• 10 to A card royals are the low-paying symbols.
• A hunk of meat, a horn, Freya, Thor, and Odin are the high-paying symbols.
• The wild is the word “WILD” in gold letters that stands in for any other symbol during free spins.
• The scatter is Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, that triggers free spins.

Land and expand

One of the first things you will notice about the game is the Hot Spots which are two, isolated 1x1 single position reels on either side of the main reelset. These reels spin along with the main reels and if matching symbols land in both of them and at least 2 of the same symbols land on the main reels, you will trigger a respin. During the respin, the matching symbols will expand to cover the entire reel that they landed on and remain locked in place. Any other matching symbols that appear during the respin will do the same.

Free spins

The action ramps up when you land 3 hammer scatters on the reels. You will receive 8 free spins and wild symbols can land in the hot spots to make it easier for you to activate the Land and Expand feature. Any hammer scatters that appear on the third reel while the feature is active will gift you an extra 2 free spins each and simultaneously cause the reelset to grow by a single row. If you manage to get the reels to 7 rows high, you will have unlocked much greater winning potential with 29 paylines.

Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand gives Norse Mythology a thoroughly quirky overhaul but falters in the winning potential department. This title is fun to look at and play, from the bizarre wooden construct that houses the reels to the friendly depiction of the gods, the visual theme is memorable, and the introduction of the Hot Spots feature gives the gameplay a unique twist. While the game itself offers many compelling reasons to play, the top potential of $87 000 is well below what many have come to expect from slots created by major developers and may make committing time and money to this title a tough ask for all but the most casual of players.