Slot Shields of the Wild — Game Review

300 Shields Slot Review – A Game from the Past with a Lot to Offer

In 2014, NextGen Gaming released the slot 300 Shields. At the time the game appeared in the iGaming circuit, it made an incredibly positive impression on the online gambling community, effectively solidifying its place as one of the most iconic slot titles of its generation. While the game’s visual design has seen better days, the simplicity of the slot’s gameplay has allowed it to survive multiple trend changes, and remain as a beloved classic to many players. In this 300 Shields slot review, we will not only explain everything about the game, but also discuss why it is present in the portfolios of all top rated casino sites in the UK.

Experience a Legend in the 300 Shields Slot Game

While historians argue about what happened in the battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, all of them agree that there were 300 Spartan warriors that defended the famous “Hot Gates” pass. The story plot of this slot is clear, and judging by the visual elements incorporated into the game itself, the developer stayed true to the source material as much as possible. Experience the battle of Spartans versus Persians, while trying to land winning combinations!

The 300 Shields Slot Game – Basic, but Interesting Features

As a game of “classic” origins, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the 300 Shields slot game has a reel layout of 3×5. Another impressive fact about this slot, is that it has 12 symbols! Two of them are special ones (Spartan Warrior, Shield), four of them are high paying ones (Persian Archer, Ship, Sword, Arrows) and six of them are low paying ones (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9). Although a winning combination can be formed from all of these symbols, it is the special ones that will provide the game with its additional bonus features and mechanics.

The Spartan Warrior Provides a Wild Function

Although a successful combination of Spartan Warrior symbols is considered to be the highest paying one in the game, there is much more to it than that special symbol; namely, its wild function. Any time a Spartan is landed on the reels, it will substitute all other symbols (except for Shield).

Special Rules Apply during Free Spins

Landing at least three Shield symbols will make the slot grant five free spins (FS). Because of the fact that these symbols are scatters, they don’t need to be in a special order to grant wins or enable the feature, but even that’s not all. Once FS mode engages, any Spartan Warriors that are part of a winning combination will double their wins! Furthermore, the collection of at least two shields during bonus rounds will retrigger five additional free spins. Although there is no limit to how much FS you can retrigger, the feature is known to be somewhat difficult to enable.

On the other hand, in addition to the spins, the number of shields will also increase the multiplier win value of any landed Spartan Warriors. For example, two shields will increase the multiplier x5 times, six or more shields will provide a winning multiplier of x25, and if you’re lucky enough to land 12 or more shields, the wins from Spartan Warriors will have an x300 multiplier! Scatter wins will also be multiplied by the total bet, and will be added to any resulting line wins as well.

We should also mention that both the initial free spins and any retriggers will be played in a number of stages. The first stage will exhaust the first five free spins that the game has granted. If a player lands more Shield symbols, they will move on to the second stage. Additional scatters will provide more free spins and access to a third stage. After the FS of the third stage has been concluded and no additional Shield symbols have been produced, the game will display the total winnings gathered during the bonus games and return to its normal state.

A Maximum Win as Good as a Jackpot

Although the game itself doesn’t provide a jackpot on its own, the maximum win that can happen from the game’s special FS feature can result in a prize of x17,773 a player’s bet. This is an impressive multiplier, and if timed by the maximum bet amount allowed in the game, it will result in a win of £222,162.5

Some of the Basics You Need before You Start

Due to the simplified gaming interface, all you will need to do is set your bet and spin those reels! Bear in mind that although simple, this game has high volatility, which means that winning symbol combinations are expected to form rarely rather than often; however, their rewards will be proportionally larger in accordance with the win frequency in the 300 Shields slot. The RTP of this title is estimated to be 95.299%, which is a bit less than the golden iGaming standard (96%), but it is far superior to that of other games from that time period.

The 300 Shields slot machine has 25 pay lines, which are adjustable. Players can choose how many they would like to play, with the available range being from 1 to 25. Regardless of the number of active pay lines, players will receive the same winnings that have been pre-determined by the lowest and highest symbol combinations. When analysing the lowest and largest, we’ve come to an important conclusion.

If a successful single line combination is made up of three 9s or 10s, it will produce a win of 4 coins; which, if valued at the lowest bet per spin setting (BPS), will produce a prize of merely £0.04. On the other hand, if you score five Spartan Warriors in a winning combo with a max BPS, you will be looking at a reward of 1,000 coins, or £12,500!

Setting Your Total Bet in 300 Shields Is Easy

Within the game’s settings, there will be two sliders that will control the number of lines you would like to play, as well as the value of the coins within the game. Adjusting them will form your total BPS, and display the amount at the top of the gaming interface. With that being said, the standard wager here will be 1 coin per active line; if you wish to play only on one line on the lowest settings, a single spin would cost you £0.01; however, if you’re feeling confident, a maximum bet per spin for all 25 pay lines will cost you £12.5 per round.

Featuring the Simplest Auto Spin Mechanics Ever

If you would like to introduce an automated element to your gameplay, you can do so via the Autoplay Spins function incorporated in the 300 Shields slot game. Similar to the betting sliders, players can set the game to process at least 5 spins on its own. The number of auto spins on the slider increase by a factor of 5, all the way up to 100. Once your desired number has been set and the game starts running in auto mode, the way to stop it is by hitting the spin button again. Any remaining auto spins will be cancelled, and if you wish to engage the game in auto mode again, you will need to revisit the settings section.

