Stormborn

Stormborn Review

Stormborn is the latest Nordic online slot by the skilled developer Hacksaw Gaming. It is scheduled for release in the second half of September, although some operators may get it exclusively. Mjolnir is a weapon of great power in Norse mythology, and only whoever is truly worthy can wield it. Stormborn, however, tells a different story!

A new champion is to be found among the ice climate introduced in the game. The slot has a 5x4 matrix with 14 paylines, orientated as usual, from left to right. Hacksaw Gaming has used the same layout and payout engine in Rise of Ymir and Stormforged. These titles have similar characteristics, but entirely different bonus sets.

Stormborn provides an abundance of bonuses and modifiers, including respins, free spins, and wilds with multipliers. There are 5 bonus minigames based on 2 major scripts and enhanced with different features. Tools like bonus bet and buy bonus can offer you shortcuts to 4 of them, but never to the Hidden Epic Bonus.

Stormborn Slot - Game Screen

Stormborn looks and feels like a solid game with a thematic paytable. Symbols pay for 3 to 5 on a line, and on top is placed a godly character. Match them and will get from 0.50x to 10x, while Rams and Shields pay 0.40x to 8x the bet. Horns and Mugs award between 0.30x and 6x, while the low-valued royalties and numbers - 0.10x to 2x the bet.

A wild symbol completes the table and substitutes for all the above-mentioned figures. Wilds also pay 10x for 5 on a line, but such a combination is a rarity. The betting range does not differ from other Hacksaw slots - €0.10 up to €100 per spin. Of course, individual modifications may occur in one online casino or another.

The Stormborn RTP ranges and reaches 96.27% at the best, while the other variants are 94.21%, 92.28% and 86.23%. The slot is characterized by high levels of volatility, and the Hit Frequency is 33.70%. The Stormborn max win is superior compared to Stormforged and equal to Rise of Ymir - 15,000x the bet.

Stormborn Features

Stormborn is heavily packed with features and bonus rounds, although the main game is a little plain. The sizes of the symbol payouts are not particularly high, so the balance is kept on the trigger of the respin feature. Perhaps a strategy will help you stay in play until one of the bonuses kicks in!

Thunder Respins

Coins are the key to the Thunder Respins feature, and it triggers when you land 5 or more of them, of any kind. At the start of the sequence, they will be held in place, and the other grid positions will respin. Each one can reveal a dead symbol, a Coin, or a Collector Chest. Coins and Chests are sticky and are locked until the end of the feature.

• Bronze Coins - 0.50x, 1x, 2x, 3x, and 4x the bet
• Silver Coins - 5x, 10x, 15x, and 20x the bet
• Gold Coins - 25x, 50x, 75x, 100x, 250x, and 500x the bet

Collector Chests collect the Coin values and award them. There can be more than one of these symbols in view, and if so, each one will collect the Coin prizes individually. Collector Chests can land with a multiplier of x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, x15, or x20. It is valid only for the respective Collector Chest and increases the Coin values after they have been collected.

Bonus Choice

Stormborn is packed with a Free Spins Mode Choosing mechanic, which activates if you land 3 or 4 scatters at the same spin. The Bonus Choice menu offers a selection between two bonus rounds. If you have triggered the mode with 3 scatters, the options are Stormbreaker and The Wild Storm, while with 4 scatters, you can choose from Legacy of Lightning and Hammer of the Heavens.

Bonus Game - Stormbreaker

This Free Spins mode is played in 3 rounds and on each one, Thunder Respins is guaranteed. During each respin sequence, you will get a minimum of 2 Coins of random types and of 1 Collector Chest. You can’t obtain additional free spins in this mode.

Bonus Game - The Wild Storm

The Wild Storm begins with 10 free spins and sticky wilds that will remain in place during the whole time. Moreover, each wild symbol will reveal a multiplier of x1 to x10, x25, x50, or x100. If more than one wild is involved in the same winning combination, the multiplier values will be added to each other.

