Gonzo’s Quest 2: Slot Overview
Released in 2013, Gonzo’s Quest is a NetEnt classic that not only introduced gamblers to the charming conquistador Gonzo, but also introduced the studio’s futuristic new avalanche mechanic, a feature that might be common as anything these days, but which was wildly new at the time. The game went on to achieve bona fide iconic status, and there have been several follow-ups released over the years, such as Gonzo’s Quest Megaways, Gonzo’s Gold, and Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt. Classically minded gamblers should be rubbing their hands together with glee, as NetEnt has designed, after all these years, a sequel, shoving the conquistador off on the new adventure, Gonzo’s Quest 2.
If you liked the original’s setting, that’s good, because Gonzo is back on familiar South American territory that is as lush and verdant as ever. There he is, standing next to the gaming grid, watching symbols fall, getting all animated at certain moments. The avalanche feature is also back and is paired with a multiplier trail as before. Visuals, while upgraded, tie neatly to the original game, with links such as the buildings behind the grid and pay symbol connections. It’s nice. Gonzo’s Quest 2 is one of those sequels which kind of looks the same, but not, whetting anticipation for what’s to come.
Gonzo’s Quest 2 is played on a dynamic play area that varies from 6×4 up to 6×8 in size, providing 4,096 to 262,144 ways to win. The avalanche system destroys winning symbols and fills gaps by dropping symbols down, repeating as long as new winning combinations appear. Highly volatile, players may stake 30c to $/€30 per spin and get a maximum RTP of 96.06% when doing so.
Four Aztec patterned symbols are Gonzo’s Quest 2’s low-pays, while its highs are six symbols that have been brought over from the original. Hitting a 6-of-a-kind winning combination pays 0.17x for the lows and 0.23x to 1x for the highs.
Gonzo’s Quest 2: Slot Features
Helping crack El Dorado are avalanche-linked multipliers, Expanded Reels, two types of wilds, colossal symbols, free spins, super free spins, and feature buys.
Avalanches & Expanded Reels
As well as remove and replace winning symbols as mentioned above, in the main game, each avalanche increases the win multiplier by +1. The multiplier starts at x1 and can go as high as x5. When there are no more base game avalanches, the multiplier resets. Each base game spin starts on a 6×4 play area. A winning combination triggers the Expanding Reels feature, meaning each avalanche adds an extra row to the top of the grid. Up to 4 additional rows can be added. In the main game, the grid resets at the end of the spin.
Wild & Colossal Symbols
There are two types of wild symbols, regular and Calamity Wild, both substituting regular paying symbols. When a Calamity Wild is part of a winning combination, Random Wilds is triggered, where 3 to 6 regular wilds are placed on the reels before the grid expands and the next avalanche occurs. Wilds are not placed on scatters, other wilds, or Calamity Wild symbols that have not activated the Random Wilds feature.
Scatters and high pay symbols may land as 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4 colossal symbols. Regular paying colossal symbols or colossal wilds count as the number of 1×1 symbols that make them up, whereas 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4 scatters count as 2, 3, or 4 regular scatters, respectively. During Random Wilds, colossal high pay symbols can be transformed into colossal wilds – up to two per spin.
Free Spins & Super Free Spins
In the main game, landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters in succession from the leftmost reel without gaps triggers 10, 12, 15, or 20 free spins or super free spins, respectively. Any expanded reels or increased multiplier from the base game are not carried over. The play area in both bonus rounds grows via the Expanded Reels feature, and new rows achieved do carry over to the next spin, up to the 8-row limit.
Regular free spins are awarded by landing 3 or more 1×1 scatters. This round has a global multiplier that starts at x2 and increases by +2 with each avalanche. When avalanches end, the multiplier returns to x2. If 3 or more scatters appear in succession from the leftmost reel without gaps, an equal number of extra free spins or super free spins are granted. During free spins, if free spins are activated again and one of the scatters is colossal, free spins are upgraded to super free spins, starting on the next spin.
Super free spins are awarded when at least one triggering scatter is a colossal scatter. If the triggering colossal scatter is 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4 in size, then the starting multiplier is x2, x3, or x5, and the multiplier increases by 2, 3, or 5, respectively. Crucially, the multiplier achieved on one spin is carried over to the next spin with no upper limit.
Elevate Feature
Features may be bought from the Elevate menu, and include the Bonus Hunt at 2x the bet for at least one scatter to land in the base game. Calamity Explosion costs 10x to guarantee at least one Calamity Wild appears in a win, while Calamity Max at 30x expands the reels to 8 high and guarantees at least one Calamity Wild appears in a win. If free spins trigger, the 8-row high grid carries over to the bonus round. Paying 100x the bet lands 3-6 scatters (triggering free spins or super free spins), while 1,000x buys super free spins triggered by 3-6 scatters.
Gonzo’s Quest 2: Slot Verdict
Initially, many of the thoughts about Gonzo’s Quest 2 turned as much to ELK Studios‘ Gold slots as they did to Gonzo’s Quest, and the game can perhaps best be visualised as an amalgamation of the two. There is no doubt Gonzo’s Quest 2 captures plenty of the Gonzo charm, while recycling much of the original’s mechanical success, yet it was a little surprising to see avalanches adding rows and colossal symbols, which are synonymous with Gold slots. Then again, how many studios have incorporated avalanches or avalanche multiplier combos in their slots since Gonzo’s Quest landed like a titanic nugget of gold all those years ago?
The good news is Gonzo’s Quest 2 brings everything together seamlessly while delivering a heavy jolt of feel-good nostalgia. The naysayers might be tempted to use Gonzo’s Quest 2 as evidence of NetEnt’s struggle to come up with truly great, original ideas, but let’s set those thoughts aside for now and concentrate on the positives. For one thing, super free spins are no misnomer. The leap from regular free spins to super free spins is colossal, and is far and away the most desirable mode to be in, which would explain why they cost 10 times more to buy from the Elevate Feature. The reason, sorry to state the obvious, is due to the win multiplier not resetting between spins. If you can get the +5 increment on winning avalanches, that value can quite quickly reach silly proportions. Factor in more than a quarter of a million ways to win, colossal wilds, and good things just might happen – up to 15,825x the bet.
Where Gonzo’s Quest was a major leap in the evolution of online slots, Gonzo’s Quest 2 is more of a rebottling of the original while beefing it up with outside mechanics. That doesn’t mean it’s not a fun game, though. Gonzo is as wacky as ever, the world he inhabits is a lush one, and the game can technically get some really great runs on, especially when super free spins are active and the multiplier is let off the leash to potentially go mental.
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