Gonzo's Quest (original) (raw)

Gonzo's Quest Review

Gonzo's Quest is one of NetEnt's most popular online slots. Years after its release, Red Tiger Gaming (owned by NetEnt) came up with Gonzo's Quest Megaways. Evolution (which acquired NetEnt) came up with Gonzo's Treasure Hunt Live. The Virtual Reality version of Gonzo's Quest – Gonzo's Quest VR – that was once announced with much fanfare was never released.

Gonzo's Quest revolves around David Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador. According to some, they cheerful adventurers, others see the Spaniards of the time mainly as murderous gold robbers. Peru, where Gonzo's Quest takes place, is one of the few countries where Gonzo's Quest is not one of the most popular NetEnt slots.

Gonzo's Quest has become especially popular thanks to the “Avalanche” mechanism in combination with a progressive multiplier. After each successful “Avalanche” the multiplier increases. Up to a maximum of 5 times in the base game and a maximum of 15 times in the bonus game.

You can win up to 37,500 times your bet per bonus spin. That gigantic winning potential in combination with the entertaining game mechanism makes up for the disappointing payout percentage of 95.97%.

How Does the Gonzo's Quest Slot Work?

Gonzo's Quest has 20 active paylines. The minimum stake per spin per payline is €0.01, so you can play from €0.20 per spin. The maximum stake per spin is €50. That amounts to €2.50 per payline. The amount of your bet does not affect the payout percentage or the chance of winning. Well on the payout if you win, as payouts are based on your bet.

The symbols are coloured boulders. These boulders fall instead of spinning on reels. Does that result in a winning combination? Then the winning boulders will disappear from your screen. All boulders above it fall down as far as possible and new boulders are placed on the empty places. The multiplier also increases. This increases via x2 and x3 to a maximum of x5 in the basic game. The free “avalanches” stop if an “avalanche” does not result in a winning combination.

The boulders in Gonzo's Quest will give you a maximum of 125 times your bet per combination and without a multiplier. With a multiplier, they are good for a maximum of 625 times your bet in the base game. The question marks count as a Wild symbol and thus help you to form winning combinations.

Gonzo's Quest Layout

When it comes to the layout, Gonzo's Quest slot doesn't reinvent the wheel. If you've played other 5-reel slots before, you should be very familiar with the design.

Gonzo is a 5-reel, 3-row, 20-payline slot machine. If you move the mouse over the numbers on the edge of the field, the corresponding payline is highlighted.

The layout is straightforward and works well if you want to play Gonzo's Quest on mobile. It doesn't matter whether you visit the game via iPhone Casino or Android non GamStop casino. In the case of both end devices, the layout automatically adapts to the size of your screen.

On the desktop, however, you have the option – unlike in the case of a mobile visit – to spin the reels with the space bar. In addition, Gonzo's Quest has an autoplay function.

The Gonzo's Quest slot machine caused a sensation in 2011 with the Avalanche Reels. Developer NetEnt was less creative with the layout. Instead, the established standard – 5 reels and 3 rows – is good enough.

Grid slots like Reactoonz or Moon Princess are becoming increasingly popular on the desktop. But when I think about playing on mobile, I prefer slots like Gonzo's Quest. The design is sufficiently compact for mobile phone displays. In addition, the slot machine does not overwhelm me with the bonus or other functions with controls. After setting the bet, all I have to do is tap the screen to spin the reels.

If fixed paylines bother you, Gonzo's Quest Megaways might be the alternative you've been looking for. The Megaways open up more winning opportunities and the maximum win is higher.

Free Falls Bonus

Because the boulders in Gonzo's Quest fall instead of spinning on the reels, the bonus game does not consist of free spins, but of “free falls”. You unlock the bonus by spinning at least three bonus symbols – a shining stone with a defensive shield – in one spin. Can you manage that? Then you get 10 “free falls”.

During the “free falls” the multiplier is increased. You start every spin with a multiplier of x3. A winning spin is followed by an “avalanche” with a multiplier of x6. Do you have a winning combination again? Then you play the next “avalanche” with a multiplier of 9 times. If this “avalanche” also produces a winning combination, you play from the fourth “avalanche” with a multiplier of no less than 15 times.

Winning combinations then yield a maximum of 1,875 times your bet per piece. And that ensures a top prize per bonus spin of 37,500 times your stake at Gonzo's Quest.

The bonus symbol also appears during the “free falls”. Every time you have at least three on your screen at the same time, you get 10 extra “free falls”.

Conclusion

Gonzo's Quest is wildly popular in non GamStop casinos. This is mainly due to the mechanism with the “Avalanches” in combination with the progressive multiplier. This combination ensures that the tension rises and (if you are lucky) that the prizes rise.

You can win up to 37,500 times your stake per “free fall” on Gonzo's Quest. With the maximum bet, that is no less than € 1,875,000.00. That's a main prize that – both in euros and in the number of times you bet – is a lot higher than with most NetEnt slots.

The payout percentage of Gonzo's Quest at most online casinos is just under 96%, which is about average online. Some casinos offer an (even) lower payout percentage.