Thunderstruck II is Microgaming’s 2010 sequel to Thunderstruck, and its reputation rests on one thing: a free spins round called the Great Hall of Spins that comes in four different versions. The theme is Norse mythology — the Valkyrie, Loki, Odin and Thor each own a version of the bonus, and the game hands them over one at a time as you keep triggering it. Few slots of that era change shape the longer you play them, and that is why this one is still in lobbies.
- Free spins
- 243 ways
- Random wild reels
- Rolling Reels
- Win multipliers
- Studio
- Microgaming
- Released
- 2010
- Layout
- 5 reels, 3 rows
- Ways to win
- 243 ways
- Volatility
- High
How It Plays
Five reels, three rows and no paylines in the usual sense: the game pays 243 ways. Matching symbols on adjacent reels pay as long as the run starts on the leftmost reel, whatever row each symbol happens to sit in. Three adjacent reels is the shortest paying run, and separate ways are added together on the same spin.
A spin costs 30 coins and all 243 ways are always active, so the stake is set by choosing the coin value rather than by adding or removing lines. The coin range depends on the build the casino runs, and the current one is listed in the game’s information panel. The wild stands in for every symbol except the scatter.
Symbols
The four characters sit at the top of the paytable — the Valkyrie, Loki, Odin and Thor, painted in the same style as the loading screen. Below them are card ranks from nine to ace, dressed in Norse ornament but doing the ordinary job of low symbols. Thor is the highest-paying of the characters, and the gap between the characters and the card ranks is wide, which is a large part of why the base game feels uneven.
Two symbols stand outside that order. The Thunderstruck II logo is the wild: it substitutes for everything except the scatter and is the strongest symbol on the reels in its own right. Thor’s hammer is the scatter — it counts from anywhere on the screen rather than along a way, and three or more of them open the bonus.
Bonus Feature
Three or more hammer scatters anywhere on the reels open the Great Hall of Spins. What is waiting behind the door depends on how many times you have triggered it before, because the round has four levels and they unlock in order.
The Valkyrie is open from the first trigger: 10 free spins with every win multiplied by 5. Loki opens after five triggers: 15 free spins with the Wildstorm feature running. Odin opens after ten: 20 free spins with the Wild Raven feature, where his two ravens turn symbols into wilds carrying a 2x or 3x multiplier. Thor opens after fifteen: 25 free spins with Rolling Reels, where winning symbols vanish, new ones drop into the gaps, and each consecutive win pushes a multiplier up through 2x, 3x, 4x and 5x.
Once a hall is unlocked it stays unlocked, and later triggers let you choose which one to enter. Wildstorm also fires at random in the base game, turning between one and five whole reels wild for a single spin. One thing worth saying plainly: the trigger counter is a record of how often the bonus has already landed, not a sign that a payout is owed. Every spin is settled on its own, and nothing in the game becomes more likely because it has not happened for a while.
Controls
The panel sits under the reels. Spin starts the round, the coin value control sets what a 30-coin spin costs, and the total bet is shown next to the balance. There are no line controls at all, because the ways count is fixed.
Autoplay runs a set number of automatic spins and can be told when to stop — on any win, when the balance moves by an amount you set, or when the bonus triggers. The paytable button opens the game’s own information panel, which is where the numbers for the build you are actually playing are listed.
Every game also carries an information panel with its rules and its return-to-player figure for the build running here. That panel is the accurate source; a number copied from elsewhere may describe a different build — see how to read RTP.
Pros and Cons
Thunderstruck II is a quiet base game attached to a bonus that carries everything. If you like a slot that pays in bursts and gives you something to work towards, the four-level structure does that better than almost anything else of its age, and Thor’s level — Rolling Reels with a rising multiplier — is the reason people keep coming back to a game this old.
It suits someone who returns to the same title across many sessions, because unlock progress carries over rather than resetting. It is a poor fit if you want steady small wins, if you want the whole feature available immediately, or if a base game that can run long stretches without much happening wears on you. The visuals and sound are also of their time, which is not a fault so much as something you notice next to newer releases.
- Four separate free spin rounds instead of one
- 243 ways: symbol position within a reel does not matter
- Wildstorm can turn up to five reels wild in the base game
- Unlock progress carries over between sessions
- Thor’s hall needs fifteen bonus triggers before it opens
- The base game can run quiet for long stretches
- Stake is set only through the coin value, so the steps are coarse
- Graphics and sound show their age
18+ or the legal age where you live. This game carries a house edge like every other. Play only with money you can afford to lose.
More From Microgaming
Other titles by the same studio in our lobby.
Questions
- How do I unlock all four levels of the Great Hall of Spins?
- By triggering the bonus. The Valkyrie is open from the first trigger, Loki after five, Odin after ten and Thor after fifteen. The count carries over between sessions, and once a hall is open you can choose it on later triggers.
- What triggers the free spins?
- Three or more of Thor’s hammer, the scatter, anywhere on the reels. They do not need to be on adjacent reels or in any particular position.
- What does 243 ways mean?
- There are no paylines. Matching symbols on adjacent reels pay when the run starts on the leftmost reel, whatever row each symbol sits in. Three matching reels is the shortest paying run, and there is nothing to switch on or off — all 243 ways are always active.
- Is it the same game as the original Thunderstruck?
- No. Thunderstruck (2004) is a nine-line game with a single free spins round. Thunderstruck II keeps the Norse theme and the characters, replaces the lines with 243 ways, and turns the one bonus into four.
- If the bonus has not landed for a long time, is it due?
- No. Each spin is resolved on its own, and the trigger counter only records which halls are open. A dry run does not make the next spin any more likely to pay.