Thunderstruck Review

Author: Kayleigh Williams, Last Updated on 10.04.2024

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Unique Slot Features

One of the most important Nordic mythological games to ever be created was Thunderstruck. It set a president in online gaming, how? All the answers are here in our Thunderstruck slot review and these here, are the feature stats of the game:

Background on Thunderstruck

Joining our collection of free slot games is one of the most important Norse-themed slot machines to be created; it is the Thunderstruck slot. Here you can play the official free demo created by Microgaming.

Released back in 2004, Thunderstruck was one of the first games to tap into the Nordic mythology category and became a huge success for the developer Microgaming. Seeing the game now, admittedly, it looks dated and unappealing. The animation looks of its time, very washed colors, and the graphics are best described as a bit chunky. Looking at the game now compared with what we see by today’s standards, you’d most likely not be drawn to it.

So, why is Thunderstruck such a special game? Well, for this we need to go back to 2004, now it may not seem too long ago to remember almost two decades back and how things were, especially how the internet was. By this point, online casinos had only existed for roughly 10 years. Gaming was still in its infancy, and frankly, all games looked awful by today’s standards. The importance of Thunderstruck came in its in-game features. Bonus rounds were a common feature of casinos games already, but Thunderstruck allowed for players to re-trigger bonuses, and wins formed within the main feature would be tripled in value.

Now, this is commonplace, but in 2004, games were not like this, and this is all thanks to Microgaming. They were the pioneers of casino gameplay, having helped create the first-ever online slot machine to payout real money. Since then, they have gone on to make important games, such as Mega Moolah, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park.

The release of Thunderstruck was a success, yes there were fewer games back in 2004, but despite this, the audiences made this their Game of the Year. Let us now look at Thunderstruck in closer detail to understand why.

How to Play Thunderstruck for Real Money

The Thunderstruck slot is played out on a 3 x 5 gaming grid and brings 9 paylines to win from. Playing starts from a little as 9 cents per spin, with the maximum wager set at 90 dollars per spin.

Thunderstruck is made with an RTP (Return to Player) score of 96.10%. Now, this was actually very high for games back in 2004. This is a score that matches the RTP of games being made today. It's unusual given that games of this time usually held a score in the region of 92%. The RTP is important because it’s a calculation of what can potentially be returned to you if you play enough times and win. This will have been an unconscious reason for its success, given that hardly anyone knows what the RTPs are and their algorithmic roles.

Supporting this programming is the game's volatility setting. It is easier to see volatility as a performance indicator. Thunderstruck was built with a medium volatility setting, which gives the game a great balance between wins and losses. This setting, along with the 96.10% RTP, would have given players an experience that very few online slots would have presented at the time.

How to Demo Thunderstruck

Having access to the official Thunderstruck slot free play feature allows you to experience the game without risks or costs. We state inside all our reviews that demo features are the best strategy tools there are. These are authentic demo games made by the developers and play identical to how their real money counterparts perform. Therefore, use the free demo game as a way of judging the gaming style, is the volatility not to your liking? Do you even like the game at all? It is far better to learn these things while free, rather than making the mistake of paying for something you get no enjoyment from.

If you hold no interest in playing this game to win real money, the feature is there to play for fun. 100,000 credits are available to play the game with. You will have no restrictions on how many times you play or when you play. Plus, you don’t need to download anything if playing from a PC, tablet, or mobile. Just click on the demo and enjoy.

Thunderstruck Bonus Features Explained

Play Thunderstruck slot, and you will come across several features within the game that helps you to win more money beyond the basic payline wins. What follows is a look at the bonus round offered by the Thunderstruck game and the features that help to enhance the gaming experience.

Thunderstruck Free Spins and Bonus Rounds

The main bonus round is the Thunderstruck Free Spins. Land 3 or more of the Scatter Rams symbol, and you will trigger the bonus feature that rewards you 15 free spins.

