Gates of Glory: Slot Overview

It's scatter wins time, folks, and this time, we've got software provider iSoftBet to thank for providing the opportunity for some pay from anywhere as long as the right number of matching symbols hit action. The vehicle for this extremely popular gaming method has been named Gates of Glory, which is either playful, a little bit cheeky, or maybe, just maybe, completely innocent (unlikely, though). The reason for assuming these three scenarios is due to the long, dark shadow Pragmatic Play's slot Gates of Olympus 1000 casts over the scatter pays slot category and the closeness of many of Gates of Glory's features.

Gates of Glory does not have Zeus as its main character, however, but rather Odin, The Allfather, the big man of Asgard, or ???? as his name is runically written. Odin gets a rugged game world to inhabit made up of heavy, mythology-style imagery - mountains, an Odin Meter, and so on and so forth. For the most part, the visuals are alright; there's a solid mythology vibe going on, and Odin looks strong, so there's little to moan about on the front end. Not a lot to get super hyped up about as well, though.

As a scatter pays slot, winning combinations require at least 8 matching symbols to land, and winning symbols may hit in any position on the grid. Symbols spin through on a 6-reel, 5-row gaming matrix. A medium volatile math model powers the game, generating a default RTP of 96% when betting 20 c to $/€20 per spin or 96.02% when using the optional Odin Bet. Activating the Odin Bet increases the base stake by 25%, increasing the chance of triggering free spins.

On each spin, winning symbols disappear, making gaps on the grid. Symbols tumble to fill all of the empty spaces, meaning players get another chance to win. Tumbles end when no new win is created. As for symbols, blue, green, yellow, purple, and red gems are Gates of Glory's low-pay symbols; helms, axes, hammers, and Odin are the highs. A baseline 8 OAK hit awards 0.25 to 2.5 times the player's stake, while 12+ winning combinations are worth 1 to 25 times the bet. Don't be looking for wilds to help complete wins, as they are not used in Gates of Glory's base game or bonus round.

Gates of Glory: Slot Features

Gates of Glory has tumble wins, multiplier symbols and free spins, plus a few twists and turns in there to avoid it being a total GOO clone.

Eye of Odin

Eye of Odin symbols come with a multiplier of x2 to x50. When more than one multiplier is present, the values are additive. At the end of a winning tumble run, the total multiplier is applied to the total win amount.

Free Spins

Collecting 4 or more scatters triggers the free spins feature. The Odin Meter may help out here, as it randomly lights 1, 2, or 3 of its positions, so fewer scatters are required on the reels to trigger the free spins round. When the Odin Meter is full (4+), the bonus triggers. The lit positions on the Odin Meter represent the same number of scatters, so 1 lit position counts as 1 scatter. Therefore, only 3 scatters would be needed on the reels. Getting 4, 5, or 6 scatters triggers 8, 10, or 12 free spins, respectively.

Eye of Odin symbols continue to land on the reels in the bonus round. Multipliers are only active on spins when a win occurs. However, if an Eye of Odin symbol lands and no win is made, the lowest-paid symbol is removed. Players are granted an extra +2 spins by landing 3 scatters or +4 spins by landing 4 scatters.

Odin Guarantee

If a free spins round ends and the winning total is less than 10x the bet, the Odin Guarantee triggers, and +4 additional free spins are awarded.

Gates of Glory: Slot Verdict

As mentioned, iSoftBet has made a few twists and turns to Gates of Glory's rules, but it's not totally clear if they are amazing variations on the whole. The biggest puzzle was trying to decide whether the free spins changes were exciting modifications or mood killers. Ultimately, it may just depend on what results gamblers receive as to whether Gates of Glory's rule set will be viewed positively or not. Removing lower-paying symbols and achieving solid hits will no doubt cause a favourable response. However, the absence of a persistent total multiplier was noticeable, as this is often how these sorts of slots operate. Perhaps it's a simple case of needing time to adjust to Gates of Glory's changes and appreciating the fact a developer is willing to try new things.

Gates of Glory isn't monstrously new, though, and at times, it did feel like playing a game that was trying hard to cling to another slot's coattails. Fair enough, a lot of software teams have probably eyed up Pragmatic Play's success in this arena with envy. That'd explain why there are so many closely designed slots floating about the place and why more are likely on the way. By way of comparison, Blueprint Gaming's scatter pays slot Eagle Storm, for example, came out around the same time as Gates of Glory as a competitor. Eagle Storm arguably emerges as a stronger game by keeping a total win multiplier in free spins and being able to grow it even with non-winning spin multiplier symbols (available in one of its bonus buys). Eagle Storm's familiar system was easier to gel with than Gates of Glory's, which didn't trigger as much enjoyment, but a symbol removal feature in a scatter pays game is an intriguing development.