Gonzo’s Gold
/5 
Our favourite explorer Gonzo is back! Since bursting on the scene in 2013 in the epic player favourite game Gonzo’s Quest, Swedish software game developer NetEnt has been continually adding new features by releasing sequels to this game.
In 2020, NetEnt gave the game a Megaways reboot with the help of software provider Red Tiger, and later this game was released for the live casino market under the moniker of Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt.
We are more than thrilled to have another game in the Gonzo’s Hunt franchise. Gonzo’s Gold differs from the other games in that it is a cluster pays slot. There is no avalanche/cascading reels function, so your main aim is to land as many matching symbols in clusters as naturally possible.
Our leading man is notably absent from the game even though his name is in the title. In previous games, he’s known for making funny gestures and appearances. Even though he’s not standing to the side of the reels, he still pops up on the reel set up as one of the most valuable symbols in the game.
The game is not set up in the jungle. Instead, you’re faced by an empty room in the background, perhaps set on a newly-discovered archaeological site. The soundtrack is kept low-key, though hitting winning combinations match the soundtrack and kicks life into the game.
This is a medium volatile game. You can form clusters by either landing three premium symbols or four low paying symbols adjacent to each other.
As always, the card symbols are the lowest paying symbols in the game, while the highest paying symbols including the three mask irons and Gonzo himself as the highest paying symbol.
Land a cluster of 20 or more matching symbols, and you could walk away with between 750x and 5,000x your wager.
Short facts
- Developer: Net Entertainment
- RTP: 96.11%
- Volatility/Variance: Medium
- Layout: 5 x 5
- Paylines: Cluster Pays
- Bonus features: Scatters, free spins bonus round, wilds, cluster pays and expanding symbols
- Bets: £0.10 to 200
- Max wins (coins): 5,000x your stake
Gonzo’s Gold jackpots
This online slot game does not come with any Gonzo’s Gold jackpots attached.
Gonzo’s Gold free spins
Landing three or more scatter symbols anywhere on the reels triggers the free spins bonus round. You are immediately credited 10 free spins, and depending on where your scatter symbols have landed, you’ll receive between 2x and 200x your bet.
You can also claim additional extra free spins during the bonus round, which is always a plus.
Before kicking off your free spins round, you are asked to pick one out of nine question marks. Behind your chosen question mark, a symbol will transform into an expanding symbol for the duration of a bonus round.
Gonzo’s Gold bonus features
Gonzo’s Gold comes with a few gems in terms of features that are guaranteed to make your gaming experience more upbeat. These include:
Cluster Pays
To hit winning combinations, you need to land a bunch of matching symbols in a cluster. You would need four or more of the lowest paying symbols to generate a winning cluster or three or more of one highest paying symbol.
Wilds
The Golden Temple symbol acts as the game’s wild as well as scatter symbol. As a Wild, it helps create as many possible winning combinations as possible by substituting for any other symbols.
As a scatter, three or more of this symbol anywhere on a given spin and reels, triggers the free spins bonus round.
Expanding Symbol
Land two or more of the expanding symbol will stretch itself to cover the entire reel and row. You can trigger more cluster wins this way.
Gonzo’s Gold RTP
Gonzo’s Gold enjoys an average payout percentage rate of 96.11%. You can expect to hit winning combinations on a somewhat regular basis. Bear in mind that this game enjoys medium volatility.
Verdict
The adventure goes on for our favourite protagonist. He’s continually searching for Gold and big wins and has made an impression on all casino slots fans.
Although we are presented with a different reel setup, this time, NetEnt seems to have hit the mark with the cluster pays mechanic. Some players might still prefer the original avalanche/cascade feature since it triggers respins.
The RTP of the game is of average size, so nothing much changed on the payout percentage front. With a potential max win of 5,000x your wager, it is considerably lower than that of its predecessors. Still though, no one would turn down such a good payout.
What thrilled us was the fact that there was a lot of activity in the base game. It plays out beautifully with something capturing your eye regularly. You don’t have to rely too much on the free spins bonus round to bring something new.
The base game does quite a bit, thanks to its features. Granted that this game does not boast too many features, it still brings enough to the table to entice new and old players alike.
While we don’t want to raise players’ hopes too much, we would have loved to see more features added to this game. Gonzo’s legacy will live on for a long time, but we always hope that NetEnt will bring out a seriously slick version of this game that stands out from its list of predecessors.