If during the bonus round you land 3 or more scatter symbols, you can re-activate 15 more free spins. This bonus round can present players with a never-ending loop of free spins that can bolster a big payout come the end, thanks to the fact that all wins inside the free spins bonus round are tripled!

Also, during the base game and bonus rounds, the Thor symbol acts as a Wild. Any wins formed with this symbol will double your return.

Wild, Scatter, and Winning Symbols

The table below highlights all the gaming symbols and their cost value when playing with a coin size of 0.05, with 2 coins per line, for a total bet of $0.90.

Jackpot and How to Win

The highest jackpot prize to be won comes from landing 5x Thor Wilds. This returns a real money payout of $100,000.

Playing Thunderstruck from Mobile

Do you use your mobile for gaming online? If so, you can access the Thunderstruck casino game from your device with a casino app or without. If you have an Android or iOS smartphone, it will give you access to not only Canada’s best casinos but also the Thunderstruck game.

Can I Play Thunderstruck from Casino Apps?

Not every casino online comes with a mobile app service. Should you join a casino offering an app and providing the Thunderstruck game, then yes, you can most definitely play from your device as and when you want. If you play by app, make sure the app is downloaded from either the casino or a reputable provider like Google Play or the Apple App Store.

How to Play Thunderstruck from Mobile

Not everybody has room on their device for an app, and you may join a casino that does not offer an app. This is okay because apps are not essential for mobile gaming experiences. Canadian casinos are now built with HTML 5 Software, and so are games. This means casinos can now stream games directly from off their website without the need for extra tools or external programs to run them.

Load the casino from your browser and enter the gaming menu. Put Thunderstruck into the search tool and select the game when located. Click on the title to open the game. Once loaded, set the price you wish to play per spin. When you’re ready to play, click on the SPIN button.

Playing via the browser or the app doesn’t change how Thunderstruck is played.

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Responsible Gambling

Playing free demo slot games poses no risks or concerns, but should you decide to join a casino online and play with real money, then there are bigger risks to become aware of. Gambling is entertaining, it is fun, and it can be financially rewarding if you are lucky. Some players struggle to contain control and play beyond their means, and gambling no longer becomes about the entertainment, but more about the urgent need to win.

To help control problem gambling, Canada’s online casinos are now offering members a Responsible Gambling service. This allows players to set limits on their accounts to help restrict areas of financial management and timekeeping. Limits can be tied to deposits, wagering amounts, and losses. The same restrictions can help to limit time spent playing, providing in-play notifiers, and self-exclusion. More advice is provided by the casino and its partners. You can read more about this service inside of our casino reviews.

Thunderstruck Verdict

By today’s standards, Thunderstruck isn’t going to set the world alight. Back in 2004, it was certainly hot enough, but time has made this game more of a retro feature than anything else. We are a demanding species, and one look at this game is enough to put any modern player off. However, give it a try, experience the software by Microgaming, and see if the RTP and Volatility benefit you when trying to win real money from this slot.

✅ Part of the growing Thunderstruck series

✅ Powered by Microgaming

✅ Potentially win up to 100,000 Canadian dollars

Best Casino to Play Thunderstruck

If you would like to play Thunderstruck for real money, we recommend heading to the Boomerang Casino, where you can enjoy this feature and all the other Thunderstruck casino slots in the series. Head to our Boomerang Casino review, and if you sign up, you can claim an exclusive welcome bonus of up to 500 CAD and 200 free spins (T&Cs apply).

Other Games in the Thunderstruck Series

If you enjoyed playing Thunderstruck by Microgaming, you might be interested in two other games. The sequel and the third installment. In 2010, Thunderstruck 2 was released with 4 different free spins bonus rounds and a colossal $480,000 jackpot! A decade later, Thunderstruck Wild Lightning dropped, giving players and fans of the series a bigger gaming grid and a 4 jackpot prize feature.

You can play the Thunderstruck 2 slot as a demo game with us at Casimoose, but the new release will have to be experienced inside on of Canada’s top casinos.

1. Thunderstruck 2
2. Thunderstruck Wild Lightning

Thunderstruck Slot FAQs