Bjorn

Bjorn: Slot Overview

Bjorn is a name of Old Norse origin meaning 'bear', dating back to the Viking Age and continuing to be widely used across the Nordic countries today. It's also the title of a release from Thunderkick that tells a saga of a heroic figure bravely taking on trolls and draugrs in a dangerous wilderness in search of glory and treasure. Quite literally, in fact, as Thunderkick has experimented with gameplay which sees a hero symbol move around a gaming grid, hitting baddies and collecting any loot they leave behind. The hero may also gain abilities and upgrades that increase his powers, combining RPG-lite elements with good old hit spin then hope for the best cluster paying action.

The load screen whets players' appetite for destruction by displaying a ripped hero, a scary draugr, a looming troll, as well as a call to action regarding power, slaying, and collecting loot. Once the game fully loads, you might need a moment to remind yourself this is a Thunderkick slot, as Bjorn just doesn't look like a usual release from this developer. Instead of the bright, bold colours and chunky presentation the studio typically employs, play unfolds on a larger-than-usual gaming grid, lost amidst Scandinavian mountains and woods that have been realistically rendered. Its large reel area is condensed into the middle of the screen so the symbols and sprites are quite small, though not exceptionally difficult to follow. For a Thunderkick slot, the gameplay is as unconventional as the appearance, as Bjorn brews up a video game meets mythology meets slot concoction from the experimental side of the studio.

Bjorn is played on an 8x8 grid, though symbols do not land in a 2x2 inactive space in the middle of the gaming area. That's where the Hero symbol starts each base game spin, looking like a little Kratos. Payouts are awarded when 5 or more matching regular pay symbols are connected vertically or horizontally. Winning symbols get removed, and new symbols fall into the grid in an Avalanche. When the Hero symbol is in the gaming area, symbols fall towards it and may come from different directions. Avalanches continue as long as new wins occur or features are triggered. Bjorn is a highly volatile game, where the RTP is 94.22%, and the stake range goes from $/€0.10 to $/€100.

The regular pay symbols are trees, rocks, bushes, tree stumps, and three rune symbols. A 5 OAK cluster pays 0.1x to 0.3x the bet, increasing to a maximum of 2x to 5x when landing a 15+ OAK cluster. Wild symbols substitute for adjacent regular symbols vertically or horizontally, but not for scatters or draugrs. The Hero also acts as a wild when it is in the gaming area and not moving.

Bjorn: Slot Features

Bjorn comes equipped with various abilities, a global multiplier, a Hero Hunt feature, a troll, a bonus game, and Bet+ options.

Abilities

Abilities may be awarded to the Hero symbol at the start of each spin. The Hero starts with no abilities but may receive up to 3 of them.

• Thor's Strength - Increased Loot chance and +1-2 multipliers per draugr.
• Thor's Strength Upgrade - Greater Loot chance and +2-3 multipliers per draugr.
• Call of Hel - Adds 1 to 2 draugr symbols.
• Call of Hel Upgrade - Adds 3 to 5 draugr symbols. 
• Odin's Insight - The Hero leaves mystery symbols in its path.
• Odin's Insight Upgrade - Mystery symbols may become wilds.

Global Multiplier 

The Global Multiplier is applied to all cluster wins and Loot wins. It resets at the start of each new base game spin or free spin.

Hero Hunt Feature 

The Hero Hunt feature triggers when there are no more cluster wins. The Hero symbol moves to defeat any draugr symbols on the grid, removing any symbols it passes over. The Hero symbol stays in the new position until it moves again or the game round ends. Defeated draugrs may drop Loot and award multipliers. Loot Wins are worth 0.1x to 5x the bet. Loot is paid when there are no more Avalanches or draugr symbols.

Troll Feature

A special troll symbol may appear before the spin sequence ends. The troll destroys symbols in a 3x3 area as it moves, counting as 9 draugrs. It may also award Loot and multipliers when it is defeated.

Bonus Game

Each landed scatter has a chance of triggering the bonus round. When activated, players are awarded 5 free spins with 1-3 random abilities or upgrades. Every 20 defeated draugrs in the bonus round award +2 free spins and 1-3 abilities or upgrades at the end of the spin. The troll counts as 9 defeated draugrs. If all abilities are at their max level, only +2 free spins will be awarded.

Bet+

Four Bet+ options are available. They are Bonus Boost, Bonus Boost Plus, or Bonus Boost Extreme at 1.5x, 3.5x, or 12x the stake, making each spin 2, 5, or 20 times more likely to trigger a bonus game, respectively. By paying 150x the bet, the bonus game is guaranteed to trigger.

Bjorn: Slot Verdict

Bjorn feels like new blood was injected at the Thunderkick office, pulling the studio in a new direction, one filled with conquest, the vanquishing of enemies, and the accumulation of loot. That, or the studio just felt like doing something different. This it has done in Bjorn, which diverges from the more brightly-coloured stuff Thunderkick is known for, such as its Midas Golden Touch slots, Beat the Beast, or Pink Elephants psychedelia. There were hints of Second Thunder, in relation to the mythology, and the allusions to warfare, but even so, Bjorn is the sort of hero who prefers to operate alone, following his own rules, facing the consequences and rewards on his own terms.

Where Bjorn separates itself from the pack is how its elements interact. The Hero isn't just decoration, but a critically active part of the gameplay, moving around the grid, taking down draugrs, potentially setting off Loot and multiplier rewards. The abilities add another layer, while the troll can dramatically shake up the grid. There is a lot of randomness involved, though, which is great when it goes your way, not so great when it does not. Landing a scatter means maybe free spins will trigger, maybe not. In the base game, Bjorn himself may get abilities, maybe not. Those abilities can make a huge difference as well, with Thor's Strength effect quite useful, and Odin's Insight ability a positive addition as well. Upgrading abilities in free spins proved to be quite difficult, even with Call of Hel adding draugrs, and walking away from bonus buys in the black could be rare.

However, when the Hero is fully upgraded, slicing through his enemies like a field of wheat, the gameplay can be fun, and the luckiest of players can win up to 5,000x the bet if Bjorn is swinging his axe like a real berserker. Bjorn emerges as one of Thunderkick's more experimental offerings, which may not have the instant visual recognition of some of the studio's more colourful releases, and may be hard work at times, but there is an inventive slot here with enough unique parts to make things interesting.