300 Shields Extreme

300 Shields Extreme: Review

Originally released in 2014 by NextGen Gaming, 300 Shields became a massive hit in the world of iGaming upon its release and remains one of the most popular games on the market to this day. The simple concept in combination with the extreme volatility and outstanding winning potential has turned it into a cult classic. It's an online slot that has generated some of the most astonishing big win screenshots and videos ever seen. Loosely based on the American fantasy blockbuster movie "300", a fictionalised depiction of the Persian Wars, NextGen Gaming is now relaunching its Spartan themed slot with enhanced HD-graphics, smoother gameplay and with the addition of a bonus buy option as well as a gambling option.

While fundamentally the same as the original and with the mathematical model left untouched, 300 Shields Extreme is otherwise more or less identical to its predecessor. It's possible that the addition of the bonus buy option may have required some minor tweaking and when comparing the two games side by side we can see that the value of the scatter symbol has been increased quite significantly in the new version. The 95.299% RTP is the same as before, however.

Powered by NextGen Gaming, this 5-reel, 25-payline video slot can be played on all devices from between 0.25 and 12.50 Eur per spin. Visually it has received quite a makeover and looks much better in its new html5 format, something that players familiar with the original will surely notice. The graphics are far more crisp, more detailed and rich in colours. The addition of the floating firefly-like dots undoubtedly adds some life as compared to the old static backdrop.

On the reels you will find the same symbols as before - A, K, Q, J, 10 and 9 royals representing the low-value symbols while arrows, swords, battleships and archers represent the high-pay symbols, the latter being the most lucrative giving you 10 times your stake for 5 across a full payline. The Warrior is the wild and substitutes for all symbols except. Together with the scatter symbol, the Warrior plays an important part in the free spin feature as you will see.

Highly volatile, the base game is rather basic, includes no features and does not offer much potential on its own. In other words, it's all comes down to the free spin feature which, in line with current trends, players now can gain access to directly for a cost of 60 times the stake. While we're not super huge fans of the bonus buy trend, it's not a terrible deal in this case when compared to the price of other slots. It could also be argued that the massive (and proven over the years, mind you) win potential on offer here also makes it a bit more justifiable.

If you want to trigger the bonus the traditional way you will have to land 3 or more scatter symbols anywhere on the reels. This will award you 5 free spins with all Warrior wild wins doubled (2x). Furthermore, 3 scatters will re-trigger the feature with 5 additional spins to your total. Now, every scatter shield symbol landing on the reels during the free spins session will increase your shield count on the meter to the left of the reel set. The meter works as follows:

• 2 or more shields collected - a second series of 5 free spins is awarded with all Warrior wild wins multiplied by 5.
• 6 or more shields collected - a third series of 5 free spins is awarded with all Warrior wild wins multiplied by 25.
• 12 or more shields collected - a fourth series of 5 free spins is awarded with all Warrior wild wins multiplied by 300.

Reaching the top level is one of those things that is on every slot players bucket list and for the lucky ones who manage to get there, a winning potential of 17,770 times the stake per single spin awaits! With this in mind, it's not hard to understand why the original turned out to be such a massive hit.

300 Shields Extreme: Verdict

Being fans of the original, we were excited to hear news of a follow-up. Initially, we were a bit disappointed to learn that the only difference compared to the original was the addition of the bonus buy option but having played it a while we were reminded of how great this game is and also realising, a bit surprisingly, how much more we prefer to play this updated version. It runs smoother, it's better looking and, as it turns out, the bonus buy options suits this game particularly well. To the cost of 60x, the price is quite reasonable compared to many other games we have to say.

Keep in mind, 300 Shields Extreme is likely one of the more volatile of games out there and it really is all or nothing here. The main game is not exactly designed to sustain your bankroll and even if you do trigger the bonus, it's extremely unlikely that you will reach the top level. Having played the original a lot, we can attest to the fact that even activating the 300x multiplier is not a guarantee of landing magnificent wins. Nonetheless, we have seen what it's capable of and the potential is undoubtedly real. With the release of 300 Shields Extreme, we are going to see a new wave of massive wins shared on social media, that is almost guaranteed.