Valley of the Dead (Yggdrasil Gaming) – Review & Demo Play

Valley of the Dead - Slot Overview

Yggdrasil reworks its classic engine here, shifting from bright sands to a darker, brooding setup. Valley of the Dead runs on 5 reels in a 1-3-5-3-1 layout with a diamond of active symbols, starting at 243 ways to win. Every win triggers a respin and each winning symbol releases a Skull to remove a BoltLock blocker, expanding the grid towards the full 3,125 ways. It’s the same infectious respin loop I enjoyed before, now wrapped in a menacing underworld vibe.

Default RTP sits at 94.0%, with an alternate 90.5% build; volatility plays in the mid-high bracket and hit rate clocks 22.79%. Stakes run from €0.25 to €100 per spin. Max win mirrors the earlier outing at 5,800x the bet. Two Game Engagement Mechanics headline the tweaks: BoltLock, which gates those extra positions, and OnlyWins, a paid mode that guarantees a hit. Multi OnlyWins sells a set of guaranteed hits for ten spins.

The scene is a dimly lit temple lined with ritual statues and skull-marked meters, drenched in eerie glow and choral strains. It feels Greek Mythology rather than sandy Egypt, with Ares, Medusa, Cerberus, and a horned brute glaring from the premium set. No Wild Symbol appears at any time, and there’s no scatter-driven bonus either. The whole pitch is about clearing blockers, chaining respins, and then riding lives and multipliers when the grid opens up.

Valley of the Dead - Slot Information

Wins pay on three or more adjacent reels from the left, and stacked symbols can land to fatten ways returns during a sequence. The grid expands as BoltLock skulls are removed, then snaps back after the respin chain finishes. The interface is clean with autoplay and quick toggles, and the game runs smoothly on mobile, tablet, and desktop. I had no trouble reading the diamond start state or the full 5x5 once the blockers were gone.

Symbols in Valley of the Dead

Low pays are six coins in various metals, paying 1x to 1.6x for five-of-a-kind. High pays are four characters from Greek Mythology; Minotaur and Cerberus pay 1x, 3x, 10x, while the man in red and Medusa reach 2x, 6x, 20x for 3, 4, 5. There are no wilds or scatters on the paytable, which streamlines the flow and keeps the focus on ways growth and respins. Values scale cleanly with stake levels across 26 steps.

With ways paying left to right on adjacent reels, screens with multiple instances of a symbol on the same reel can spike returns during a chain. Because wins keep feeding Skulls to break blockers, the best sequences begin with mid-sized hits that expand the layout, then switch into premium stacks once full ways are active. It’s a simple set, but the numbers line up well against the respin engine, especially when the multiplier starts ticking.

Valley of the Dead Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	5	x20
	4	x6
	3	x2
	5	x20
	4	x6
	3	x2
	5	x10
	4	x3
	3	x1
	5	x10
	4	x3
	3	x1
	5	x1.6
	4	x0.8
	3	x0.32
	5	x1.6
	4	x0.8
	3	x0.32
	5	x1.2
	4	x0.6
	3	x0.28
	5	x1.2
	4	x0.6
	3	x0.28
	5	x1
	4	x0.48
	3	x0.24
	5	x1
	4	x0.48
	3	x0.24

Respins in Valley of the Dead

Any winning combination triggers a respin using the same bet. Each symbol in that win releases a Skull that destroys one BoltLock blocker outside the diamond, expanding the field and creating more ways to hit. The process repeats as long as at least one new winning combo lands on the next respin. When the chain ends, the total win credits and the twelve blockers reset to their original positions for the next paid spin.

Clear every BoltLock and the grid runs at its full 5x5 size with 3,125 ways to win. That state is the tipping point, because from there the game starts feeding coloured Skulls that fuel the two modifiers. Blue Skulls build the Win Multiplier, while warm-toned wins release Red Skulls for Lives. The respin chain can stretch out here, giving you time to grow the meter pair before the inevitable dry spin arrives.

Multipliers and Extra Lives in Valley of the Dead

When all ways are open, an upgradable multiplier switches on. Blue Skulls collected from cold-coloured wins increase the value by +1 for every set of five. The multiplier sits on its meter and applies from the next respin rather than the one that awarded it, so you get a rolling effect across a long sequence. On desktop it’s shown on the left pillar; in portrait it pops to the top for clarity.

You also receive +1 life the moment the grid is fully expanded. From then on, five Red Skulls from warm-coloured wins add another life. When a respin would fail to connect, a life burns and grants a retry to keep the sequence alive. Lives keep stacking as you collect; they are only consumed on dead respins. The round ends only when no win appears and the life counter has dropped to zero.

OnlyWins Modes in Valley of the Dead

OnlyWins is a paid switch that guarantees a hit on every spin at 4.4x the bet. Multi OnlyWins offers a ten-spin bundle at 44x, effectively the same price, and both bolt onto the base game without changing the maths sheet; there’s no separate RTP stated for either. The trade is simple: you may cycle bankroll faster to reach respin sequences more often, though any one win can also snowball into long chains that soften the spend.

Valley of the Dead - Slot Verdict

I rate Valley of the Dead as a moodier take on a proven loop. The audio-visual shift gives it edge, the BoltLock pacing still feels infectious, and the Lives plus multiplier pair keep tension high once the grid is wide open. The drop to 94% RTP (or 90.5% in some builds) is the caveat, yet the 5,800x ceiling and the paid OnlyWins toggles help the package. If you enjoy clearing blockers and riding chains, this is worth a session.