2 Gods Zeus Vs Thor

2 Gods Zeus vs Thor: Overview

Luke vs Darth, Rocky vs Apollo Creed, Predator vs Alien, take your pick; there have been some epic showdowns throughout history. However, battles don't get much bigger than they do in 2 Gods Zeus vs Thor from independent developer 4ThePlayer. Here, two of the biggest names in the Pantheon square off in a game full of new features and mechanics. When a studio chooses just one deity to theme a game, they need to go large. Can 4ThePlayer handle all the godly power of two, or have they bitten off more than they can chew?

Released via the Yggdrasil Gaming YGS Masters program, 2 Gods Zeus vs Thor plays out on a 5-reel, 2048 win ways grid split into two zones. The left side is dominated by the lightning god Zeus, while the right is the realm of Thor, the Thunder God. It's a pretty titanic scene and 4ThePlayer has gone for a suitably serious tone in its treatment.

The first thing that sticks out is the two spin buttons; one red, one blue. Red is the colour of Zeus, so blue goes to Thor. Dubbed the Dual Spin mechanic, on each spin players are free to choose either button. The Red Greek symbols pay left to right, while the Blue Norse symbols pay right to left. Having a pay both ways system effectively doubles the paylines. This is broken down into 1,024 win ways for red symbols from the leftmost reel; 1,024 ways to win for the blues from the rightmost reel.

It's a little cross-eye inducing at first, but you quickly get into the swing of it. Basically, if the colour of a winning combination matches the colour of the button you pressed, you double the payout. If you hit the red button and a blue combination lands you get 1x the win value. However, if the symbols and button colour match you get 2x the value. The good thing is you always get the regular value of a combination or double - you never forfeit the win if the button colour is wrong. The history of winning colours is displayed just below the reels roulette style, if that helps you choose.

Most likely for liability reasons, stakes are kept rather low with a max bet limit of 'only' $/€20 per spin. Most low rollers, meanwhile, will be satisfied with the 10 p/c minimum bet. When it comes to stats, the game produces some solid numbers, as typically is the case with this developer, starting with an RTP rating of 96.5% and an average hit frequency of one in four spins. 4ThePlayer tends to cater to the more core end of the gambling market by powering their slots with highly volatile math models - this game is no exception.

As mentioned, pay symbols come in two forms – red for the Greeks, blue for the Norsemen. Both groups consist of three letters or runes for the low pays, followed by helms, boats, mythical hounds, and goddesses. Goddesses are the most valuable at 7 times the stake for five of a kind, dropping to 1.2x at the lower end of the paytable.

Just as everything else comes in twos, so do the wilds. Players get a blue Thor wild and a red Zeus wild. Both substitute for their respectively coloured pay symbols, or pay out up to 10 times the stake for five wilds in a combination.

2 Gods Zeus vs Thor: Features

As well as the Dual Spin feature is a round of Win Spins unlocked by landing 3 scatters, though the process is not quite so straight forward. If the colour of 2 or 3 scatters matches your chosen spin button, you get 10 Win Spins. Otherwise, you get 7 Win Spins.

Just as the name suggests, players are guaranteed a win on every Win Spin, similar to what you get in some of the games from Play'n GO such as Pimped or That's Rich. The Win Spin feature also adds a progressive Win Spin Multiplier into the mix. The multiplier begins at x1 and increases by +1 each time the winning symbols match your chosen spin button colour.

Win Spins may be retriggered in the same way as mentioned above. So 3 scatters add 7 or 10 extra Win Spins to the remaining amount – no limit.

2 Gods Zeus vs Thor: Verdict

2 Gods Zeus vs Thor is another 4ThePlayer slot that deviates from the norm. The Dual Spin mechanic continues the studio's focus on player input. Whether the Dual Spin causes excitement or not, it's always interesting to see a studio trying something new. 4ThePlayer still fly relatively low beneath the radar, but they clearly aren't content to stay there or ride the coattails of others.

Like 6 Wild Sharks, which came out around the same time, 2 Gods Zeus vs Thor is further proof of a studio that likes to experiment. Even if the two-button thing comes across a little too wacky for some purists, it beats cranking out generic white bread slots or going down the tempting route of copying classic games.

For a bit of critique, the roulette-style win tracker is cute, but ultimately useless when selecting which button to hit. Like actual roulette, winning is down to pure luck and has no bearing on the next spin. Also, in its current form, the Dual Spins mechanic might struggle to stay fresh if rolled out in future slots. For now, it does suit the two gods doing battle format perfectly. Despite the quibbles, Dual Spin is a clever innovation, providing a nice wee thrill when wins are doubled.

It’s even more useful during Win Spins as well. Here players get the extra benefit of increasing the Win Spin Multiplier when choosing the right colour. The multiplier, combined with retriggerable Wins Spins, results in potential of up to 15,630 times the bet. For the record, Win Spins theoretically trigger every 185 regular spins.

Once again, 4ThePlayer has crafted an original game which works pretty well for the most part. 2 Gods Zeus vs Thor doesn't feel like a slot that's trying to be different just for the sake of it. The Dual Spin mechanic adds more than it takes away and Win Spins can be as epic as you'd imagine a showdown between two mighty gods might be.

Yes, some will be turned off by the bland visuals and others, who may be into more straightforward gaming, might find it dull and confusing. If you are ok with those two factors, 2 Gods Zeus vs Thor is a pretty solid slot with some player friendly stats well worth a spin...or two, because, you know, there being two spin buttons and all.