Gonzo’s Quest Online Slot Review

Gonzo’s Quest is an online video slot by NetEnt. The game is loosely based on the legendary Spanish explorer Gonzalo Pizarro, whose name you may recall from your history studies. Pizzaro was on a mission to find Eldorado, the legendary lost city of gold, and so is Gonzo. But he needs your help digging up the treasures.

The world-renowned online games manufacturer NetEnt released this slot back in 2013. So many of you may have already played it and will be more than ready to go on this exciting adventure again. But Gonzo welcomes new explorers, too, and once you see what the mission entails, like the oldtimers, you’ll be rarin’ to go!

Gonzo’s Quest basics

The Gonzo’s Quest slot game consists of five reels, three rows, and 20 fixed paylines. The game starts with a short animated film clip to introduce you to Gonzo. Immediately thereafter, ready or not, you find yourself thrust into the action.

Gonzo, the conquistador, is on a quest for gold, and he is inviting you to come along and assist him in his search.

But where is Gonzo now that you have accepted the challenge but need his expertise? Isn’t the conquistador supposed to be your guide? No, you are completely on your own!

However, Gonzo will be watching your every move from the sidelines, and he is as eager for you to succeed as you are. When he sees you’re having a rough go of it, he will scratch his beard in frustration, but a big win will have him dancing and fist-pumping. If you trigger the ‘free falls’ feature, which is capable of giving you mega-size wins, Gonzo will be so over the moon he will leave his post on the far left side and moonwalk across the screen!

From the minute you start your adventure, you cannot help but be impressed by the amazing attention to detail that went into making this game. The setting for the action is a lush green Peruvian jungle. There’s a fountain of water pouring from a stone-carved face and an Inca temple in the background. The reels themselves are placed on the gates of Eldorado.

No progressive jackpot, but no shortage of excitement

Surprisingly, Gonzo’s Quest doesn’t offer a progressive jackpot, which would fit in perfectly with this slot’s theme of searching for hidden treasures. However, thanks to multipliers galore and a couple of innovative special features, it is impossible to get bored, and you can score impressive wins, too!

Gonzo’s Quest promises to be exciting every step of the way, and in that respect, it won’t disappoint. But because you’re venturing into unknown territory, the path leading to a possible golden treasure is filled with twists and turns. It’s a game where you can always expect the unexpected!

NetEnt label is another reason to play this game

Unless you are brand new to online slots, the name behind Gonzo’s Quest, NetEnt, should not need any introduction. NetEnt slots are heavily represented in online casinos all over the world.

The NetEnt label is synonymous with quality. NetEnt slots are loaded with the kinds of extra features that online slot players love like wild and scatter symols, avalanches, and free spins with multipliers. But at the same time, they also offer great bang for the buck. Every NetEnt slot has an RTP of 96% or better.

A high RTP tempered by medium-high volatility. Are you up for the challenge?

Gonzo’s Quest has a published RTP of 96.10%. The high RTP doesn’t guarantee a winning outcome every time you play, but what you can rely on is frequent payouts, so you’re always in the game, even when the big ones you’re hoping for elude you.

The medium high volatility that is also associated with Gonzo’s Quest makes sense because you’re searching for hidden treasures, which you know will be a challenge. But the circuitous route and missteps along the way, which you hope will be ultimately offset by big rewards are what make this quest exciting. The downside is that you need to watch your bankroll closely because the fluctuations can be unsettling if you play for higher stakes than you should and aren’t careful or you get overly greedy.

Gonzo’s Quest bet size

The number of paylines is fixed at 20, but you can still adjust the bet size based on the coin size and bet level you choose. Gonzo’s Quest can be played with coin sizes of .01, .02, .05, .10, .20, and .50. and a bet level of 1-5.

The cost of each bet is 20x the coin size x the bet level.  Therefore, the minimum bet per spin is 20 x 1 x 1 or 20 cents, and the maximum bet per spin is 20 x .50 x 5 or $50.

Gonzo’s Quest symbols

Gonzo’s Quest consists of seven regular symbols, plus a wild symbol and scatter symbol.

• Regular symbols: The regular symbols are different color stones with an Inca carving of an animal or human face. The highest paying one is a grayish blue stone with gold trim. Five of these stones across a payline return 2,500 coins. The other six regular symbols, in descending order of value, are green, gold, purple, tan, pink, and light blue stones. In order to produce a paying combination, three or more matching symbols need to line up from left to right adjacently on consecutive reels, starting with reel 1.
• Wild symbol: The wild symbol is a gray engraved stone with a circle containing a gold question mark. It substitutes for all other symbols in the game except the scatter symbol to help form or add to winning combinations.
• Scatter symbol: The scatter symbol or ‘free fall’ symbol is a solid gold medallion with a face in the middle. This symbol can only appear on reels 1, 2, and 3. It needs to show up on all three of these reels simultaneously to trigger the elusive but potentially very lucrative free falls feature described below.

Gonzos’ Quest special features

Avalanche feature

When you press the spin button for each bet, instead of the reels spinning as they do in most online slot games, new symbols fall from above. If no winning combination occurs, try again and hope for better luck. But if you get a payout, wait because the bet you just made might give you additional payouts.

Every time you get a winning combination, the contributing symbols explode and disappear. This sets in motion an avalanche feature whereby new symbols fall down to fill the empty positions. The avalanches continue until there are no new winning combinations.

Successive avalanches resulting from the same bet also increase the win multiplier. The win multiplier starts at 1 for the first avalanche but increases to x2 for the second avalanche, then x3 for the third, and is capped at x5 for four or more avalanches.

Free Falls feature

The free falls feature is basically the same thing as the more commonly used term “free spins” bonus, except that in this game, the reels don’t spin at all. Instead, different symbols fall from above to land the on the reels the way they do.

In most slots, anytime a minimum of three scatter symbols land anywhere on the reels simultaneously, you activate the free spins. Activating the free falls feature in Gonzo’s Quest also requires three scatter symbols showing up simultaneously. But because only the first three reels contain them and they need to appear on all three, the free falls feature is hard to trigger. But it’s worth the wait because you get 10 free falls (or maybe more because the free falls feature can be retriggered).

During the free falls feature, just like in the base game, each successive win on a round causes an avalanche. As the avalanches continue, the win multiplier increases as well–first avalanche: 3x, second avalanche: 6x, third avalanche: 9x, and any additional avalanches: 15x.

The avalanches might continue for a long time, but you won’t mind at all because it’s like money is falling from the sky. When the feature finally ends, bonus coins also fall, causing Gonzo to rush over to scoop them up into his helmet. But the extra money is all yours! You could be looking at a mega-size win!