The Sword and the Grail Excalibur

The Sword and the Grail Excalibur: Slot Overview

Swedish developer Play'n GO deepens its interest in the Arthurian legends by designing The Sword and the Grail Excalibur, a follow on from releases like The Sword and the Grail and Return of the Green Knight. Players familiar with the earlier slots will be well aware of its thrilling ability to drop in wilds with multipliers of up to x100, a task made more tantalising by a levelling up system found during its free spins round. The Sword and the Grail Excalibur keeps this good stuff, but it also includes new things, such as King's Prizes, which may be boosted by the multiplier, and an added sticky/roaming trait to wilds during the free spins round.

The Sword and the Grail was already a fine-looking game when it came out about five years prior to this one, but Play'n GO has managed to tighten the graphics even further, giving everything a slightly more defined look. This time, the base game and the bonus round are played indoors, in a castle-like space, which looks less ritualistic. What separates the two phases of play is one takes place in the day, the other at night. One critical set of items appears at all times, that is, the multipliers sitting up top with their x100 max value.

The mechanical setup has remained untouched as The Sword and the Grail Excalibur is played on a 5-reel, 3-row matrix, where 20 paylines have been implanted for win calculations. The default RTP comes in at 96.2%, while the 10 out of 10 volatility is high. Betting options go from 10 c to $/€100 per spin, and though we are five years down the track, Play'n GO still hasn't really leapt on the feature buy bandwagon.

Colourful coins with J-A imprinted on them are The Sword and the Grail Excalibur's low pay symbols, and its highs, guessing things here, are Lancelot, Merlin, Guinevere, and King Arthur. A line of 5 matching low pays awards 1-2x the bet, while 5 matching highs are worth 5 to 15 times the bet. Grail Wilds are present on all reels, substituting any regular pay symbol. They have base payout values the same as the King Arthur symbol but can go as high as 1,500x for a line of five wilds when the x100 multiplier is in play.

The Sword and the Grail Excalibur: Slot Features

The Sword and the Grail Excalibur keeps what came before - Sword Meters, wild multipliers, free spins, etc. and adds new bits, such as King's Prizes, plus a roaming characteristic to wilds in the free spins round.

Sword Meter

The Sword Meter above the reels can turn the Grail Wild into a Multiplier Wild. If the Grail Wild substitutes another symbol as a Multiplier Grail Wild, it multiplies the win by the multiplier value shown on the Grail. Multiplier values are x2, x5, x10, and x100.

Instant Prize

Kings Prizes are instant prizes displaying values. If any King's Prize lands and the Sword Meter is active, the King's Prize will be multiplied by the Sword Meter value and awarded.

Free Spins

Landing 3 or more Sword scatters triggers free spins; any extra Sword scatters that land are added to the Sword Meter when free spins begin. Before they start, a Round Table Wheel determines the number of free spins, and Sword scatters the player is awarded:

• 8 free spins with 3 or 4 sword scatters.
• 10 free spins with 2 or 3 sword scatters.
• 12 free spins with 0 or 1 sword scatter.

In free spins, the Sword Meter is filled with the initial number of scatters from the Round Table Wheel as well as any extras from the triggering base game spin. Any Sword scatters collected during the free spins round are accumulated there. For every 5 Sword scatters collected, the next multiplier stage will be unlocked on the Sword Meter, and +3 free spins are awarded. Any King's Prize landing in free spins is awarded. Also, in free spins, any Grail Wild that lands is semi-sticky and wanders around until they move off the reels. If multiple Grails land, they move in the same direction, and Wandering Grail Wilds can have a multiplier attached from the Sword Meter.

The Sword and the Grail Excalibur: Slot Verdict

The Sword and the Grail might not have been as amazing if it had been released today, but at the time, it dazzled with its highly potent cocktail of features. It looked good, too, and was a strong addition to Play'n GO's lineup. The Sword and the Grail Excalibur takes the good parts from the first game then adds extra firepower to help it push past the original. Because there is a déjà vu repeat performance effect going on here, The Sword and the Grail Excalibur might not make the same impact as the first one did, but players who enjoyed the first should enjoy the updated version, too, maybe even more so.

The King's Prizes are a handy bonus to have in the pocket, yet it's roaming wilds with multipliers that provide The Sword and the Grail Excalibur's real kick. What's a little bit frustrating about them is they're not totally sticky, meaning they can walk off the reels in the middle of a free spins round. Wilds can hit again afterwards for some more roaming, but you know, vanishing in the middle of a round, as if bored, might be annoying. What's interesting is we reviewed Slotmill's slot Tyrant's Fall the day before The Sword and the Grail Excalibur, and it's also a slot with levelling up multipliers that appear on roaming wilds during free spins. In Tyrant's Fall, the roaming symbols stay on the reels till the round concludes, though, which might tip it in players' favour. Then again, The Sword and the Grail Excalibur has the greater winning potential of 25,000x, which might tip favour back its way. However, it's important to note that Play'n GO slots often fall short of their advertised potential, a fact well-known within the gaming community.

The Sword and the Grail Excalibur also has history and pedigree behind it, like a 'well-born' nobleman. It's sure to attract gamblers who enjoyed the original for a look, though it stands on its own two feet as a finely tuned game with an exciting set of new and old features.