Holy Diver

We know what you are thinking. Writer, why is this review so late? The simple answer is – we were playing Holy Diver for too long! We were incredibly impressed by Big Time Gaming’s release – it takes a standard theme, and performs miracles with it! From the adventurer plundering loot, to the Megaways structure, the volatility and special features.. This may be as close to perfect as we will ever get as a species.

Holy Diver Review

The slot is played on six reels, and each reel can have between two to seven symbols of height. This, in turn, changes the number of available ways to win. Sometimes, you are treated to over 100,000! At other times, far less. But it always more than the measly 25 paylines that are standard for these types of games!

Despite the Megaways system, winning is the same as it has always been. Land three or more matching icons in adjacent positions, from left to right. Megaways does not have set paylines, so you do not have to worry about your winning combination following a set line.

We hope you like bonuses, because there are a lot of them! Every few spins, your adventurer kicks open a chest, that can reveal four minor special features. On top of that, you have access to some annoyingly difficult to get free spins, with a diamond collection mini-game. Alternatively, players can forgo free spins and level up instead!

Theme & Symbols

We have to admit, we thought we were beyond being impressed by medieval themed slots. It is not that they are bad, but they have been done many times over. But that’s Big Time Gaming for you – they kick your door down and show you how its done! The sheer amount of care and polish that went into this game is staggering.

The developers went out of their way to draw a gorgeous background, and add some particle and wind effects to it. The beautiful, blue sky is covered up by white clouds, and rising black smoke. Something wicked this way comes, no doubt, and so our adventurer is charging towards it. He might get there eventually.. but there are so many juicy chests to open first!

What’s on the reels was the only real disappointment so far. We were expecting menacing bandits, fierce dragons and evil warlocks trying to impede our knight’s progress! Instead, differently colored gemstones and playing card icons fill the board. Considering all the effort that went into everything else, this stings a lot more than it usually does.

How to Play Holy Diver

Holy Diver can take some getting used to, especially if it is your first Megaways slot. The changing heights of each reel also means the number of available ways to win is different every spin. If we had it our way, we would change it so that you have a guaranteed three icon height. When you only get two symbols on the first reel, you might as well write it off as a dead spin.

The decision as to whether to choose to level up or take the free spins is quite engaging! You have to pick based on how much money you have left, and whether it will last long enough. Slots are often accused of lacking gameplay depth, but this release does not have to worry about that.

If you were worried that having so many available paylines would mean a steep starting bet, you would be wrong! For the pleasure of having up to 586971 Ways to Win, your minimum bet is a whopping.. €0.10. No, we are not kidding. High rollers will not be happy to find the maximum bet is set at €20. Great news for everyone else, though!

Bonus Features

There is a lot to unpack here, so we should not waste any time in doing so!

• Chests of Fortune

Beneath the reels, you will see the knight walking down the road. Each time he stops by a chest, he will open it, to activate one of four small bonuses. These are:
• Standard Symbol: Reveals one of the playing card symbols and transforms them into a Wild.
• Sword: Adds up to three full reel Wilds with a multiplier that can climb up to 7x.
• Fireball: Shoots out fireballs, creating up to four randomly positioned Wilds on the playing field.
• Gem Symbol: Reveals one of the four gem icons. That symbol is added to the shield next to the screen. All revealed gems become Wild, with an increasing multiplier based on player level.

• Shield of Fortune

Once you complete the shield, and collect all four gems from the chests, you are faced with an option. You can choose to Level Up, or collect free spins. Leveling up increases the number of available Megaways, to a maximum of 586971 Ways to Win at Level 3.

• Free Spins

If you choose free spins, you start with 10 extra turns. Every gem that appears on reels two, three, four and five will turn Wild. These Wilds also come with a multiplier, depending on your current level. Levels two or three grant a 2x or 3x multiplier on the Wilds. After playing free spins, the level counter is returned to one.

• Diamond Retrigger

During free spins, the hero will move and collect diamonds instead of chests. The first four diamonds give an extra spin, while the fifth rewards eight free spins and a retrigger. Retriggering guarantees more icons will appear on the playing field. Doing it multiple times can guarantee seven symbols will appear on all reels!

Payouts

Big Time Gaming’s release has a low to medium variance, with a maximum prize worth 23,306x your total bet. The RTP for Holy Diver varies between 96.39% and 96.54%, which is above the current industry average.