Gonzo’s Gold Slot Review

20/01/2022 | Categories: NetEnt Slots | Published by: Joe | Last updated: 05/01/2024

Swedish online gambling leviathan NetEnt, which now operates under the Evolution Gaming banner, has been making massive moves lately, trying to break through to the US market. In June 2021, they struck a deal with the software provider Slotegrator for the latter to distribute their products to their network of partners. In September 2021, they announced teaming up with social casino provider High 5 Games. That showed that this company is sharpening its knives, getting ready to begin cutting a slice of that industry section.

As everyone deep into this sphere knows, NetEnt’s most prized slot possession is Gonzo’s Quest. That is a legendary reel-spinner that has persevered for over a decade, still maintaining its status as one of the sector’s most played games. In preparation for releasing the game’s VR version, NetEnt decided to treat reel-spinning enthusiasts to another addition in this franchise, one for “regular” interactive gamblers. Gonzo’s Gold entered online casino game catalogs in October 2021. After a super-strong debut, instantly jumping into the top 20 rankings, it has since faced multiple peaks and valleys. Below, we research the reasons for its ranking inconsistency.

Theme & Design

The theme of Gonzo’s Gold is iGaming’s favorite Spanish conquistador and his lust for finding alluring riches. Gonzalo Pizzaro’s first incarnation into the slot verse happened in 2011 when he introduced the avalanche mechanic into slot gameplay. It is likely what has kept him alive and well in this gaming genre for so long. Of course, that, along with the fact that the original Gonzo title frequently gets tied into promo deals.

Unlike previous Gonzo games, which utilized 3D graphics, NetEnt has opted for a 2D approach this time around. The thing with this slot is that it has a very Book of Dead feel, which is another mythical spinner, one released by Play’n Go. Many of the visual elements in Gonzo’s Gold replicate those in Book of Dead. The colors here are vibrant, with gold and khaki dominating. They get contrasted by powerful reds, greens, blues, and violets. There is nothing impressive about Gonzo’s Gold presentation. We even found the tribal-like soundtrack, heavy on drums, dull, and passé. Overall, this game is not a looker. If anything, it feels somewhat outdated.

The button configuration it utilizes is standard. It has the spin, turbo, and auto-spins buttons in the middle, the mute, balance/win info on the right, and the bet adjuster and settings options on the left of the game’s semi-transparent interface panel.

Specs & Gameplay

Gonzo’s Gold is a five-reel, five-row slot that utilizes the cluster pays system. Hence, there are no paylines here. Wins on this slot form when several symbols group together on the reel grid. The variance of this title is high, and its default RTP is 95.07%. However, the return-to-player percentage of Gonzo’s Gold can vary from 91.09% to 96.11%, depending on your chosen operator. Bet sizes here go as low as $0.10 and as high as $200. Thus, this is a game for those that like to take substantial risks when spinning digital reels. Their adventurous spirit may get rewarded with a max prize of x6,500 for their stake.

The low-paying symbols of Gonzo’s Gold are different colored A to 10 royals. Clusters of these can yield wins from x200 to x300 for groups of twenty-five and ones of x0.4 for four royals lumped together. The high-paying tokens in this game are three statues and Gonzo himself. They provide wins of either x750, x2,000, or x5,000 for clusters of twenty-five. For groups of three high-paying symbols, Gonzo’s Gold pays out rewards of x1, x1.5, and x2.

A golden temple is the Scatter here. It also acts as a Wild.

Bonus Features

Hitting at least three Scatters (golden temples) gets you entry in the Free Spins bonus round. Inside this mode, you get combinations of complimentary reel rotations and multiplied payouts depending on how many Scatters you have landed. These are ten free spins and an x2 multiplier, twenty complimentary rotations, plus an x20 multiplier, and ten free spins and an x20 multiplier, respectively, for hitting three, four, or five Scatters on the grid.

At the start of the Free Spins round, one symbol randomly gets chosen to be an expanding one for the duration of this mode. When two or more instances of this selected symbol land on the same spin, they expand to cover an entire reel or row.

You can retrigger this bonus round.

GOSU Verdict

Gonzo’s Gold is NetEnt’s attempt to appeal to fans of Book of Dead. It is a simple game that features some crude artwork for NetEnt’s standards. It may appeal to some casual players, but we doubt that hard-core ones will love it. They may if they want to place over $100 per wager. However, such players rarely exist, as heavy-hitters like to stick to table games where decision-making plays a role in-game results. They are not fond of the random gameplay provided by slots. Overall, this reel-spinner has an enticing max-win potential, but we found the base gameplay here super uneventful and its presentation uninspiring. Gonzo’s Gold gets a pass from us, and we would advise you to wait for another addition in the series or stick to playing the Megaways edition. That is a quality game that will keep you spinning for hours on end.