Gonzo’s Quest

It was the perfect storm, released at the right place and the right time. It offered a special feature that was entirely unique for the time and showcased some gorgeous graphics to boot!

And while many years have passed, the hunt for El Dorado still lives on in the hearts and wallets of many.

Gonzo’s Quest Review

The game is played on five reels, with each one being three symbols high. Gamblers also get 20 fixed paylines, which they cannot turn on or off. The setup is already good, but is made even better by the inclusion of the Avalanche mechanic. What is this Avalanche mechanic, you ask? Read on to find out!

To get a win, collect three or more identical symbols in adjacent position, starting from the leftmost reel. These icons must follow one of the twenty active winlines, or else the cash prize will not be granted.

We promised Avalanche, and here it is! Symbols will blow up, making way for new icons to appear on the playing field. This allows for multiple wins to be chained together – and NetEnt are counting on this! That’s why there’s also the Avalanche multiplier bonus. And if these two bonuses aren’t enough, there’s also the ever familiar free spins!

Theme & Symbols

When it first came out, this NetEnt release was the bee’s knees. The introduction video alone was enough to get people to register accounts at an online casino! It also helped that Gonzo’s Quest was among the first slots to show their main character all the time. Our Spanish explorer reacted to your wins and losses, and complained if you took too long. It’s nothing special now, but it blew people’s mind back in 2011.

The background image is obscured by the large blocks that make up the playing field. As such, you only see the outer walls of the temple, and the small artificial waterfall. But, as the blocks break, you get the occasional glimpse at the massive temple hidden in the jungle! Sadly, you can only look at it from afar. For all the great prizes it awards, this game never lets you visit El Dorado proper!

The symbol design is definitely unique, but we’re not sure if we like them or not. They seem to be carved depictions of various animals and Mesoamerican deities. Certainly, it fits the theme, but we’re not sure if they’re our cup of tea.

How to Play Gonzo’s Quest

The game is played on a 5×3 board with 20 fixed paylines. At first glance, it’s just like any other release. It’s only thanks to the Avalanche system that it stood out in the first place! This was revolutionary back in 2011, when cascading reels weren’t nearly as widespread as they are today. We think it might be fair to say that it was Gonzo’s Quest that popularized the idea.

But Avalanche, by itself, would just be an interesting gimmick if it wasn’t for it’s counterpart. What gave this slot true staying power was the ability to win amazing jackpots! And NetEnt created that thanks to the Avalanche multipliers special feature. But the developers pushed on, adding free spins, and then tying them into the other two bonuses. So you’ll need to use all three together to have a shot at the maximum prize.

Your minimum stake starts at €0.20 per spin, which we find quite reasonable. One cent per payline is standard, and most casual players will be able to afford it. What surprised us was that your maximum wager is only €50 per spin. NetEnt usually lets online gamblers bet much larger numbers. Then again, with a 37,500x jackpot, we can understand why they’d be hesitant to allow massive stakes.

Bonus Features

Avalanches, Avalanche multipliers, and free spins. Even at first glance, the first two special features obviously play off each other. But where this release truly won us over is how they connected free spins with the previous two bonuses.

• Avalanche

Before Gonzo’s Quest, players were satisfied with winning once per spin. Then this slot came along and changed the rules! Now, after the initial win, the icons that were part of it blow up and disappear. At the same time, new ones fall down to take their place. So with a dash of luck, you could end up with several wins for the price of a single spin!

• Avalanche Multipliers

But NetEnt wasn’t satisfied leaving it there. Instead, they rewarded these chain wins further. If you could get multiple consecutive wins using cascading reels, your multiplier would increase! It increased by 1x on each re-spin, capping at 5x after four re-spins.

• Free Spins

Collect three Scatters to win ten free spins. There’s also a possibility to get more turns while the bonus is already being played. So how do you connect these to the previous two special features? You increase the Avalanche multiplier during free spins! Instead of starting at 1x, the multiplier immediately jumps to 3x! And it then increases by 3x, reaching a maximum of 15x after four re-spins.

Gonzo’s Quest Payouts

Unsurprisingly, Gonzo’s Quest boasts a medium-high variance. For gamblers who are willing to brave the journey to El Dorado, a potential jackpot worth 37,500x your total stake awaits! The RTP for this slot is 95.97%.