Red Rake Gaming transports avid reel spinners to a seafaring adventure with its Vikings Journey slot, released in 2022. The feared Scandinavian mariners have served as a source of inspiration for many films, TV shows, and video slots, with their ever-lasting struggle to conquer new lands.
As players spin the reels of Vikings Journey, they will see the fearless Viking attacking the King, leaving Wild symbols along the way and securing more rewarding winnings. They can adjust their stakes anywhere in the range from 0.1 to 100. The action unfolds across a 5×4 playing grid producing 178 paylines in total.
The game’s RTP of 95.4% positions it on the lower spectrum of average for contemporary online slots. The medium volatility ensures a well-balanced relationship between the frequency and size of payouts.
| Vikings Journey Slot Summary | |
 Game Provider: Red Rake Gaming |
Release Date: 2022 |
| Game Type: Video Slot |
Theme(s): Vikings theme |
| Reels: 5 |
Wild Symbols: Yes |
| Rows: 4 |
Scatters: Yes |
| Paylines: 178 fixed lines |
Free Spins: Yes |
| Payout/RTP: 95.4% |
Bonus Game: Yes |
| Volatility Level: Medium |
Progressive Jackpot: No |
| Min Bet: 0.10 |
Autoplay: Yes |
| Max Bet: 100 |
Max Win: 427.3x |
Vikings Journey Theme
The playing grid of Vikings Journey is set against the backdrop of a vast expanse of glistening glaciers stretching out to the horizon. The cold Nordic surroundings are in perfect harmony with the audio background, featuring the freezing splash of ocean waves.
Unlike many other slots, this one does not use playing card royals, with only Vikings-related symbols landing on the reels instead. This, as a matter of fact, is great, as it helps to set the tone for enthralling gameplay. The symbols include items from the Vikings’ daily life as conquerors such as axes, horns, shields, and their distinct warships.
The software developer has come up with the idea of symbol interaction, whereby the Viking chases the King every time the two symbols land simultaneously on the reels. This generates additional regular Wilds in the process, thus enhancing players’ chances to pocket more sizable prizes.
As for the Bonus Game, it is also associated with the Vikings’ struggle to seize new lands and treasures of powerful kings. It is a coin-based game delivering players the opportunity to extract maximum value from this world ruled by intimidating warriors.
How Vikings Journey Compares to Other Slot Games
Vikings have left an exceptionally rich cultural heritage, which serves as inspiration for modern-day TV shows, films, and video slots. Given the great diversity of Viking-themed slots, however, players should be cautious to pick the best ones.
Reel spinners should not hesitate to try out Vikings by NetEnt, based on the self-titled Netflix hit TV series. Released in 2018, the slot plays out on a 5×3 grid, producing 243 win lines. The slot’s bonus features include hotspots, shield wall features, and raid spins. Bets fall within the range of 0.2 and 100 and the RTP stands at 96.05%.
More similar slots:
- Book of Vikingns by Pragmatic Play
- Vikings Go Wild by Yggdrasil
- Dragon Ship by Play’n GO
- Power of Gods: Valhala by Wazdan
Vikings Journey Symbols and Payouts
Let us now turn our attention to the paytable of Vikings Journey and the symbols that will land on the reels during this seafaring adventure. There are a total of 178 paylines, formed by landing a minimum of three identical symbols in adjacent slots from the grid, from left to right.
An awe-inspiring Viking performs the function of a standard Wild symbol that can act as a replacement for all other symbols from the paytable except for the King and the Viking Wild. Additionally, the standard Wild returns payouts of 5x the stake if players manage to form combinations of five adjacent symbols on a payline.
Besides the standard Wild, there are six more symbols. The emblematic Scandinavian longships deliver returns of 0.2x, 0.5x, and 2x the bet when players form combinations of three, four, or five identical images on a payline. The same payouts are awarded by three to five instances of double-headed axes and horns.
The other symbols from the paytable are red, yellow, and blue shields, sharing equally-sized payouts of 0.1x, 0.2x, and 1x the stake for three to five hits.
| Vikings JourneyWinning Combinations and Payouts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Symbols | 3 Matches | 4 Matches | 5 Matches |
 Regular Viking Wild Symbol |
– | – | 5x |
 Longship |
0.2x | 0.5x | 2x |
 Double-headed Axe |
0.2x | 0.5x | 2x |
 Horn |
0.2x | 0.5x | 2x |
 Red Shield |
0.1x | 0.2x | 1x |
 Yellow Shield |
0.1x | 0.2x | 1x |
 Blue Shield |
0.1x | 0.2x | 1x |
Bonus Features Overview
With Wilds, Scatters, multipliers, Free Spins, and a lucrative side game, the bonus features of Vikings Journey bring players closer to more solid wins.
Wilds and Scatters
As we already mentioned above, the function of the regular Wild symbol in this slot is performed by the Viking. Except for forming winning combinations with other symbols, the standard Wild returns payouts on its own when players land 5 copies on a payline. The Viking Wild appears on the fifth reel only and moves one reel to the left, generating respins in the process. Once the Viking Wild reaches the first reel, the respins end.
The King acts as the Scatter in this slot, seeing as three identical symbols trigger three respins of all other symbols. The images of the King remain fixed in their positions on the grid during the respins.
In case a Viking and a King (or several King symbols) land simultaneously on the reels, the Viking will attack and eliminate the King, leaving regular Wilds behind and producing more substantial wins along the way.
The King’s Coins Minigame
Upon loading the game, players will notice the progress bar located to the left of the main playing grid. It indicates how close they are to triggering the exciting King’s Coins Minigame. The progress bar is filled by collecting King symbols that have not been subjected to attack by the Viking symbol. Once the meter is full, the minigame will be triggered. It features the same playing grid, composed of five reels and four rows.
Once it is launched, there are three fixed coins and three free spins. Each additional coin will also remain static and the counter will restart at three free spins. The game ends when all positions of the grid are filled with coins or when the free spins are exhausted.
If an image of a Viking lands with a multiplier attached, the multiplier value will be applied to up to three coins and then will disappear. Provided that all positions on the grid contain coins, players will receive the Grand jackpot.
Pros & Cons of Vikings Journey
- The Viking Wild attack the King and generates additional Wilds in the process
- Respins feature
- The King’s Coins minigame is a high-paying bonus game
- The RTP of the game is on the lower side of the spectrum
- The regular symbols award low payouts
- The minigame is not very easy to launch
Vikings Journey FAQs
- Does the King symbol in Vikings Journey return payouts as the Viking symbol?
- No, the King is a non-paying symbol. He serves the function of triggering the free spins, as well as the King’s Coins minigame, once the progress bar gets full.
- What is the RTP and volatility of Vikings Journey?
- TVikings Journey’s RTP stands at 95.4%, which is below the industry average value of 96%. As for the volatility, it is medium, indicating a fine balance between the frequency of winnings and their size.
- How many King symbols are necessary to launch the King’s Coin minigame?
- Players need to accumulate 120 King symbols to trigger the minigame. Bear in mind that these are symbols that have not been attacked by the Viking. Therefore, players should place smaller bets to keep their gambling finances under control.