Sherwood Gold Slot Review
Get ready with your tights and feathered hats, because we’re journeying back to the Middle Ages with Play’n GO’s online slot, Sherwood Gold. If those hints have you envisioning a certain outlaw who stole from the rich to give to the poor, namely Robin Hood, you’re on the right track. Though not explicitly stated, Sherwood Gold immerses players in the imagery of the Robin Hood legend, dressing up its features around the pursuit of scatter symbols to collect instant prize wins.
Life as an outlaw back then must have been tough, right? Surviving in the wilderness, evading the authorities, plundering the wealthy, distributing the spoils, all while trying to keep morale high amidst personal struggles. However, Sherwood Gold sidesteps all of that, offering a bright and cheerful slot experience. The base game unfolds in a sunlit medieval setting with a castle atop a hill. Yet, much of the background remains obscured by the gaming grid and a list of instant prizes. Upon triggering free spins, players find themselves in a room brimming with treasure, a dream scenario for any outlaw, with riches waiting to be redistributed from the privileged to the underprivileged.
Sherwood Gold boasts high volatility (rated 9 out of 10), featuring a 5-reel, 3-row gaming grid along with 20 paylines. Winning combinations of 3 to 5 matching symbols can occur, paying from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel. True to Play’n GO style, the game offers multiple RTP configurations, defaulting at 96.2%, and allows wagers from 20 p/c to $/€80 per spin.
The low-paying symbols in Sherwood Gold include playing card royals 10-A, while the high-paying symbols feature characters like Friar Tuck, Little John, Maid Marian, and Robin Hood himself. Matching 5 royals yields rewards ranging from 0.2 to 0.65 times the bet, while 5 premium symbols pay out 1 to 7.5 times the bet. Wilds are the most lucrative, rewarding 25 times the bet for five of a kind, and can substitute for any symbol except scatters.
Ready your bows, as arrows will be flying aplenty in Sherwood Gold’s features, including Cash Bag scatter instant prizes, free spins, and an Archery Game.
Landing at least 3 Cash Bag scatters anywhere on the grid awards an instant prize, with the payout increasing based on the number of scatters present. In the base game, the payout ranges from 1x to 2,000x the bet, depending on the number of Cash Bags in view.
Triggering the free spins round requires landing 3 arrow scatters, with each scatter containing 1 to 3 arrows. The total number of arrows determines the shots players receive in the Archery Game.
In the Archery Game, players are presented with 9 targets arranged in a 3×3 grid. Clicking or tapping on a target reveals free spins, multipliers, or a Cash Bag Booster. Once all shots are used, the accumulated prizes initiate the free spins round.
During free spins, Cash Bag prize values can increase by 0.2x to 3x, with the multiplier applying to regular line wins. The same rules for winning Cash Bag prizes in the base game apply here. Additional Arrow scatters landing during free spins grant extra free spins, up to a maximum of 110.
Play’n GO has a penchant for medieval England, having developed numerous Arthurian-themed slots. With Sherwood Gold, the studio takes a stab at the Robin Hood legend (not for the first time, see Riches of Robin for an earlier example). While the game doesn’t push boundaries, it offers unique features like the Archery Game and accompanying multipliers, enhancing the overall experience. The low base game symbol values underscore the importance of bonuses, particularly the accumulation of Cash Bag scatters. Sherwood Gold seamlessly weaves its gaming features with the theme, evident in the abundance of arrows flying across the screen. With significant winning potential, including a top prize of 6,500x the bet, Sherwood Gold finds its place in the midst, perhaps the upper middle section, of the scatter prize spectrum.
In summary, Sherwood Gold is a solid addition to the genre, offering enough novelty to engage scatter prize enthusiasts while delivering the quintessential Play’n GO experience. Players can decide how much of the spoils go to the townsfolk.
Sherwood Gold Slot Information
Title: Sherwood Gold
Developer: Play’n GO
Reels: 5
Rows: 3
Paylines: 20
RTP: 96.20% | 94.20% | 91.21% | 87.20% | 84.20%
Max Win: 6,500x
Max Win Probability: 5 in 2^32 times
Volatility: High (9/10)
Min/Max Bet: 0.20/80
Release Date: November 2, 2021
