Valkyrie Introduction

Swedish provider ELK Studios closes out the year with a release that could be among its most ambitious efforts so far. Taking place between Midgard and the fiery realm of Helheim, the hunt for major payouts unfolds on a 5-reel, 4-row, 1024 win-all-ways layout. With Freya at your side (goddess of Love), supported by The Valkyries (they sound like a girl band); Gane, Helena, Andora and Tyrsa, their weapons become your assets and may land as standard or oversized high-value symbols.

This Nordic mythology themed high variance slot runs smoothly across all devices and allows stakes from €0.20 to €100. Players can look forward to free spins and EPIC symbols, alongside three randomly activated features: The Shield of Chance, The Arrow of Fortune and The Sword of Destiny.

From a visual standpoint, Valkyrie is a striking achievement for a relatively small studio. The opening sequence feels grand and dramatic, and while the surface presentation delivers some genuinely impressive transitions and effects, the gameplay mechanics don’t quite sparkle to the same degree.

Valkyrie Symbols & Paytable

The game includes up to 12 standard symbols, which makes the reel set feel a little busier than we’d prefer and, as a result, can reduce the likelihood of forming winning combinations. Lower-value icons are J to K, shown as gem-trimmed, steel-cast royals. Above them sit the Hammer of Thor, the Midgard Serpent, the Fenrir wolf and gauntlets, plus the four god’s Gane, Helena, Andora, Tyrsa, and the lead character Freya, who pays 4 times the stake for 5 of a kind.

Symbols can land as 3-high stacks and also as blocks in three sizes; 2×2, 2×3 and 3×3, appearing in both the base game and the bonus features. There are 3 special symbols too – bonus symbol, scatter and the wild, though the wild’s look is somewhat confusing since it closely resembles the scatter and certain premium symbols.

Valkyrie Features

At the heart of the gameplay are the 3 Valkyrie features, granted by landing 3 or more bonus scatter symbols in the base game (more bonus symbols means a stronger bonus) or by triggering the free spin feature:

• Sword of Destiny – somewhat reminiscent of the infamous Wild Desire feature from Microgaming’s Immortal Romance. Swords drop onto one, two or all of the three middle reels, creating fully stacked wild reels.
• Shield of Chance – Shields cascade onto the reels, randomly adding 1×1 wild symbols across the reel set.
• Arrow of Fortune – Freya shoots arrows at the reel set. Each arrow that hits produces matching Epic symbols sized 2×2, 2×3 or 3×3.

Valkyrie Free Spins

Landing 3 or more scatter symbols anywhere on the reels will activate the free spin feature as follows:

• 3 scatter symbols – 5 free spins with at least 1 Valkyrie feature.
• 4 scatter symbols – 7 free spins with at least 2 Valkyrie features.
• 5 scatter symbols – 10 free spins with at least 3 Valkyrie features.

The free spin feature can re-trigger, which isn’t particularly unusual based on our experience, and it awards the same number of free spins as listed above. Unless we overlooked key details like upgraded reels or similar enhancements, there isn’t much more to the free spin feature beyond that.

Valkyrie Conclusion

When you play it, Valkyrie comes across as a high variance slot packed with spectacle. In practice, though, the returns can feel underwhelming even when you connect Epic symbols, and it’s hard to shake the sense that something in the math model feels oddly off.

That said, the provider states there is a max win potential of 5000 times the stake, which is fairly respectable. A full-screen win with the top symbol Freya pays 4096 times the stake, so there’s definitely upside here.