Slot Overview: Gonzo’s Quest by NetEnt
Summary: Gonzo’s Quest is a legendary slot game from NetEnt, that players continue to go bananas over since its 2015 release! This in-depth review is to give you all the basics so new players and those with experience can understand just what makes Gonzo’s Quest such a hit.
We’ll take a closer look at the mechanics, features, and gameplay experience it provides — sharing our impressions from our own testing. We aim to offer an unbiased, honest and well-researched perspective on whether or this slot is compatible with your mood.
We will also consider the slot’s payout potential, bonus rounds and which players would benefit most from playing it.
Gonzo’s Quest Details, RTP, Payout & Volatility
Let's start with the basics. Things to look out for: Gonzo’s Quest features an RTP of 95.97%. This is a theoretical number and refers to long-term average payback to players.
But remember, this is an average, and individual sessions can fluctuate widely. The slot is of med-high variance. This also means that wins will occur often enough to keep spins exciting, providing a balance between frequent small payouts and the occasional big win.
The highest win in Gonzo’s Quest is 1,875 times your bet size. It’s not the top max win in town, but it’s respectable and could yield thrilling rewards. This range of stakes goes from 0.20 to 50 credits per turn and suits the preferences of low rollers as well as high-rollers.
The reels are made in a classic 5×3 reel grid format, but the game itself follows an All Ways Pays style of play. In other words, to win you simply need matching symbols on adjacent reels, no matter where they appear on the reel.
This greatly increases the amount of ways to win, providing even more winning opportunities on every spin. It’s important to know these important figures so you can adjust your expectations and bankroll accordingly while playing Gonzo’s Quest.
NB: RTP and volatility are 2 long-term variables that cannot be applied to a single gaming session. Instead, knowing the betting range will help you select a stake level that’s comfortable for your risk level and bankroll size.
Theme, Audio & Symbols
Gonzo's Quest is based on Gonzalo Pizzaro, taking you through the Peruvian jungles in search of the gold-filled "El Dorado." The visuals are mesmerizing, with intricate Mayan-style symbols embellishing the reels.
The symbols are detailed, and the colours are even. The soundtrack immerses you in the various nuances. The sound is also quite immersive, featuring jungle sounds, background music, and Gonzo's funny grunts.
The animation quality is very good. Gonzo reacts to the game; he jumps for wins and scratches his beard impatiently.
Playing Gonzo's Quest, I was struck by the intricate detail of his animations which give this game its own personality -- it stands out in a sea of slot games. Insert a screenshot here showing Gonzo cheering over a huge win - as above, just with more polished animations.
The symbols aren't static; they crumble during the Tumbling Reels feature. The cascading blocks replace spinning reels—an idea I liked from the first time I played this game, and still do enjoy.
The whole package makes you feel like you're in the jungle with Gonzo. It's a truly enjoyable gaming experience.
Bonus Features
What gives Gonzo’s Quest its reputation is the unique bonus rounds, specifically Tumbling Reels and Free Falls. The Tumbling Reels, or cascading wins as they are also known, triggers after each winning combo.
The successful symbols burst and vanish where more can cascade in its place. This goes on until there are no more new winning sequences resulting in consecutive wins per spin.
There is a win multiplier that increases with subsequent cascading wins, going from 1x to 2x, 3x and eventually, a maximum of 5x in the base games. This increasing multiplier can help ramp up your prizes, particularly if tumbles tumble in quick succession.
Free Falls are activated by 3 or more golden Free Fall symbols on consecutive reels from the left to right. This will see you rewarded with 10 Free Falls (free spins).
In Free Falls the win multipliers are more generous starting at 3x and increasing to 6x, then 9x and an impressively large 15x with the next tumble. This is where the massive returns can be wrung from it.
I must say that for me, the Free Falls feature was hard to come by in my drum tests but easy for the multipliers to zoom up when it happened.
Watch a video clip here of the Tumbling Reels feature and ever increasing multipliers in both the base game as well as Free Falls. Also, there is no Buy Bonus feature in Gonzo’s Quest – you need to hit the Free Falls by yourself.
It may disappoint a few players who come here looking for an easy shortcut, but no Buy Bonus also means longer play and the possibility of landing that juicy bonus organically!
