Go into battle with gallant knight Sir Virilis Manblade in the mediaeval-themed Shields of the Wild video slot from NextGen Gaming. Played using a 5 reel, 10 payline game engine, it comes with a Shield Wall feature where symbols can upgrade up to 8 times. There’s also a free spins round with walking stacked symbols and even more upgrades. Play on all devices from between 10p and £100 per spin.
Shields of the Wild is a very well-designed video slot. A hilly battlefield forms the backdrop to the reels where you’ll see 8 different shield and coat of arms. The most rewarding of them is the golden lion which pays 2.5, 5 or 10 times your bet if you land 3, 4 or 5 on a payline.
Better still is the wild which replaces all other symbols apart from the scatter as well as paying up to 25 times your bet per payline. There are 2 bonus features on offer in Shields of the Wild.
Shield Wall feature – you could be awarded this on any base game spin. A volley of arrows are fired at the reels. All the symbols then receive an upgrade. On any trigger, you could end up with 8 volleys of arrows and 8 potential symbol upgrades. A final payout calculation is made once the final upgrade has taken place. Get on a roll here and you could end up with plenty of extra wilds.
Marching Stacks Free Games feature – this round is triggered by landing 3, 4 or 5 scatters on the same spin. A stack of the same matching symbol is then added to reel 5. During this feature, an upgrade symbol replaces the scatter. You’ll then be awarded a series of free spins. If no upgrade appears on that free spin, the stack moves 1 reel to the left and another matching stack appears on reel 5.
When an upgrade does hit, the stack stays where it is but it is boosted to the next paying symbol. The feature continues until all 5 reels are filled with stacked symbols. You could receive a re-trigger here with the whole process repeated. Trigger the Marching Stacks Free Games feature and you’ll receive a payout of at least 20 times your bet – you could also take home the maximum 2,500 times your bet if you’re luck.
The theme in Shields of the Wild is pretty fiery and that’s also true of the game’s volatility. The variance is in the medium to high range. This epic sword and shields fantasy theme is well put together. The visuals are well drawn and there’s a sweeping orchestral score playing as you spin which is an ideal fit for the theme.
The range of extras isn’t wide but offers some very decent potential. We pocketed over 175 times our stakes after a landing the Shield Wall feature. The Marching Stacks Free Games feature is trickier to come by but can deliver some decent action.
We enjoyed Shields of the Wild. Well designed with interesting extras, it’s a very playable take on the medieval theme. If you like medieval games, NextGen Gaming’s Kingdom’s Edge is a better game.
