Knights vs Barbarians

Knights vs Barbarians: Slot Overview

Knights vs Barbarians is a medieval war-themed slot from software provider Pragmatic Play that throws players into a brutal battlefield clash between two rival armies. The studio is no stranger to pitting enemies against each other; Zeus vs Hades, Zeus vs Typhon, and Angel vs Sinner, for instance, but here, instead of individuals going toe to toe, we've got whole groups of people getting it on. Why? Who knows, but the tussling can lead to wild conversions on the reels and a multiplier wild, so it's best we just sit on the sidelines and try not to be hit by stray projectiles as the two armies duke it out.

Clearly, these knights and barbarians are not playing around, because gamblers are thrust into the middle of a raging battle scene when Knights vs Barbarians loads. One representative of each army lands on the reels, and they really don't look happy to see each other, even going so far as fighting it out when the Battle scatter lands. Returning to the background for a moment, Pragmatic Play has taken the time to animate sections of it, such as smoky clouds, fires, and some of the participants in the rumble. Who will win? It's impossible to say, but the battle takes place in a lively, quasi-cinematic way.

Knights vs Barbarians has 10 paylines awarding wins left to right on its 5x3 gaming grid. Since we're at war, a highly volatile math model makes sense, and at best, it produces an RTP of 96.51% when betting $/€0.20 to $/€240 per spin. Should players activate the ante bet, then the stake increases 4x to have a 12x higher chance of triggering free spins. For 10 times the bet, the Super Spin will only land Knight scatters, Barbarian scatters, or Battle scatters in the highlighted position (more on this below). Take note that free spins scatters cannot land anywhere on a Super Spin, so free spins cannot be triggered.

On the lower value symbol side are J-A card ranks paying 2x to 3x the bet for a 5 matching symbols line. Above them, the high pays are split into three Barbarian symbols (axe, spiked helm, and character) and three Knight symbols (mace, helm, and character). Picture symbols pay from 10x to 30x the stake for five-of-a-kind. Wilds are possible on all reels, substituting for anything except scatters. Wilds pay 30x when five of them create a winning line.

Knights vs Barbarians: Slot Features

Knights vs Barbarians punches with its center symbol feature, free spins, and feature buys.

Center Symbol Feature

The center position of the grid is highlighted with a square. In the base game, the following three scatters can randomly land in the highlighted square.

• Knight Scatter - When it hits, itself and all Knight pay symbols in view transform into wilds.
• Barbarian Scatter - When this symbol hits, itself and all Barbarian pay symbols in view become wilds.
• Battle Scatter - Upon landing, a battle between knights and barbarians takes place and a random multiplier of x2 to x100 is selected. Symbols linked to the battle's winner and the Battle scatter itself transform into wilds. The multiplier is applied to all wins that pass through the wilds.

Free Spins

Hitting 3, 4, or 5 fs scatters anywhere on the grid triggers 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. During the feature, only Knight scatters, Barbarian scatters, Battle scatters, or free spin scatters may hit randomly in the highlighted position. When the free spins scatter lands there, players win +2 to +10 free spins.

Feature Buy

By paying 100x the bet, players can buy the free spins round. For 500x the bet, it is possible to buy super free spins where only Battle scatters or free spins scatters land in the highlighted position.

Knights vs Barbarians: Slot Verdict

Knights vs Barbarians is a bolshy battle slot that dives headfirst into its conflict-driven theme, and delivers much of what it promises. Since we're dealing with unidentified, generic armies, Knights vs Barbarians doesn't have the same level of charisma as two named gods doing battle, but the blend of animated presentation and mechanics manages to build an atmospheric game world that players are free to pick a side in - the respectability of knights or the raw energy of the barbarians. However, even when picking sides, both armies are equally matched when it comes to symbol values or share of features.

In that case, as long as special symbols are landing in the highlighted position, it's all good, potentially. Once again, Pragmatic Play has taken a somewhat simple idea, cleverly simple, and managed to wring a decent game out of it. Though how much was possibly inspired by Hacksaw Gaming's VS symbol feature, found in Gladiator Legends, for example, we'll just have to guess. Anyway, as what usually happens, the base game doles out a taste of what the features can do, but they're able to shine brighter when free spins are in motion, since special symbols land in the coveted middle position on every free spin.

Results could be quite exciting when the middle position becomes a wild multiplier and defeated army symbols are converted to wilds. With a 10,000x win cap in place, there is potential here for bloody devastation. If Knights vs Barbarians were a real fight, it might not have been one of the famous ones from history, The Battle of Thermopylae or The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, for example, but it would have made an interesting footnote.