Valley of the Gods 2 Slot Review
Released in September 2020, this game can be played at online casinos such as Rizk, Casumo or LeoVegas.
Theme and general information
Valley of the Gods 2 is the sequel to Valley of the Gods from Yggdrasil Gaming, which has been released in 2017. A surprise success and now favourite classic from Yggdrasil, Valley of the Gods was set in ancient Egypt. The same is true for the sequel, though things are quite different this time around.
Whilst we are apparently looking out from a temple into the desert of Egypt with pyramids in the background as the sun is setting on sandy dunes, the reel setup is quite different to the original slot. We get 6 reels with rows that are between three and eight symbols high. However, not all symbols are active during the base game. More on that below, however.
Yggdrasil takes a different approach with Valley of the Gods 2, though its look resembles the original enough to be recognisable. On the reels, we get low value card symbols from 9 to A and four Egyptian gods, Anubis, Horus, Sobek and Bastet. The latter is worth the most, giving us 20x our stake for 6 of a kind.
Symbols form a win in this game as long as we get three matching ones on adjacent reels starting on the left-most reel. Considering the minimum number of active symbols in the base game, that gives us 240 win ways to get started. As further symbols are unlocked, we can get up to 20,160 ways to win with all symbols unblocked.
There are no regular wild symbols or scatters in the game.
Bets can be set from 0.25 to 125.00 per spin.
Unblock symbols and get modifiers going during Re-Spins
The way to get the features in this game started requires us to unblock the locked scarab tiles. Every winning combination will help in that. Whenever a win lands, the corresponding number of symbols on each reel that is part of that win will unlock one of the blocked tiles.
This triggers a re-spin and if another win follows, more tiles are unblocked. This continues until all tiles are removed (or no more wins are achieved). And when that happens, the three modifiers on the left-hand side come into play. First, an extra life is awarded. Second, we get another re-spin. Now, however, each re-spin results in different coloured scarabs flying off the reels and filling up the modifiers:
- 5 red scarabs = +1 extra life
- 5 blue scarabs = +1 multiplier
- 5 green scarabs = triggers the wild reel
On a non-winning spin, we lose a life. If we get a wild reel, it will randomly land anywhere on the reels and remain in place, either until the next win or until the re-spins end.
If all lives are gone and no further re-spins are awarded, the reels reset to the initial setup with 240 ways to win and fewer active symbols. The cycle begins anew.
Verdict: A worthy successor with decent potential and seamless features
The theoretical RTP (Return to Player) of Valley of the Gods 2 is 96.3%, which is good value. The slot gets a medium to high volatility rating and a hit rate of 20%, which is more than you might expect with just 1 active symbol on reel one in the base game setup.
Albeit quite different to the predecessor, Valley of the Gods 2 works quite well as a sequel. It would also work well as a stand-alone game. And it doesn’t detract from the success of the first instalment. In fact, it often enhances it. The features are working well in tandem and can make for an enjoyable gameplay when things work in our favour.
That said, the game can be frustrating at times when re-spins are triggered but stop after just one spin. Sometimes it takes a moment before we really get going and see wins accumulate with scarabs flying all over the reels, filling the modifiers. That can be fun and wins of 5,481x our stake are possible then.
Overall, we get a worthy successor to the original with Valley of the Gods 2. One that you may even prefer to play over the original.