A Retro Game Available on Mobile Platforms

When the game was first created, it was done so on the outdated software platform Flash; however, due to its popularity, NextGen Gaming overhauled it with the use of the mobile-friendly HTML5 platform. This not only allowed the 300 Shields slot to become supported by all types of Android and iOS devices, but also gave it the polished HD look it needed. Not only has this title become one of the most preferred online mobile casino slots, but it also prompted the creation of a sequel called 300 Shields Extreme.

A Slot That May Outlast the Legend

Just like the story it was based on, the 300 Shields slot game seems to be holding its own against the tests of time. It is an all-known fact that after their fifth year of existence, nearly 90% of slots in the iGaming world experience a significant drop in popularity, which is not the case here. The strongest benefit that this particular title provides, is its inherent simplicity and ease of play. Although we would have enjoyed a few additional options when it came to the auto spin function, we still hold the 300 Shields slot machine in high regard. If you do have the opportunity to play it, give it a go!

FAQ

Is This Game Ideal for High Rollers?

Although the answer to that question is a matter of perspective, the generic answer would be “no”. The game was developed with a relatively low betting range, which is probably due to industry regulations or the high volatility of the game. Either way, the lack of an astronomically high BPS, allows players with low-to-mid budgets to enjoy the game for real money without worrying that they will break the bank.

Do Casinos Offer 300 Shields in Demo Mode?

This slot is developed to be available in demo mode! On the other hand, you need to be aware of the fact that some of the top rated casinos in the UK are restricted from providing demo play on any of the games they represent, meaning that in some online gambling establishments, 300 Shields will be available only for real money gaming.

How Can I Process Spins Faster?

Unfortunately, you can’t. 300 Shields is lacking a turbo-spin mode and also doesn’t provide a way to stop a spin prematurely. This brings down the gameplay speed at approximately one spin per four seconds, and while some might consider it as a drawback, seasoned players are known to enjoy the relatively slow pace of the slot.

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Shields of the Wild

There are base game features with upgrading symbols and a Marching Stacks Free Games feature where stacks of identical symbols appear across the reels, with multiple upgrades and re-triggers that create a thrilling finale to the bonus round and the possibility of the top payout.

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ALL ABOUT SHIELDS OF THE WILD SLOT

NextGen have produced some high-quality games in their time – Medusa II and the legendary high variance slot, 300 Shields amongst them. And here they return to the Shields theme in a game which is less volatile than 300, but makes up for it with a really exciting free spins round with decent win potential.

What’s stand out about this game as well is the high production values behind it. The quality of the screen graphics and animations is amazing and the game symbols look brilliant, particularly of course when they are stacked identically across all five reels in the bonus round!

Shields of the Wild Game Set Up

This is a 5 reel by 3 row game set up with 10 fixed paylines. The transparent reel set sits against an incredible backdrop of fields and hills set in the Fields of Elysium, the Inner Kingdom, with Knight Sir Virilis Manblade and King Trenin DeSaxe (yeah, really!) appearing to left and right.

Shields of the Wild can be played from 10p to £100 per spin and it has an RTP of 96.53% and a medium to high variance.

Shields of the Wild Game Symbols

There are no low value / premium symbols in this game, only the shields which payout from 20x for five in a row at the lowest value to 100x for five in a row for the top paying one.

There are three other important symbols in the game:

Upgrade Sword– this one upgrades stacks of symbols during the Marching Stacks Feature.

Scatter Sword – this one triggers the Marching Stacks when three or more land in the base game.

Wild (Game Logo)– this can substitute for all other symbols except the scatter and upgrade, as well as paying out 250x for five in a line.

Shields of the Wild Slot Features

Shield Wall Feature

This exciting-looking feature can occur randomly at any time during the base game. When it does a set of arrows is fired at the reels and all the symbols, except wilds and upgrades, are upgraded to the next highest symbol. This can happen up to 8 times and give you a full screen of top paying symbols.

Marching Stacks Feature

To set off the big game feature you will need to land 3, 4 or 5 of the Scatter Sword symbols anywhere on the reels in the main game. This feature works as follows:

• To begin, a stack of symbols is added to reel 5. The value of those symbols depends on how many scatters you landed. For 3, the symbols are chosen from the five lowest value, for 4 from the middle value range, and for 5, from the top value range.
• Scatter symbols are replaced with upgrade symbols.
• Free Spins then take place, and with each one, if you land an upgrade symbol, the symbols in your stack are upgraded to the next value. If you don’t land an upgrade, your stack moves one reel to the left and an identical stack is added onto reel five.
• The game ends when you have FULL stacks on ALL FIVE reels. Your total win will depend on how many upgrades you had.

It is possible to land a re-trigger at the end of the round, but this time your first stack on reel 5 will begin where you left off at the end of your last set of spins.

NOTE:You are GUARANTEED to win at least 20x in the Marching Stacks Feature Round.

THE SLOT BUZZ VERDICT

This is an excellent slot – the production values are first class and with the Marching Stacks feature NextGen really have created an exciting bonus round feature that has lots of potential, although be aware that it’s very hard to score a big win. You’ll enjoy playing this at any NextGen Casino – pick one from our list of UK Slot Sites for a great welcome package.