Mobile Experience
NetEnt has a reputation for prioritizing mobile compatibility and Gonzo’s Quest is no different. It is also optimized by a tried and tested high performance system on a chip, making it perfect for smartphones and tablets running any version of iOS.
Controls are intuitive and work easily on touchscreens, with clearly marked buttons to adjust your bet and three other buttons to spin. These graphics and animations lose none of their quality on the smaller screen, so you can still create an awesome visual impact in the game.
I tried out Gonzo’s Quest on both an iPhone and an Android tablet, and it performed beautifully on each application with no lag or stutter. Supported screen sizes range from 4.0-inch devices to 10.1-inch devices. The game automatically adjusts itself when played in portrait and landscape modes on your device!
What does the mobile online slot include and how does it compare to desktop? All the features have been kept in the mobile version too, such as Tumbling Reels, Free Falls and all categories of betting options.
The audio design also comes across really well on mobile. You’ll feel encapsulated by the game’s environment even whilst playing with headphones.
Most players like the comfort of playing slots on their mobile devices and Gonzo's Quest is captured to deliver an excellent mobile gaming experience that is just as good as the desktop version. A screenshot of the game playing on a phone or tablet would help to demonstrate how it scales.
Pros & Cons
What makes Gonzo's Quest special is its newfangled gameplay mechanics, namely the Tumbling Reels. The end-result is a fun and interactive experience which is different from the regular spinning-reel slots.
The growing wild multipliers in the base game and Free Falls bring an extra level of anticipation along with some fantastic payout potential. Its exciting subject, realistic graphics and cheerful animations bring unconditional pleasure.
The mobile optimization is another big positive, meaning you can enjoy Gonzo’s Quest on the move without losing any quality. Nevertheless, the RTP value of 95.97% is a bit below the internet slot average.
Not a terrible disadvantage considering everything else that Gonzo's Quest has to offer but worth mentioning in the comparison. The middle-of-the-road volatility means that, for those who like incredibly volatile slots with infrequent huge win possibilities, this might not be up your alley.
So, 1,875x your bet isn’t bad, but it’s not as high as some of the other popular slots. In addition, players who like buying the bonus and dropping in at the bonus round immediately might be disappointed.
When it came to my extended play, I noted that while the base game was fun with tumbling reels and multipliers, the real action took place when I triggered free falls. This is not present, and the game can be a bit of a grind without it.
Our Verdict
The bottom line is Gonzo's Quest still offers a great and fun experience. This game also has the Tumbling Reels feature and a possibility of high multipliers, which is always exciting to play.
Compounded by the interesting theme, great graphics and animations and perfect mobile compatibility it’s continued to draw in players. Although the RTP is a little less than we’d like, and the maximum win isn’t top of the range, medium variance and relatively even payouts will enable plenty of players to get into this game.
Who is the Gonzo’s Quest slot for? The Gonzo’s Quest slot is a great option for fans of medium-volatility online slots with unique features and memorable themes.
Animated ushers to web-based slots might also be interested in Gonzo’s Quest since it offers easy-to-follow rules and some of the most entertaining gameplay around. But the high-volatility chasers, they might want to try slots that promise for higher maximum payout and swing more in their risk-appetite point.
Even though 18 years have passed since its release, Gonzo's Quest remains a favourite at online casinos, and this Is more than enough proof to assure players of the quality of the game and interest-driven content of Gonzo’s search for El Dorado.
The fact that NetEnt has developed an entire franchise around the Gonzo character and its aspects are testament to how much of an influence it’s had on the online gambling community. I suspect that Gonzo will delight gamers for years to come.
Play Responsibly
Gambling for fun can turn into a gambling disaster if we don’t keep track of potential risks. Please ensure you wager with funds that you can realistically afford to do without.
Never wager money you can’t afford to lose and have clearly defined limits established for losing and playing time. Pay attention to the warning signs of problem gambling, like chasing losses, betting to forget problems or responsibilities.
And if you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, get help. There are a number of resources to help you out. These are groups such as the National Council on Problem Gambling (www. ncpgambling. org) and Gamblers Anonymous (www. gamblersanonymous. org).
And as always - it should be noted that the NativeCasinos website is aiming at players of 18+ years only. Always gamble legally and responsibly.