Champion of the Underworld: Slot Overview

Champion of the Underworld is a Gigablox-powered addition to Yggdrasil Gaming's 'of the Underworld' range. Was there a memo we missed? Because 'of the Underworld' doesn't seem to be something Yggdrasil has touted much till now. One game that probably is related is Hades Gigablox, as it's also a slot using Gigablox and set in the underworld. Perhaps the 'of the Underworld' series is something the studio will be pushing harder in the future. For now, we've got Champion of the Underworld, which, as well as Gigablox, comes equipped with free spins, a free spins gamble option, Wild Fight, a multiplier, and a bonus buy.

To determine a champion in this underworld, an arena-type area has been constructed for contestants to duke it out and find a winner. In the centre sits the active gaming panel, while around it, a crowd of ghostly spectators sit on seats beneath columns, what looks like turquoise flames, and stacks of skulls are littered about the screen. It is visually linked to Hades Gigablox, and there are some creepy elements, but it doesn't have the same visceral impact Hades Gigablox had - remember the snake/skull monstrosity draped around the reels or the ghoulish symbols? Hashtag shudder. The music's pretty 'core, though.

Moving deeper into Champion of the Underworld, we find a math model Yggdrasil Gaming has labelled 'Super High' in terms of volatility. The game comes with a variety of RTP models, topping out at 96% and bottoming out as low as 86%, depending on the market. Getting started in this particular match-up requires picking a stake of 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin, and it is available on any preferred device.

Played on a 6x4, 4,096 ways to win matrix, wins occur when at least three matching symbols land left to right on adjacent reels from the first reel. On each spin, reels merge to create larger than normal Gigablox symbols, from 2x2 to 4x4 in size. For win evaluations, Gigablox are broken down into individual 1x1 symbols. Eight pay symbols are used in the game. Four are chain-laden clubs, diamonds, spades, and hearts; then come four creatures that are presumably vying to become the champion. Lining up six-of-a-kind wins pay 0.5x the bet for the card suits or 1-2x the bet for the monsters. Finally, skull symbols are wild and substitute for any high or low-paying symbol.

Champion of the Underworld: Slot Features

Accompanying players on their trip to the underworld are features such as Wild Fight and free spins with a gamble minigame and progressive multiplier.

Wild Fight

The Wild Fight feature launches at random in the base game and on every free spin. When triggered, Hades fights each high pay symbol in view. If Hades wins, the symbol turns wild; this includes high pay Gigablox.

Free Spins

Free spins scatters can land in normal size or as Gigablox. When at least 5 scatters are in view, free spins are triggered. Each triggering free spin scatter is worth 1 free spin. When entering the bonus round, players have the chance to gamble for more free spins, as long as they have won less than 20. To gamble, you pick one sword out of a collection of ten swords. Drawing a golden sword is a win, whereas drawing a broken sword is a loss. There are two gamble levels, and losing a gamble forfeits all free spins.

In free spins, the Wild Fight feature is active on every spin. Also, the round comes with a win multiplier. Whenever Hades transforms a symbol into a wild, the counter on the multiplier increases by +1. Transforming 9 symbols into wilds awards an x2 multiplier, a further 11 symbol transformations increase it to x3, 13 more wild transformations move the multiplier to x5, 15 more transformations raise it to x10, while a final 17 more wild transformations award an x25 multiplier. At each step, +2 free spins are awarded.

Buy Bonus

Applicable players can pay 90x the bet to enter the bonus round with 5 free spins or shell out 1,000x the bet to buy 20 free spins.

Champion of the Underworld: Slot Verdict

Champion of the Underworld hit relatively well; it's got a decent hanging in the underworld vibe, plenty of monsters and other fantastical imagery. A semi-cartoon element takes some of the edge off, so it's more playful and less sinister than Hades Gigablox, with a lot less swagger going on than the Hades character displayed in the previous game. On the whole, there's less attitude in general in Champion of the Underworld, despite being a pleasant slot to look at and designed to a decent standard. Still, the more the game lingered in the mind, the more it paled in comparison to its predecessor.

The same goes for the gameplay, which is ok, but didn't lay the smack down as heavily as two previous related slots – Hades Gigablox and Of Sabers and Monsters (which in turn was closely related to the Viking's Go range). It's kind of hard to explain. Champion of the Underworld has many of the right ingredients to thrill, yet they felt like individual parts rather than a well-greased whole. A level of satisfaction was achieved during the playthrough, but there are better Gigablox/Wild Fight/Wild Hunt games out there from both Yggdrasil Gaming and its partners. No doubt Champion of the Underworld can step up when the going's good, though, maxing out at 10,000x the stake.

Overall, the game didn't drop jaws like some of its forebears, but if returning to the underworld to do a bit of punching it out with monsters sounds intriguing, then Champion of the Underworld is an okay option. And yet, it didn't really do anything that Yggdrasil hasn't already done better in the past. There's nothing dreadful about Champion of the Underworld, but nothing unmissable either that warrants it being bumped to the top of a to-try list.