Monster Blox: Slot Overview

Teaming up with a bigger, well-established studio comes with plenty of upsides. One of the main ones is access to a ready-made toolkit of mechanics and features. We’ve already watched several of Yggdrasil’s partner studios experiment with the Gigablox mechanic, with mixed results; now it’s the turn of the Armenian crew at Peter & Sons. Interestingly, one of their first moves was to tweak the name. Instead of what could have been Monster Gigablox, they’ve smartly shortened it to Monster Blox – putting their stamp on the game immediately. From there, the slot continues to feel distinctly theirs, as Peter & Sons deliver their own style of fun while leaning on the well-known Gigablox framework.

Peter & Sons titles are so recognisable that even with a blindfold on, you’d likely spot one in a line-up. Monster Blox follows suit, using the studio’s signature aesthetic to build a fantasy world of wizards, dragons, castles, tree folk, and lush rolling hills – the crisp outdoor vibe even hints at a Big Bad Wolf atmosphere. It’s a good-looking slot, with visuals that are easy to enjoy and a little easier to forgive when the session turns rough.

It’s a lively experience too, since Gigablox changes how symbols drop onto the 6-reel grid, and the view regularly zooms in and out as extra rows are added after wins. On each spin, reels can randomly merge to form oversized symbols. For example, reels 1 and 2 may combine into 2×2 Gigablox, while reels 4-6 could display 3×3 Gigablox. When it comes to paying wins, Gigablox symbols are split back into standard 1×1 tiles for the calculation.

Highly volatile, Moster Blox provides stakes from 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin – playable on tablets, smartphones, or desktops. Instead of offering multiple RTP options, there’s just one version, set at a respectable 96.10%. Wins are formed by landing 3 to 6 matching symbols left to right starting from the leftmost reel. In the base setup, the grid begins at 4 rows and delivers 40 fixed ways to win. Stylish diamonds, spades, clubs, and hearts make up the lower-paying symbols, while four character icons, including a dragon and a tree person, sit at the top end. The best symbols return 2 to 10 times the stake for a six of a kind hit.

Monster Blox: Slot Features

In Monster Blox, the main Gigablox mechanic is supported by respins, wild transformations, and free spins featuring a rising win multiplier. Every time a win lands, you receive a respin, and an extra row is added to the reel set. With back-to-back wins, the reels can expand up to 8 positions high at most, before returning to 4 rows at the start of each fresh spin. On the 6×5, 6×6, 6×7, or 6×8 sized grid, the paylines increase to 55, 70, 85, or 100, respectively.

The wild transformation is a random add-on, so keep an eye on the wizard on the left, who may blast symbols – including bigger Gigablox blocks – and convert them into wilds. Wilds substitute for any paying symbol to help complete winning ways.

The bonus round starts when 5 or more free spins symbols appear on the reels – with each individual symbol counting as 1 free spin. If free spin symbols land during the feature, they add an additional free spin and are collected in a meter on the left of the reels. As specific totals of scatters are gathered, they advance the win multiplier to x2, x3, x5, and eventually up to a maximum of x10.

Monster Blox: Slot Verdict

Peter & Sons are clearly a studio that stays true to its approach and does things on its own terms. Their distinctive visual style has been noted before, and Monster Blox suggests they’re still polishing and improving it. Gigablox, meanwhile, continues to prove how adaptable it is, turning up in all sorts of titles ranging from 3021 The Bounty Hunter to Hunters Moon and Sabres and Swords. What helps Monster Blox shine is how neatly everything works together, resulting in a charming slot that simply runs smoothly.

That Peter & Sons personality carries into the gameplay as well: Gigablox is central, yet it doesn’t overpower the experience the way it sometimes can in other games built around the mechanic. The visuals are so striking that Gigablox’s presence feels slightly less dominant, giving the whole package a better sense of balance. Winning spins that trigger respins and reel growth flow naturally, and they can occasionally translate into some worthwhile returns too.

Free spins weren’t always the simplest feature to trigger, though the expanding grid and extra touches keep things engaging. Once the bonus is underway, we often managed to hit a decent number of scatters, extending the round through extra spins. The climbing multiplier during free spins adds the punch needed to potentially take a session up a notch, while also giving you a reason to keep pushing through the base game. Anyone who has played Hades Gigablox will understand the comparison, as the two share plenty of similarities. At the top end, P&S states that wins up to 7,485x the bet are possible – or a maximum of €/$740,000.

With Monster Blox, Peter & Sons once again move forward in their own style, weaving in the Gigablox system with ease. The visuals, setting, and features come together to form one of the strongest examples of this kind of slot available.