Are you a fan of Microgaming casinos? If so, the name ‘Thunderstruck’ will be as familiar as your own.
This series of casino slots is, by far, one of the most famous slots created by Microgaming studios, second only to their Mega Moolah slot games.
But just because Thor and his gang fly around the reels to an impressive display of music and animations doesn’t mean the slot is up to our modern standards.
After nearly two decades of Thunderstruck slots, it’s time to revisit every machine and figure out the best, the worst, and the somewhere in between.
What are the Best Thunderstruck slots?
What is a Thunderstruck slot? In 2003, Microgaming launched a 5×3 reel, 9 payline game with wild multipliers, scatters and free spins.
Based on Nordic mythology, Thor, the thunder god, was the central character in our play before Marvel even considered heading to Asguard.
With so many Greek and Roman god games around for decades, it was time for the Scandinavian pantheon to get a little love and attention. And so started a trend of Viking slot-themed machines, thanks to Thunderstruck.
Since Microgaming has grown its most well-known name and brand into a multitude of different online and mobile slots, each with its own unique personality, quirks, and following, let’s take a look at which one of the Thunderstruck videos slots should get your time and attention.
5. Thunderstruck slot
It pains our hearts to put the original Thunderstruck slot so low on the list, but as the oldest in the list, it may appear a little dated for many modern players who are used to so many bells, whistles, and megaways.
That said, this Thunderstruck is a brilliant game to introduce anyone to the world of slot machines online.
The graphics may be simple, but so are the mechanics, allowing players to easily see the wins and keep their wallets topped up. It is, after all, the least volatile of the Thunderstruck slot games on the list.
How do you win big? The wild doubles your wins in the base game, and the free spins triple your wins in the bonus. You have scatters and 9 paylines, with a decent paytable that you rarely see.
Sometimes it pays to go retro.
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4. Thunderstruck Stormchaser slot
The Thunderstruck Stormchaser slot is, in many ways, the modern sequel of the original Thunderstruck. You get beautiful modern graphics and sounds, but just more of everything.
You have 1024 ways to win over 5 reels and 4 rows of Nordic runes and symbols. You have random multipliers of 2x to 20x your bet in the base game, with rolling reels giving you value for money.
But best of all, you get a random number of free spins and a possible multiplier, giving any good gambler a thrill as they never quite know what they will get. This could see you win 10,000x your bet.
So why is it so far down the list? Because while the original started the journey, it was Thunderstruck 2 that set the template for what we loved about these casino games. And Stormchaser moved a little too far off the template to be considered great.
Good? Absolutely. And definitely worth a play if you love the thrill of the unknown.
3. Thunderstruck 2 Mega Moolah slot
Despite the name, this is not the true sequel of the Thunderstruck online slot. Instead, this came out in June of 2022, over a decade after the original Thunderstruck 2.
It is an exact replica of the slot you know and love (or will discover and love), except for one major difference: it is also one of the Microgaming Mega Moolah jackpot slots.
The Mega Moolah jackpot is one of the biggest progressive jackpot slot series around. The biggest jackpot of them all seeds at 2 million and keeps on growing.
Forget the lottery; these slots create thousands of winners every year, with 5 to 6 of them becoming millionaires overnight.
However, much like playing the lottery, there’s a cost. The RTP of the Thunderstruck 2 Mega Moolah slot is set at a much lower 86.71% because part of your bet goes towards growing that jackpot pot.
This is one to play only when the stakes are high and you want to win one of the biggest pots in casino gaming.
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2. Thunderstruck Wild Lightning slot
The best of the modern iteration of the Thunderstruck slots, this has a little bit of everything you want – mechanics you recognize, huge wins, and a sense of control as you unlock features along the way.
The Thunderstruck Wild Lightning slot gives you only 5 reels with 40 paylines, but a high RTP of 96.1% for a high-variance game.
You have a random 2x or 5x multiplier on the wild (like the original), and you get to unlock the free spin bonus games as you play, getting progressively better features the longer you spin (as per Thunderstruck 2).
But they’ve added extra layers to the gameplay by giving you a Link&Win feature that could see you walk away with 15,000x your bet and expanding wild in the Wild Lightning storm.
Who doesn’t love to get more bang for their buck?
1. Thunderstruck 2 slot
The original may have made Microgaming popular, but the Thunderstruck 2 slot made this software provider infamous.
All the gods are present on these reels, from Valkiry to Loki, to Odin and Thor. It’s the most even-handed game on the list, sitting in the mid-variance scale, allowing for a pleasant distribution of high wins and action.
Set over 5 reels and 243 ways to win; the main draw is the free spin bonus. The more often you trigger it, the better the feature you can unlock, allowing for progressively bigger wins.
It’s an online slot machine that requires a little patience, but the graphics are mesmerizing, the world is beautifully set, and the paytable is generous enough to keep you on tenterhooks.
In other words, this is the best Thunderstruck video slot to play if you are just starting out in this Norse world of gods and gambling.
Try it today at our recommended casinos sites online.
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