Knight’s Life (Merkur): Overview

These days, knights aren’t exactly a common point of reference. Outside of TV shows and movies, the world of knighthood can feel like a distant piece of history. Luckily, plenty of online slots still draw inspiration from medieval themes, and this Merkur title is one of them. Knight’s Life takes you back to the Middle Ages, highlighting the training and commitment of men striving to become knights. The visuals may not be the most impressive around, but Knight’s Life is still a popular pick for many players, both online and in land-based casinos.

If you choose to play, you’ll find a familiar video slot setup. The game uses 5 reels and 3 rows overall. Across this layout, Merkur has included 5 paylines. Compared to many modern video slots, that’s a fairly small number of fixed lines. Although you can’t adjust which paylines are active, you can change your total stake. By clicking the coin button beneath the reels, you can select a bet from 0.05 c/p and 10 €/$ per spin.

There isn’t a great deal of background detail in Knight’s Life. It’s obvious the action is set around a medieval castle, but the backdrop is heavily blurred, which we see as a bit of a drawback. When it comes to the symbols, you’ll start with the usual playing card icons: the green J, orange Q, red K and purple A. After that, the theme comes through more clearly with the sword hilt, the knight’s helmet and his breastplate. A medieval castle also appears as a reel symbol. The top-paying symbols are three different knights, each capable of awarding up to 150 times your stake for a five of a kind win.

Knight’s Life (Merkur): Features

As you spin, Knight’s Life can also bring in a wild Symbol. This is represented by the magical wizard, who can substitute for every other symbol in the slot. That makes it easier to complete one or more winning combinations, and if he contributes to a win, he will also double the payout you receive. The only symbol he cannot replace is the scatter. In addition, if five wizards land on a winning payline, you can win up to 1,000 times your stake.

The slot’s scatter symbol appears as the noble steed. Unlike the other symbols, the Scatter can land anywhere on the reels and still deliver a payout. As long as two appear after a spin, you’ll be paid. Landing five provides a bigger prize of up to 500 times your stake.

The scatter symbol is also what activates the Free Spins feature – 3, 4, or 5 scatters award 10, 15, or 30 free spins respectively. During this round, you can gain an extra spin whenever two or more scatters appear. Meanwhile, from spins 6 through to 10, all wins are doubled. And from free spin 11 onwards, wins are tripled. Another key point about the bonus is that the three knight symbols gradually turn into wilds step by step. At the top of each reel, you can see which knight is wild for that free spin.

Knight’s Life (Merkur): Verdict

At first glance, Knight’s Life can come across as fairly standard, and in many ways it is. You get a straightforward base game, a classic video slot layout and retro-style graphics throughout. Once the free spins round is triggered, however, the action ramps up thanks to the step-by-step conversion of knights into wilds.

We also like the wizard wild in the base game, especially since it doubles payouts when it helps create a win. On top of that, you can win up to 2,000x per spin in the bonus, which is a respectable return. Overall, it’s an easy-to-follow slot with just a couple of extra features added in. It’s a solid entry in Merkur’s lineup, and as a stripped-back, no-nonsense all-or-nothing gambling machine, it’s easy to understand why it has found a following among hardcore gamers.