Joker Jackpot Slot Review

The Vikings get a pretty bad rap. What with the violence, murder and invasions and everything, they weren’t seen as the friendliest of tribes. But Joker Jackpot by Big Time Gaming, released 3 years ago, takes a different tone altogether.

Along with the refreshingly bright visuals, there’s an innovative gameplay on hand that flies in the face of traditional slot gaming, as well as 3 possible progressive jackpots and a £100,000 prize up for grabs.

Heads up for These Vikings

If you didn’t know your history at all, you’d assume the Vikings were a warm, cheeky and welcoming set of people. As soon as the screen comes up, you’re greeted by 5 sets of reels by 5 rows. There are no lines or barriers between them. You’ll also notice the cloudless skies and crystal clear water behind the reels.

Prominent within them are two smiling sets of heads, a male and female. As well as the boy wearing a helmet and the girl a flower bead on her head, you’ll notice that the smiling heads are at different times. While one may just be tilting their head to the left, another on the screen is moving their head to the other side and smiling. And this same process applies with the shields, hammer and green-haired troll.

There’s no name of the game at the top, but rather on one of the boxes on the right. Even then your attention is more drawn towards the 3 jackpots that are highlighted intermittingly above it and the fun and easy-going music.

Hammer Time

The unusual outlook of looking at the Nordic theme continues with its distinctive gameplay. There are no arrows or coins on the screen or flashing lights along the side. Indeed, its 5 reels by 5 rows is rather rare too. But Joker Jackpot takes this further by having the game as a sort of slot game Tetris.

When you spin all 25 images go off screen before coming back down again randomly. A cheery Good Luck plays before every spin, and then if 6 in a consecutive order of any symbol in either a vertical or horizontal order match, you get credits. If this happens, then you get a sort of half-bonus spin as the replacement symbols may well gain you credits too.

And what you win is super easy to see. On the right-hand side where the game’s name was is plenty of space for up to 3 types of wins. How much you win depends on what you bet, with the least amount being 0.25. There are only two amounts below 1.00, several going up to 100.00, and the maximum of a huge 1,000.00.

Chest the Thing for Bonuses

It’s always fun to see a treasure chest, and here it means more than most slot games. Especially when there are no Scatters, Wildcards or Free Spins. You’ll get it by matching 5 or more icons either vertically or horizontally. Clicking on the chest guarantees a win sequence of varying amounts.

As playing this game is unconventional, it fits that the results are unconventional too. Unlike other games where 5 of a kind is the maximum you can get, here you need to get 6 or more to get a prize. The green-haired young troll offers the best of the 5 symbols, with up to 100,000 for getting 16 or more. Indeed 13 or above takes you into 4 figures. There’s a drop to the other 4 symbols, though there’s plenty to be made with the Joker.

It may have seemed unusual to have a title Joker Jackpot when the game is all about the Vikings, but the jackpots explain it. There are 3 prizes on offer. If you get 5 of the grinning jokers it awards the Mini Jackpot, 6 pays the Midi Jackpot and 7 or more gives out the Maxi Jackpot. As all 3 are progressive jackpots, it really does keep things interesting to the last moment.

Vikings of the World

Unlike with games of similar Nordic themes like Vikings Go Wild by Yggdrasil Gaming and Vikings Voyage, there are no weapons or ships. Indeed, the characters here are as young as you’ll find anywhere. And with its unique gameplay and very high stakes and jackpots, there’s plenty of distinction here.

Lots to Enjoy

With its Viking theme, childish characters and bright colours and images, Joker Jackpot really does delight in creating its own vision. This originality continues to its highly innovative gameplay and the opportunity for winning big on its regular symbols. There really is plenty to enjoy here. While traditionalists may prefer Wildcards, Scatters, Free Spins and Bonus Features, Joker Jackpot shows how much fun you can have when changing the rules.