In case wilds cover entirely any of the reels, they will transform it into a Wild God Reel with a total multiplier. These wild reels are also sticky and remain locked for the whole bonus duration. Landing scatters, 2 or 3, during The Wild Storm will add 2 and 4 extra spins, respectively.

Bonus Game - Legacy of Lightning

Legacy of Lightning retains the Stormbreaker mechanics and awards 3 free spins with a new Thunder Respins sequence in each one. This time, you will get 4 Coins and 1 Collector Chest as a minimum in each respin feature. Moreover, Mjolnir comes into play, and if it hits during Thunder Respins, it’ll increase a random number of the Coins in view. It will apply a multiplier of x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, x15, or x10 to them before the Collector Chest activation.

Bonus Game - Hammer of the Heavens

Hammer of the Heavens features The Wild Storm mechanics and starts with 10 free spins and the opportunity of adding new ones. Mjolnir is part of this bonus minigame, and if it triggers, it will add a x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, x15, or x10 multiplier to a random number of Wilds or Wild God Reels. This boost will be in effect for the current spin only and will be removed after payouts are calculated.

Hidden Epic Bonus - Blessing of the Bifrost

Blessing of the Bifrost is a hidden bonus and you can’t choose or buy it, but only trigger it by landing 5 scatters. The minigame consists of 3 powerful free spins and the Legacy of Lightning mechanics. The engine guarantees at least 5 Coins, 1 Collector Chest, and 1 Mjolnir on every Thunder Respins sequence.

Stormborn Slot – Free Spins Gameplay Screen

Buy Bonus

Buy Bonus is available as in any other Hacksaw Gaming slot, but it can also be subject to restrictions. The panel provides access to a bonus bet, the base game feature, and two Bonus Choices. Keep in mind that a price has to be paid and each option comes with different volatility - high, very high, or even extreme.

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins - 3x the bet - 5x the odds for organically activating a bonus (96.28% - 96.34%).
• Godly FeatureSpins - 50x the bet - guaranteed Thunder Respins with a minimum of 3 Coins and 1 Collector Chest (96.26%).
• Heir of Thunder - 100x the bet - choose from Stormbreaker and The Wild Storm (96.29% - 96.37%).
• Mighty Mjolnir - 200x the bet - choose from Legacy of Lightning and Hammer of the Heavens (96.28% - 96.32%).

Theme & Graphics

Stormborn comes with a Norse theme, or more precisely, the Nordic myths of gods, monsters, and weapons of great power. The action takes place in a cold and harsh environment with lots of snow, rocks, and nothing but stars in the sky. A massive, muscled fellow stands on the right side of the grid and holds a massive hammer.

That might be Mjolnir, forged by dwarven masters and currently awaiting a new wielder. The script does not tell us what happened with Thor, but only that a new challenger, a God, is about to claim it. The hammer of storms has a central role in the gameplay, too, as I already explained. In short, Stormborn is masterly crafted, both visually and audibly, with an advanced HTML5 for flawless mobile compatibility.

Pros And Cons Of Stormborn Slot

Our Verdict

The only uncertainty around Stormborn is how long it will stay unnoticed. My guess is not too long since the game is so well-crafted and filled with sense. The myth of Thor is somehow modified and adapted for marketing purposes. That doesn’t stop our Mjolnir contender from appearing from the skies in the form of a lightning bolt.

Stormborn offers only one base game feature, and that might be the only valid issue with the plot. However, Thunder Respins have quite a potential, trigger relatively frequently from my experience, and have room for upgrades. It is at the core of all bonus rounds, and there are 5 of them, which is generous even for Hacksaw Gaming.

From that moment on, it is all a hype: multipliers, sticky wilds, multiplier wilds, retriggers, and more. Even the Bonus Buy options stand better than usual because of the Bonus Choice in two of them. In short, Stormborn is perhaps the finest Nordic-themed slot created by the studio, despite the lack of raw innovation.