Heroes’ Gathering Slot (Relax Gaming): Overview

Relax Gaming returns with an entertaining new slot presented in a board game-style format. They’ve previously taken inspiration from a classic mobile title in the Snake Arena video slot. Snake is undeniably old-school, but Heroes’ Gathering pushes the idea further by centring everything on the humble board game. Gaming nerds will be pleased to see yet another slot built around a board game bonus feature. This more traditional style of play is enjoying a bit of a revival right now, helped along by things like board game bars, 3D printing your own face onto miniatures, and the general rise in quality. It’s clearly striking a chord with gamblers too, which explains why it’s showing up more often in slots. Here, Relax Gaming lets table-top fans spin the reels under a classic D&D-style theme that keeps the adventure rolling.

The opening presentation has a quirky twist. The 5 reel, 3 row layout is set on a tabletop like a real board game. There’s a slight optical tilt to the view that can feel a touch disorientating at first. It’s nothing dramatic or off-putting, and after a few spins you’ll barely register it. Scattered around the reels are assorted props—gold coins, barrels, gems, keys, a chair—giving it a bit of an Elder Scrolls tavern vibe. Medieval music floats in the background, like a bard plucking away on a cittern, and it honestly works really well. For maximum immersion, you could always pair it with a tankard of mead by a roaring fire.

Empty the coin purse by selecting stakes from 10 p/c up to $/€100 per spin. Heroes’ Gathering may look different thanks to the perspective, but the mechanics are familiar. Land three or more matching symbols on one of the 20 fixed paylines and you’ll collect a win. The top regular symbol is the armoured knight peering through a helm, paying 20 times the stake for five of a kind. Other premium symbols, in descending order, are a mage, a friendly goblin, a coat of arms, a book, and a pair of blades. Rounding out the paytable are three low pays shown as circular gold/jewel objects. The biggest payer overall is the wild, depicted as a swirling mage’s orb. It substitutes for any paying symbol and returns 50 times the stake for five on a line.

If there’s one thing D&D players love, it’s stats—movement, magic points, ballistic skill, and plenty more besides. Slot players aren’t much different, and the key numbers here are an RTP of 96.45% alongside medium volatility. That combo should suit most heroes—sorry, players—so let’s get into the features.

Heroes’ Gathering Slot (Relax Gaming): Features

The base game mainly serves as a ramp-up to the bonus round where the board game element takes over. Oddly enough, it’s simpler than many other board game-style slots because there are only a handful of square types, and they don’t really alter the spins. That said, explaining how it works is still a bit of a challenge—so here goes.

There are 2 bonus games, and the most sought-after one triggers when 3 scatters land on reels 1, 3, and 5. This activates the Board Game Main feature, awarding free spins with no fixed limit. The reels spin and any wins are gathered. If a wheel symbol lands on reel 3, it’s spun and the player moves 1-6 spaces around the board. The game includes 3 amulets, each tied to its own prize pot— bronze, silver, and gold.

When the player lands on a square matching one of those colours, they collect a pin for that colour. Landing on a corner square adds 5x, 10x, 20x or 100x the bet to all three pots, and all pins are cleared. Any reels win linked to a coloured pot has its value doubled and added into that pot. Completing a full lap of the board removes the pins, and landing on the start square doubles all three pot values. The feature ends once three pins from a single pot are collected. At that point, the relevant pot amount is paid out along with the round win total. Hopefully that’s at least somewhat clear—it definitely is once you see it running.

There’s also a smaller version of the feature. Called the Board Game Mini feature, it triggers when 2 scatters land on reels 1, 3, or 5. Thankfully, it follows essentially the same rules, except the first coloured square the player lands on becomes the only prize pot for that game, and the corner multipliers range from x5-x50 this time.

Heroes’ Gathering Slot (Relax Gaming): Verdict

Heroes’ Gathering is a solidly made slot, but it can start to feel repetitive fairly quickly. It’s not among the most inventive titles to come off the Relax Gaming production line, even if it might seem that way at first glance. If you’re the type of player who prioritises visuals over what’s happening under the hood, you’ll likely be happy—Relax Gaming has done a strong job creating an attractive slot packed with atmosphere and fantasy flavour. Players looking for something more intense may find it a bit lacking. The main issue is that the board game element is, frankly, a little dull.

Although the bonus game is meant to be the headline act, it doesn’t deliver the same excitement as other games in this niche. What holds it back is the lack of board modifiers you’d normally expect, and the rounds also don’t tend to run for very long. The overall world is excellent for anyone into the Warhammer/D&D vibe, but the gameplay substance doesn’t fully live up to the style. That’s a pity, because the setting itself is genuinely cosy—a great place to settle in for a few spins.

Relax Gaming has put together a pleasant fantasy-themed slot for genre fans to enjoy. Anyone who doesn’t get a thrill from cutting through orc hordes or roleplaying as hobbits, though, probably won’t be quite as captivated.