Riders of the Storm slot review (Thunderkick)

What happens if you mix the mysterious and epic Doors song Riders on the Storm with a cool Steam Punk/Exploration theme?

You get Riders of the Storm from Thunderkick, a superb release with some significant potential.

Thunderkick likes to be exclusive and only releases slots with high quality. Our patience was tested once again. We waited for three months since the release of their last slot. We can reveal that it was worth waiting for.

Riders of the Storm is, as most of their other slots, great fun play and has some unique features.

Think of iconic slots such as Fruit Warp, The Falcon Huntress, Pink Elephants and 1429 Uncharted Seas to know what we are talking about.

We can easily name another ten more excellent slots made by Thunderkick – they are a respected player in the gaming industry that has earned their stripes.

But let’s get back to Riders of the Storm! This slot deserves our fullest attention.

Riders of the Storm takes you on a spectacular journey. Three tough and brave heroes accompany you. On their flying ship, they discover new worlds. By doing so, they master the fiercest storms and highest waves.

How does the Riders of the Storm slot work?

Riders of the Storm looks impressive. The Steam Punk graphics are beautiful, and the sounds resemble exactly the wind and rain you feel when you are sailing in the harshest conditions.

Furthermore, the slot is full of exciting features:

• 243 ways to win
• Win up to 26.426 times the total bet
• Bets from $€0.10 to $€100 per spin
• The maximum win is up to 26,426 x the total bet
• Determine your risk profile when you play the free spins
• Earn mystery stacked wilds
• Walking Wilds with added multipliers and retriggers

What are the theoretical RTP and the variance of Riders of the Storm?

The payout rate is either 96.14% or 96.15%, dependent on the volatility level you choose when you enter the free spins bonus round. We come to that later on, how this works and what your possibilities are.

The variance is medium to high. If you choose the high variance option in the free spins feature, this slot’s volatility becomes pretty high. So, in that case, a prize topping 1,000 x the bet is realistic. Something that would not be so in low-medium variance slots.

Symbols and payouts – watch out for the wilds with their built-in multipliers

The wild symbol is not just an ordinary wild. In Riders, the wild not only replaces all symbols except the scatters but contains additional multipliers—spin 5 regular wilds (without the multiplier) for a 15 x the total bet payout.

During the base game, the maximum multiplier is x 2, but during the free spins, this can be as much as x 5. Needless to say, this can be highly lucrative.

The premium symbols are the three highly adventurous explorers. If you get 5 of these on one of the 243 ways to win, you get paid out between 10 x and 15 x the total bet.

The medium-paying symbols are the harpoons, anchors, and ship wheels. These yield a payout of  6 x to 8 x the total bet (for a 5-of-kind), which is still good, considering the 243 paylines and multipliers embedded in the wilds.

The low symbols are the usual card symbols.

Mystery Wild Reels

The quickest way to win a massive prize is by getting the Mystery Wild Reels bonus in the base game. You can get up to 4 reels of wilds.

You will notice it when it happens as you hear and see thunder, lightning and rain.

The potential to win some enormous prizes is definitely there. Imagine you have 3 or 4 reels of wilds and some premium symbols on the other reels. For sure, you will have your thunderstorm at home when that happens!

Free spins bonus – choose your risk profile

Three or more scatters (gold plated compasses) activate the free spins bonus. On top of that, you get an advance cash prize up to a magnificent 200 x the total bet.

Once you are in play in the free spins bonus, you can choose which bonus feature you prefer to play.

The four options you have:

• 15 free spins with x 2 multipliers (lowest risk)
• 10 free spins with x 3 multipliers (medium risk)
• 6 free spins with x 5 multipliers (high risk)
• Mystery free spins with mystery multipliers (un-predictable, but potentially very high risk)

You’ll also be assigned one of the three premium characters for each choice. This symbol will be stacked during the free spins.

Which free spins risk profile is best in Riders of the Storm?

It depends on your preferences. In the long run, the expected payout is the same. However, the lower the number of spins, the higher the multipliers and the higher the volatility.

If you prefer to take a real risk, you can go for the 6 spins or the mystery option. The chances are realistic that you end up with either a huge win or close to nothing.

Free spins feature of the Riders of the storm slot –  walking wilds and free respins

Are we there yet? Hell no!

The wilds with built-in multipliers also act as “walking wilds” – a feature made famous by the Jack and the Beanstalk slot.

After each spin, all wilds on the screen move one spot to the left, and you get a free respin. As long as there are wilds on the screen, you receive additional respins.

It is also possible to retrigger the bonus by landing three or more scatters again.

Our verdict on Thunderkick’s Riders of the Storm slot

Thunderkick delivered another small masterpiece with Riders of the Storm.

It looks and sounds great, has some original bonus features, and there is plenty of potential for blistering prizes.

Do you prefer to tone down the risk? No problem, choose the less risky option with the free spins bonus.

We will be surprised if this slot doesn’t become a huge success, especially with slot players who love to take a bit more risk.

4 out of 5 stars.

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