Thurisaz: Slot Overview

It’s not often this happens during a review, but before getting into Hacksaw Gaming partner Kitsune Studios‘ online slot Thurisaz, a quick bit of digging was needed to figure out what the title actually means. If you’re also wondering, “Thurisaz” is the third rune of the Elder Futhark, the oldest known runic alphabet, used by Germanic peoples from around 150 CE, and it’s been linked with strength, protection, and conflict, among other themes. Big associations, so the hope is that Thurisaz the slot earns its powerful name.

Thurisaz is set in a rugged, fjord-like landscape hemmed in by jagged peaks. Kitsune Studios fills the scene with two Viking warriors—one male and one female—and layers in classic Viking atmosphere. Expect more mountains, brooding dark clouds, and streaks of yellow lightning. That’s the base game backdrop. The bonus round tones things down, shifting play indoors to a stone-built setting that feels like a palace, or something close to it. Either way, Thurisaz is an attractive slot, though the base game is the more visually intense of the two, while the feature action steps up during free spins.

Once you’ve chosen a stake of $/€0.10 to $/€100, hitting spin sets a 5×5 gaming grid in motion, paying wins across 19 paylines. With a 3 out of 5 rating, the math model sits at medium volatile, and from the two RTP options available, 96.3% is the one you’ll want.

There are five rune symbols at the low end, paying 1x to 2x the stake for a 5 OAK result. Above those are mugs, ships, ravens, plus the female and male characters, which return 5x to 10x for a 5 OAK payline win. Standard wilds and Dropping Wilds replace all regular paying symbols, and either type pays 20x for five across a line. A cascading wins system clears winning symbols away, letting new ones fall into place to potentially create additional wins.

Thurisaz: Slot Features

Thurisaz includes Frame Multipliers, Dropping Wilds, free spins, and feature buys.

Frame Multiplier

Every win highlights the winning positions using frames. When a framed spot is hit again by a win, it activates an x2 multiplier. Each subsequent win on that framed position increases the multiplier by +1 up to x5. If a win includes multiple framed positions, their multipliers are added together. Dropping Wild symbols and Frame Multiplier values are added together when they contribute to the same win. During the base game, frames and multipliers reset every spin.

Dropping Wild

Whenever a Dropping Wild lands, it expands to the bottom of the reel. How many positions it covers depends on its multiplier value from x1 to x5. They can land on any reel, with a maximum of one per reel. If multiple expanding Dropping Wilds are part of the same win, their multipliers are added together.

Thurisaz Free Spins

Hitting 3, 4, or 5 scatters in the base game awards 10, 12, or 14 free spins, respectively. The bonus round retains the base game mechanics. On top of that, any Frame Multipliers from the base game carry over, and they do not reset until the feature ends. Landing 2 extra FS scatters awards +2 free spins.

Feature Buys

Choosing BonusHunt FeatureSpins for 3x the bet makes each spin 5 times more likely to trigger free spins, while paying 50x for Dropping Wild FeatureSpins guarantees at least 1 Dropping Wild lands. You can also buy entry into the free spins round for 100x the stake.

Thurisaz: Slot Verdict

Once the meaning behind the name Thurisaz was cleared up, the rest of the slot was much easier to get to grips with. The base game revolves around cascades and Dropping Wilds, yet building up multipliers on specific positions and then extending them could feel fairly sporadic. So even though Thurisaz might initially seem like a kind of Sugar Rush rival, the overall rhythm of play comes across quite differently. One reason is that Thurisaz uses paylines rather than cluster pays to mark winning positions, meaning potential multipliers were, in many cases, limited to the leftmost three reels. Over longer sessions, the rate of landing two or more wins on the same spot—needed to kick off the x2 multis and beyond—could be a touch underwhelming.

Free spins are where Thurisaz gets the best opportunity to show what it can do, since highlighted positions and their multiplier levels stay in place until the feature finishes. On the plus side, free spins triggered often enough to keep interest up, although swapping the epic mountain scenery for a gloomy stone chamber felt like a downgrade in presentation. Even during free spins, Thurisaz sometimes struggled to deliver standout payouts, though its 10,000x the stake win cap indicates the potential is there. With the right run, position multipliers can build, combine with Dropping Wilds, and suddenly you’re looking at a strong outcome.

Overall, Thurisaz is a sharp-looking and great-sounding slot, and its feature set is worthwhile. The lingering issue is that, in terms of individual position multiplier gameplay, it feels overshadowed by games like Sugar Rush, which does a better job of making its mechanics feel ready to erupt at any time. Thurisaz delivers flashes of excitement, but generally they felt more restrained, less explosive, and a bit less fun.