have done with the exciting and popular Gonzo’s Slot is used the theme to create a very striking slot that is significantly different to almost every other online slot in New Jersey you can play.

The result is something that looks and plays spectacularly well. Let’s find out why.

Overview: Gonzo’s Quest

The eponymous hero of the slot stands to the left of the symbols. We can’t say reels because Gonzo’s Quest doesn’t use reels, but instead, the symbols, which are clearly inspired by Incan and Aztec civilizations, fall down from above.

So rather than “spin the reels” on Gonzo’s Quest, you click to induce a fresh fall of icons from above to replace those from a previous wager.

Of course, it is essentially still a spin, but it is a nice twist on the usual slot. The slot is a 5×3 game which boasts in game Wilds, scatter symbols and has a total of 20 paylines in play.

You can play from $0.20 per spin up to a maximum of $100 per spin by increasing the Coin Value and Bet Level options.

Who will Gonzo’s Quest slot appeal to?

This is most definitely a slot that will appeal to a broad range of slot fans.

The theme is somewhat unusual and not immediately appealing in itself, but the way the game has been presented, with sparse use of music and sounds against the jungle backdrop, does make it visually and audibly appealing.

Players that like novelty slots, such as one without reels, will also enjoy the game.

But there are also some interesting features, such as the Avalanche Reels (read Rolling Reels) option on every winning spin, which also comes with a very appealing multiplier for every successive win that the fresh Avalanche of symbols triggers.

There exists the potential for some decent base game wins, but this isn’t a slot for a player that wants to recoup as much as they spend as many base game wins are often considerably smaller than your initial bet.

Where to play Gonzo’s Quest in New Jersey

Currently you can play Gonzo’s Quest at three New Jersey online casinos: Betfair, Mohegan Sun, and Resorts.

Gameplay: Gonzo’s Quest

The gameplay itself is unusual in that rather than spinning reels, you simply have the symbols drop down from above each time you hit the button. After a while though, this new method of presenting the results of a spin does just become part of the game and almost goes unnoticed.

To be fair, not a great deal happens in the base game other than the occasional comment from Gonzo on the left and the Avalanche Multiplier feature kicking in when you hit a winning payline. This, however, is important as it is through this feature, especially when you can trigger several paylines in succession, that bigger base game wins are possible.

For each successive payline you trigger from an Avalanche Multiplier, you will see the multiplier climb. Land successive payline wins after each fall of symbols and your multiplier will climb from 1x to 2x, to 3x to 5x and it is at these later levels that the bigger base game wins are possible.

This feature does happen regularly in the base game and can keep your bankroll topped up nicely as to be truthful, like several NetEnt games of late, hitting the Free Falls bonus round (Gonzo’s Quest version of Free Spins) is worryingly rare.

Free Falls is a good feature when triggered as you get 10 Free Spins and during this feature the Multiplier changes to 3x, 6x, 9x and 15x. This offers you the chance of a much bigger multiplier as the Avalanche Reels feature is still in operation during free spins.

There are also some nice animations when you do trigger the free spins and free spins can be retriggered from within the free spins round (though good luck with that!), it is just a pity that they are triggered so infrequently in the base game.

Special features: Gonzo’s Quest

Avalanche Multiplier

Every successful payline will disappear in the base game and more symbols will cascade down from the top of the screen.

If you can string winning paylines together, the Multiplier applied to them can increase from 1x up to a maximum of 5x your usual payline win.

Free Fall

Gonzo’s equivalent of a Free Spins round, earn 10 Free Spins with an increased amount on the Avalanche Multiplier feature and the chance to retrigger free spins from within the base game.

Wild Symbol

The question mark symbol is the in game wild and will substitute for any symbol in the game bar the Free Fall symbol.

What works?

Avalanche Multiplier – Without this, the game would be much, much poorer. This enhances the base game immeasurably and gives players the chance of a decent win while they wait (sometimes endlessly) for the free spins round to trigger.
Graphics – I haven’t put presentation here because the sound is somewhat rudimentary and to be honest, somewhat simplistic. However the graphics and animation on the slot are excellent and imbued with a sense of fun and humour that works nicely.
Easily scalable to all pockets – You can play Gonzo’s quest form just $0.20 per spin, which makes it affordable for most players, and you can scale up to wager more each time you click the button.

What doesn’t?

Sound – The sound is somewhat basic really, with generic South American-based musical flourishes, jungle noises and the occasional grunt or sound from Gonzo himself. It’s not bad sound, it just lacks the wow factor of the graphics that accompany it.
Free Spins – The Free Spins round is fantastic and offers you a great chance to win larger sums, but hitting it can take forever and can prove expensive if the base game tightens up.
Small base game wins – Sure the winning payline music plays, but you often find you win just 3 or 5 coins, when you have bet 20. The Avalanche Multiplier is your friend here and can boost these winnings, but often it does not. Watch your bankroll closely.

The scores

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Graphics and soundtrack 4/5

The graphics on the slot are a definite 5/5 as they look stunning, however the sound is somewhat unimaginative and a tad generic. Hence the point mark down.

Originality and creativity 3.5/5

There’s lots of nice touches in the slot and it has all the usual NetEnt polish. Having no reels is a brave choice and it does work in this instance, but there’s not a huge amount of innovation when you get past that.

Play value 2.5/5

Gonzo’s Quest is a medium to high variance slot, which means you can go a long time with only smaller base game wins. However, the Avalanche feature and the value you get when you eventually hit free spins do make it worth persevering with.

Jackpot potential 2.5/5

The jackpot on Gonzo’s Quest is 93.750 coins, which isn’t the largest around. But when you can wager higher coin values, that becomes a very appealing sum.

Repeat play 4/5

It is easy to see why Gonzo’s Quest has enjoyed such appeal to slot fans and become one of the best NJ online slots to play. This is one slot that, if you have the bank balance, you will want to play time and time again.

Total score 16.5/25

There is so much to like about the Gonzo’s Quest slot – sure the difficulty of hitting free spins is annoying and the sound isn’t quite up to the standard of the graphics – but it is a slot that overcomes these issues to offer great gaming to its players.