Gonzo's Quest

Gonzo's Quest is one of the most popular slots of all time. The Swedish game studio NetEnt is behind this creation about the charming conquistador called Gonzo and his quest for the golden city of Eldorado, somewhere in a south American jungle.

Gonzo's Quest was released back in April 2010 but due to its success the game has seen continuous updates to ensure that you always get the ultimate Gonzo experience. In one of these updates, Gonzo's Quest became the first of NetEnt’s games to be ported to a mobile-compatible format, which contributed further to its popularity.

The game owes much of its success to a balanced tumbling reels mechanic, what NetEnt came to call “Avalanche”, a trademarked phrase they use to this day for games when wins are removed, and new symbols drop down from above.

Gonzo's Quest is still to this day one of the most entertaining slots you can find on crypto casinos, although we cannot play denominated in any cryptocurrency - conversions to fiat are automatic.

The Gonzo connection

After the success of Gonzo's Quest, a sequel was highly anticipated, but it took NetEnt 10 years before they finally released a follow-up adventure. And when finally they did it was in collaboration with Red Tiger and the game Gonzo's Quest Megaways, which launched in 2020.

With the first sequel out of the way it didn’t take long for the next one. Gonzo’s Gold arrived the following year, and in 2022 we got to know his twin sister (?) in Gonzita's Quest. He was of course also one of the main characters in NetEnts Superstars from 2022, alongside other classic NetEnt characters like Finn from Finn and the Swirly Spinn, mommy pig from Piggy Riches, and the Starburst star.

Gonzo also appears in Emoji Planet from 2017, but there it's more of a cameo.

Gonzo's Quest has 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 fixed bet lines. It uses the old-school way of adjusting bet sizes, with levels and coin values. Compared to modern slots, where we simply set the value we wish to bet, it is a little awkward, but In the end what matters is the total bet. There is no gain in playing at a higher level compared to a higher coin value. Adjust to a comfortable total bet and start spinning.

Gonzo is always at our left side, taking the occasional dance step as you play to the rhythm of the jungle, and our winnings are also paid out from left to right on the screen by landing three or more identical symbols on a bet line.

As mentioned earlier, the symbols in the game do not spin on the reels, but instead fall from above. Once you've decided what bet level and coin value you want to play with, just hit the spin button or set the desired number of auto spins.

Gonzo’s Quest’s RTP is 95,97% and a hit frequency of over 40% which helps keep our spirits high, even if there will be plenty of rounds that barely cover our bets.

How Avalanche wins work

NetEnt's, at the time, innovative Avalanche feature is used in Gonzo's Quest. A winning bet line triggers the Avalanche feature, which means that the symbols involved in the win explode and disappear, while the symbols above them drop down. In the empty space above new symbols drop down to fill up the board. Winning symbols explode and make room for new symbols - and new chances to win.

Avalanches are also connected to a win multiplier that increases with each new drop. The first win increases the multiplier to 2x, applied to the second symbol drop of we manage to hit a win. If we hit another the multiplier applied and increased to 3x for the next drop. If we get another new win that 3x multiplier is applied to that round and the max 5x multiplier will apply for the rest of the round.

The multiplier resets at after the round is done (when you do not find any new winning combinations).

On the "reels" of Gonzo's Quest, you'll see beautiful Mayan-inspired symbols carved out of stone tumbling down, with sound effects that make it feel like real boulders. Below you can see the high paying ones, and also the 20 fixed bet lines where they need to land.

There are also two different bonus symbols in Gonzo's Quest, and first we find a wild symbol that is silver with a golden question mark on it. This symbol substitutes for all other symbols in the game, and can appear on reels 2, 3 and 4.

Last, but certainly not least, there's a golden "Free Fall" symbol that can help you reach the bonus game, which we cover below.

The bonus game in Gonzo's Quest is undoubtedly the main attraction, because this is where you have the chance to rack up even bigger multipliers. When we land 3 or more Free Fall Bonus Symbols, 10 Free Falls are triggered. You will see Gonzo enter the legendary Eldorado, where riches beyond measure await the luckiest of players.

Our 10 Free Falls start to roll, and just like in the main game, the Avalanche feature is present - but with bigger multipliers. In the bonus game, they are 3x on our first Avalanche, and then increase to 6x, 9x and finally 15x if our winning streak lasts that long.

Re-triggering Free Falls

In the Free Fall round we also have the chance to win 10 extra Free Falls by landing 3 more Free Fall symbols. There is no limit to how many times we can re-trigger Free Falls but at some point we will hit the 3333x hard capped maxwin and the game will end.