Fortress Charge slot with Reel Quest is a new and innovative slot game

One of the mantras that I often repeat is the fact that I think we have only really scratched the surface of what slot games can offer. Sure, people are generally happy with how slot games are nowadays, but it is only through innovation have we see games with multiple pay lines, ways to win and progressive jackpots made available and become very popular.

Well Crazy Tooth Studios have decided now is the time to showcase a game that they think has the potential to become "the next big thing in slot gaming". The slot is called Fortress Charge and the special feature is called Reel Quest and it means that this six-reel, three pay line slot operates in a very different way to standard games.

Based on a Dungeons and Dragons, epic fantasy quest theme that has echoes of Greek Myths and Legends, Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings, players do not win on this slot by matching symbols, but by landing a hero who then goes on to defeat villains in the hope of releasing the treasure that is being held on that sixth reel.

This is a somewhat unusual game to get to grips with. So, does this new style of slot tick the right boxes? One thing is for sure with very high volatility, it is going to mainly appeal to players of slot games of this type. Let's take a look at how Fortress Charge stands up to scrutiny.

Overview

• Game: Fortress Charge
• Developer: Crazy Tooth Studios (for Microgaming)
• Reels: 6
• Pay Lines: 3 (non-selectable)
• Minimum Bet: 0.10
• Maximum Bet: 15.00
• Jackpot: 16,000x
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: High

Fortress Charge slot video

Where can I play the Fortress Charge slot?

You can play the Fortress Charge slot at any of the Mega Moolah casinos on the Where to Play page, Bonus page, Rewards page or Country page.

Presentation

What you have here is a somewhat unusual set up of 6 reels with 3 symbols on each. Castle walls, with fire burning at the top are the setting for the slot and have been neatly done. There are just three pay lines in this game and they are very easy to follow as they are the three rows across the reels. Although there are six reels, there are actually three types of reel in the game. We will explain how these reels are set up and interact in the section below.

The music that plays along with the game is a rather odd choice to be honest. Given this is a game of heroic battling through monsters to charge the fortress (hence the name) and win the prize on offer, the music is somewhat jaunty and perhaps not as grandiose as it should be, although things do kick up a notch when the game play starts with some truly excellent sound effects employed.

This is another good quality production from Crazy Tooth who are earning a bit of a reputation as an innovative and high quality slots provider for Microgaming.

What is on the reels?

As mentioned above, reels are generally set up into one of three categories. The first reel is the "triggering' reel and to trigger the Reel Quest bonus (and to stand a chance of landing a win) you need to land a "hero' symbol in the game. There are a five different heroes available in the game. Beast, Dwarf, Elf, Dragon and Knight. When you land one of these heroes on the first reel, the Reel Quest element of the game will begin. If you don't land a hero, this is a non-winning spin.

The next four reels then contain a number of items, some which are positives for the player, and some which are negative. There are five negative symbols and these are the "villain' symbols in the game, the characters that your hero must defeat in order to progress along the pay line. These are the Ogre, Scorpion, Spike, Boulder and Snake villains.

Each Hero character has the ability to defeat one of the Villains without any enhancements, but of course, this means any of the other four villains can defeat them. To assist the heroes, there are some additional weapons which if the hero can collect on their journey across the reels, this will allow them to defeat additional villains.

The Fire Potion enhancement will allow your hero to defeat the Spikes villain, the Spear allows them to defeat the Ogre, the Shiny Shield allows them to defeat the Snake and Scorpion villain, while pick up the magic wand and you can defeat any of the five villains with this weapon. Additionally, on the reel you can also pick up a Chest symbol which will reveal a cash prize, or a multiplier, which will increase the total value of your win in the round.

On the sixth and final reel there are three Fortress symbols displayed each showing a cash prize based on the amount of money you. bet each spin. This is the cash prize you can win if your hero makes it across the reels.

For each villain your hero defeats, you win a cash prize. However, if your hero is defeated, then the Reel Quest Game ends and the standard base game starts again. Get all the way across to the Fortress and your hero will claim you the stated prize.

It is this quest element which makes Fortress Charge so different to standard slots as there is no matching of symbols, Wilds, or Free Spins, it is simply how far your hero, when landed, can advance across the screen.

Wild features

There are no Wild symbols on the Fortress Charge slot as they don't fit into this particular game style. But you can trigger the Fireball bonus at random points in the game, which will see a Fireball land on the Villain and destroy them regardless of which hero is facing them.

Free Spins features

There is no Free Spins feature on the Fortress Charge slot, but if your Hero can progress past a Villain, then they keep going on the pay line until they either reach the Fortress (and win you the cash inside), or are defeated in battle by one of the villains.

Best feature of the Fortress Charge slot

What I love about Fortress Charge slot is that Crazy Tooth Studios have thought out of the box to offer slot players a completely different type of slot game. Sometimes these games can be real hits with players and other times than can be a bit disappointing, but I think Fortress Charge is more the former. I can see slot players warming to this game, but I do feel its volatility, which is very high, will mean that it is more likely to appeal to players more comfortable with this type of slot.

Conclusion

While I think Fortress Charge is a great and innovative game and not like many other slots I have ever played previously, it is a very high variance game (as you can see in our play-through video) and this will put some players off. However, even for curiosity's sake, it is still well worth taking a look at this clever, beautifully realised and imaginative new slot. I think we are going to see the Reel Quest feature used in a number of new slot games and it could well be a new slot feature that is here to stay.