Strength of Hercules

Strength of Hercules: Slot Overview

Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson might hold the world record for the all-time heaviest deadlift at 501 kg (at the time of writing), but even that impressive feat is nothing compared to what was accomplished by the mighty demi-god Hercules. Not only did Hercules complete the infamous 12 Labors, but the Gigachad also rocks the online slot world from time to time. This is one of those times, as the son of Zeus and Alcmene thunders in to rock Hacksaw Gaming's RotoGrid powered online slot, Strength of Hercules.

If the word RotoGrid is ringing bells, it is because Hacksaw Gaming rolled this mechanic out before, literally, in Twisted Lab RotoGrid, alongside Mr Melker and Pat the Rat. Instead of sci-fi, Strength of Hercules spins the clock back in time to a classical Greek era where architecture reached peak harmony and millennia-spanning legends were born. Hercules joins players in this venture, buffed beyond belief, grasping an enormous cudgel. Not only does he stand there making mortals feel inferior, but from time to time, he will bash something to trigger a certain reel-modifying action.

There are 5 reels in all, landing 5 rows of symbols on each and evaluating winning combinations with the help of a 3,125 ways to win pay system. Players' first labor is selecting a stake where the options are 10 c to $/€100 and deciding whether or not to make use of the 5-option bonus buy menu. A medium volatile math model greets them when the action begins, and Strength of Hercules' RTP is 96.31% no matter which bonus round is chosen once triggered.

Ten to Ace card ranks are the low-paying symbols, awarding 0.5 times the bet for a 5-of-a-kind winning combination. Following them are 5 picture symbols, including Hercules as the highest paying symbol, awarding 1.5 to 5 times the bet for a 5 OAK combination. Wilds are present on all reels; pay 5x the bet for 5 of them and substitute for any regular paying symbol.

Strength of Hercules: Slot Features

There is Plenty to mow through here, including the RotoGrid feature, connecting wilds, Might of Hercules, the Labors bonus game, the Labyrinth bonus game, the Godly versions of both, and bonus buys.

RotoGrid

Landed RotoGrid symbols activate after wins have been awarded, granting 1 to 3 clockwise grid rotations that are stored in a meter outside the grid. The RotoGrid symbol then turns into a wild. Each grid rotation turns the grid clockwise a quarter turn, creating new opportunities to win. Wins are evaluated before the next turn takes place. If more than one RotoGrid symbol is present, they are activated one at a time after rotations from the previous RotoGrid symbol are complete. Up to 3 RotoGrid symbols may land at once.

Connecting Wilds

After each grid rotation, any wild symbols on the same reel connect, filling all positions between them with extra wild symbols. If the grid rotates again, the original wild and the new wild symbols may connect with other wild symbols on their reels, possibly filling the grid with wilds.

Might of Hercules

When the grid settles, there is a chance that Hercules hits it with his club or fist. If he does this, then all instances of a random low-pay 10-A symbol on the reels are replaced with wilds.

Bonus Choice

Landing 3 or 4 FS scatter symbols in the base game opens the Bonus Choice menu. If triggered by 3 scatters, players may choose the Labors or the Labyrinth bonus game. If triggered by 4 FS scatters, they may choose the Godly Labors or the Godly Labyrinth bonus game.

Labors Bonus Game

This feature comes with 10 free spins and has the mechanics of the base game but with a higher chance of landing RotoGrid and wild symbols. Hitting 2 or 3 FS scatters awards a further +2 or +4 free spins, respectively

Godly Labors Bonus Game

This is the same as the previous bonus game, except RotoGrid and wild symbols occur more frequently.

Labyrinth Bonus Game

This feature awards 8 free spins played on a grid that lands only Skull Blocks, Cracked Stone, FS symbols, Adding Coin, and Multiplying Coin symbols. Adding Coins have values of 1x to 100x; Multiplying Coins have values of x2 to x20. FS symbols are worth +1 free spin.

When a Coin or FS symbol lands above a Cracked Stone symbol, the Stone is crushed, and it disappears, letting the Coin or FS drop down a position. This is repeated until a Skull Block gets in the way or the Coin or FS symbol drops to the bottom row, where they are collected in a Treasure Chest on the corresponding reel. Collected Coins either add to the Treasure Chest's value or multiply it depending on their type. At the end of the feature, Treasure Chest values are awarded.

When all Coins and FS symbols have moved as far as they can get, there is a chance the grid rotates in either direction, which may allow the Coin or FS to move to a new position by breaking Cracked Stone symbols. If the Might of Hercules triggers, a random number of Skull Block symbols are destroyed, and sometimes, a number of Cracked Stone symbols are destroyed. When destroyed like this, extra FS or Coin symbols may appear.

Godly Labyrinth Bonus Game

This feature awards 10 free spins and is the same as the Labyrinth Bonus Game, except Coins with higher values may land more often.

Bonus Buy

For 3x the bet, players can activate BonusHunt FeatureSpins, where each spin is 5 times more likely to trigger a bonus. 60x the bet activates RotoGrid FeatureSpins, where each spin guarantees at least 1 RotoGrid symbol and 2 wild symbols, though FS scatters will not land in this mode. Also, at 60x, Extreme RotoGrid FeatureSpins land at least one RotoGrid symbol, though FS symbols cannot land (this is more volatile than RotoGrid FeatureSpins). Players may also trigger a lower tier bonus for 100x their bet or the higher tier at 200x the bet.

Strength of Hercules: Slot Verdict

That Hacksaw Gaming lot is a clever bunch, aren't they? Never content to sit on past glories, but rather constantly pushing outwards, building on previous features and mechanics, keeping players on their toes. The RotoGrid mechanic made for a cunning addition to Twisted Lab thanks to things like the clever oozing feature and the bonus round's Twister. It has also been cunningly deployed in Strength of Hercules, too, for several reasons. One is the way wild symbols may link together after the grid rotates, another is the suspenseful moments when, say, you can see premium symbols are going to be shoved right into the hot seat after a rotation. Lending an assist is the thousands of ways to win, which, when combined with the rotating and wild linking, form a potentially potent cocktail in both the base game as well as the Labors/Godly Labors bonus rounds.

Hercules is a constant companion, too, able to bash low-pay symbols out of the way, which is no bad thing. On top of this, Hacksaw Gaming has been good enough to give players extra choice via the Labyrinth/Godly Labyrinth bonus rounds. This wasn't as exciting as the other features, but it's definitely an interesting design, and some gamblers may well prefer it. Labyrinth is a good name for it, too, as rotations and smashing Cracked Stone symbols allow Coins to make their way out and into Treasure Chests. The studio excels at these storing values above each reel features, and Strength of Hercules presents an intriguing iteration of the form.

Wrapping everything up in a leopard skin loincloth is a 10,000x win cap, which players are able to achieve in any of the game modes. So, while Strength of Hercules doesn't exactly reach for immortality status on this occasion, it's a fine example of Hacksaw Gaming's ability to manipulate and modify a gaming board for gamblers' entertainment.