Rise to the Top in Relax Gaming’s Guitar Quest

The recent explosion of rock-and-roll slots was a welcome treat, though it was heavily focused on popular, marketable bands. Relax Gaming goes in a different direction with the Guitar Quest slot, instead focusing on the rise of an until-now nameless band. Cheer them on as they go from the garage to the stage, and you might be able to score a 10,000x reward along the way.

Will this exciting slot rise to the top, or is it doomed to nothing but local gigs for the immediate future? Find out in this in-depth review of Guitar Quest.

Guitar Quest Visuals

Rather than focus on any specific band or character, the art team designed the background to capture the feel of an up-and-coming guitar shredder. There’s a guitar on the wall that looks like it’s seen better days. The wall itself is also painted with graffiti, giving the whole slot a run-down feel. Triggering the feature swaps all that out for glitz and glamour, including a two-neck, solid-gold guitar.

The symbols in this Relax Gaming title look like someone barged into a fruit machine slot and vandalised its symbols. That includes anarchy symbols on golden bells, skulls on plums, and cherries with expletives written on them. It fits the punk-rock aesthetic the game is going for, so it gets a thumbs up from us.

Guitar Quest Gameplay and Features

Guitar Quest uses a 5×4 playing area with 1,024 ways to win instead of paylines. For players, that means that landing a win only requires three or more matching symbols in adjacent positions. While winning combinations don’t have to follow strict paylines, they still have to start with the leftmost reel.

Equalizer Modifiers

The equalizer on the wall is more than just for show. It has a chance to trigger up to four different modifiers during any base game spin:

• Wild Jam – adds up to 8 Wilds on reels 2 to 5.
• Twin Riff Split – between 6 and 10 random positions are highlighted. Any symbols that land in those highlighted spots count as two icons.
• Fired Up Multiplier – A random multiplier from 2x to 10x increases the final payout.
• Symbol Upgrade – The four lowest-paying icons do not appear during this spin.

Bonus Pick

Three or more Scatters in any position activate the Bonus Pick feature. This lets you choose between Solo Mode and Backstage bonus rounds. Triggering this feature with four or five Scatters will upgrade one of the two bonus rounds you unlock.

Backstage Free Spins

Players start the feature with 8 free spins and a persistent Wild Jam modifier. Collect 5 Scatters during the bonus round, and you get 5 more spins, plus you unlock a new Equalizer modifier. All unlocked modifiers are persistent. With a bit of luck, that means you can have all four of them active simultaneously.

Modifiers are always unlocked in the same order: Twin Riff, Fired Up Multiplier, and then Symbol Upgrade. Even after you’ve unlocked all modifiers, you can still get 5 additional spins for completing a collection. Additionally, you can win 3 extra spins if three Scatters land simultaneously.

Starting the Backstage Free Spins with four Scatters increases the starting free spins to 10. Doing the same with five Scatters means you start with 10 free spins and both Wild Jam and Twin Riff modifiers unlocked.

Solo Mode

Solo Mode consists of 10 levels. You start on level 1, 2, or 3 if you trigger this feature with 3, 4, or 5 Scatters, respectively. Prizes drop from top to bottom during this feature. A Collector Bar sits beneath the reels and claims any prizes that make contact with it. The bar is only one reel wide and randomly moves left or right every round.

The prizes you can collect come in the form of coins. Coins can appear in four sizes, with larger coins awarding bigger prizes. You can score rewards ranging from 1x to 1,000x.

Watch out for Guitar God Booster and Expander symbols. The former gives you a temporary power-up, which makes high-value coins more likely to appear. Meanwhile, the latter expands the Collector Bar to cover all five reels for one turn.

As the bonus round goes on, your level increases. This increases the speed at which new coins drop, increasing your odds of winning. However, each round played also drains your limited battery. The only way to extend the feature is for battery icons to drop and recharge the energy meter. Like coins, batteries come in several sizes and will refill the meter for different amounts.

Bonus Buy Features

Relax Gaming gives players several options when it comes to spending extra to unlock goodies. You can choose among the following bonus buy features:

• Enhanced Spins double the probability of triggering the Bonus Pick at the cost of increasing your base bet by 50%.
• Bonus Reels greatly increase the chance to activate the Bonus Pick. Costs 10x your stake.
• +1 Equalizer Spin guarantees at least one Equalizer modifier will be active on the next spin. Costs 10x your bet.
• +2 Equalizer Spin ensures two Equalizer modifiers will be present on the following spin. Costs 50x your wager.
• Bonus instantly activates the Bonus Pick feature. Costs 100x your stake.
• Ultra Bonus lets you choose between a fully upgraded Backstage or Solo Mode feature. Costs 400x your bet.
• Full Volume activates all four Equalizer modifiers in one round. Costs 600x your wager.

Guitar Quest RTP and Payouts

The RTP for the Guitar Quest slot is 96.10%. You can win up to 10,000x your stake, which is a solid top prize for a high-variance game.