Monster Quest

Monster Quest: Slot Overview

The world of fantasy has no shortage of dragons to slay or castles to storm, yet software provider Big Time Gaming has put a fresh mechanical spin on the age-old medieval adventure in its online slot Monster Quest. After being dropped at the gates of a fortified stronghold, we aren't hunting monsters for chivalric reasons but to collect cash money from their corpses, with the help of a brave Knight and his trusty sword. On paper, Monster Quest might sound a bit plain; free spins with a rising win multiplier and a Hold and Spin round are pretty standard add-ons, but it's also got a unique cash collecting system, which can be exasperating, exhilarating or everything in between.

As the game first loaded, it initially stirred up thoughts of Big Time Gaming's Castle of Terror and Relax Gaming's Templar Tumble. To be honest, though, Monster Quest was not as optically striking as either of those two slots. It is still pleasant on the eyes, where a stone block gaming area has been built into the side of a castle located in a Medieval Europe-type location, with another grand construction found over in the far right distance. It is odd that a stairway sweeps around one of the towers, providing enemies with direct access to the keep, though maybe it's a trap. Night falls for the free spins feature, while the Hold and Spin round takes place in an arena decorated with giant bull statues. The monsters of the tale only really appear on the reels, where a brave Knight hacks them up for loot.

The quest commences by picking a stake where the range is not a wide one. It was possible to stake $/€0.20 to $/€2 in the demo, but it may be possible to wager up to $/€5 depending on the operator. Big Time Gaming classifies the math model volatility as high, and the RTP is 96.49%, though it can be lower in the less favourable variants. A 6-reel Megaways grid is Monster Quest's play area, each reel landing 2-6 symbols and producing up to 117,649 ways to win.

At the low end of the symbol hierarchy are 9-A playing card ranks awarding 0.4x to 0.6x the bet for a 6 OAK winning combination. The high pays are four crystal symbols worth 1x to 20x the bet for a 6-of-a-kind winning way. Wilds help create winning ways by substituting for all symbols except scatters and bonus symbols.

Monster Quest: Slot Features

The main quest is slaying monsters in the Hold and Spin round and free spins feature. Both bonuses can be bought, and a Power Play ante bet is also available.

Hold and Spin

A Dragon, a Knight, and Monsters can appear as bonus symbols. Landing 6 or more bonus symbols triggers the Hold and Spin round. Each position on the reels spins to land blanks or Monsters, and the Knight is given 3 lives. A life is lost each time the reels spin, and no new Monsters land or are slain. Each slain Monster restores a life up to 3. The Knight symbol moves around slaying Monsters of lower or equal values, collecting the slain Monster's value. The round ends when the Knight loses all lives, Monsters fill the grid positions, or the Dragon is slain. The Knight's final value is then awarded.

Free Spins

Landing 3 scatters triggers 12 free spins, plus 2 free spins are granted for each additional scatter. The Knight starts the feature with a value of 8-15 times the stake, and stays on the grid till free spins end. The Knight slays and gains the value of any Monster of lower or equal value. Free spins have a win multiplier for regular ways wins that starts at x1 and increases by +1 for each Monster slain. If 5 or more Monsters simultaneously appear, the Hold and Spin round is triggered. The win multiplier does not increase by Monsters slain in the Hold and Spin. Landing 3 scatters triggers +4 extra free spins, plus 2 more are given for each additional scatter. When free spins end, the Knight's collected value is awarded.

Power Play and Feature Buys

Activating the Power Play guarantees at least 10,000 Megaways and costs 8x the bet. Monster Quest also includes a bonus buy menu - the Hold and Spin costs 35x, or free spins cost 90x the stake.

Monster Quest: Slot Verdict

Monster Quest is a slot of win multiplier free spins and a Hold and Spin round, which might not sound super fresh, but Big Time Gaming has worked in a slaying twist that alters the dynamics of the game. The twist in question is, of course, the Knight symbol who accompanies players on the quest to collect cash values, or not, depending on whether he is able to slay Monsters. Go into Monster Quest without reading the rules, and you may think the collection system is totally random, and the Knight only jumps on the tiddler values, but its unique structure is what makes the game interesting, or maybe frustrating, or possibly rather thrilling.

Either way, Monster Quest is a game of tantalisation. The grid can often end up drenched in Monster symbols with enormous values. This is especially so in the Hold and Spin, when massive rewards stack up across the grid, yet the Knight is bouncing around, collecting crumbs from the symbols with the same or lesser values. Part of the reason why the collecting system is so emotional is due to the enormous sums of money on offer. The ultimate prize is a max win of 99,900x the bet, and individual Monster values can be huge on their own. Managing to slay a 10,000x+ beast is going to take the Knight on a monumental journey of building its own value to the point where it is able to collect the bigger prizes. There's a hump point around the 100x mark, where if the Knight manages to get to that level, it may snowball exponentially. It's not easy, though, and you can see how the game earns its very highly volatile ranking.

The game deserves some credit for trying something different with its collection system, yet the underlying package is built on mechanics that have become increasingly familiar over the years. Combined with a presentation that struggles to stand out, Monster Quest feels less like a triumphant quest and more like a long march towards disappointment. The occasional big hit may be enough to keep some players interested, but for many, the journey is unlikely to be memorable.