Return to player
96.51%
Min bet size
0.20
Game type
Video Slots
Variance
High
Reels
5
Progressive Jackpot
No
Popularity
Max bet size
240
Game provider
Pragmatic Play
Bonus Features
Yes
Paylines
10
Theme
War
Knights vs Barbarians online slot game
Pragmatic Play is no stranger to pitting powerful rivals against one another, but in Knights vs Barbarians, the studio shifts from individual gods to whole groups of warriors. This medieval war-themed slot throws players directly into the middle of a brutal battlefield clash where animated smoky clouds, fires, and clashing soldiers bring a lively, quasi-cinematic feel to the grid. While the armies are unidentified and generic, the intense presentation and multiplier wild transformations ensure the gameplay feels anything but anonymous. And in classic Pragmatic Play fashion, what appears to be a simple by the book 5x3 grid brings enough action with warriors and special symbols coming to life and making the whole screen pack a real punch!
Knights vs Barbarians Theme, Design, Core Mechanics Explained and Sound
The game operates on a 5x3 grid with 10 fixed paylines, awarding wins from left to right. Visually, the slot is a chaotic and despotic experience where sparks, fire, and armies packing the battlefield rage on in the background laying waste and ruin to a humongous medieval European castle. On the reels, we see the primary representative of each, the Knights and Barbarians and their mutual animosity raging through the anger in their expressions. This animosity becomes particularly pronounced during the Wild conversions, battle-themed modifiers and at the beginning of Free Spins rounds where both leaders go head-to-head yelling and attacking each other.
The score of the slot provides the ideal atmosphere. In the base game we have traditional war themed orchestral music booming against loud war drums. During the Free Spins rounds the music becomes even more uplifting and loud with an almost ethereal feeling befitting a holy war.
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Knights vs Barbarians Symbols: Royal Ranks and High-Value Warriors
The paytable is split evenly between the two clashing factions, ensuring both sides are matched in value and features.
- Low-Paying Symbols: J, Q, K and A card ranks award 2x to 3x the bet for five matching symbols on a line.
- High-Paying Symbols: These are split into three icons each. The Barbarians are represented by a double-headed axe, a spiked helmet and of course the lead Barbarian himself. While the Knight icons comprise of a mace, a royal army helmet and our Knight. These icons award between 10x and 30x the stake for five-of-a-kind.
- Wild Symbols: These appear on all reels to substitute for everything except scatter symbols and offer a direct payout of 30x the stake for a full line.
Key Features of Knights vs Barbarians: The Center Reel Mechanic
The core innovation of the game revolves around the highlighted center reel position. Special scatters can land here to trigger massive grid transformations:
- Knight/Barbarian Scatters: When these land in the center square, they transform themselves and every instance of their respective army's symbols into Wilds.
- Battle Scatter: This triggers an animated fight between the Barbarian leader and the main Knight character. The victor of this duel then hands us a multiplier which can go anywhere from 2x the bet up to a maximum of 100x the bet! The symbols belonging to the winning side (plus the scatter itself) turn into Wilds, with the multiplier applied to all resulting wins.
Free Spins and Super Bonus Rounds
This is where the game really shines as the battle intensifies dramatically during the Free Spins feature. Free Spins rounds are triggered by landing 3, 4, or 5 Free Spin scatters for 10, 15, or 20 free games, respectively.
- Persistent Center Action: During the Free Spins rounds, only special scatters can land in the center position, making Wild transformations and high multipliers much easier to achieve.
- Retriggers: Landing a free spins scatter in the center square awards between +2, +3, +4, +5 or +10 extra Free Spins.
Strategic Assessment: Ante Bet and Bonus Buy Options
Pragmatic Play offers several ways to skip the base game grind or increase the action frequency:
- Ante Bet: Increasing the stake by 4x grants a 12x higher chance of triggering the bonus round.
- Super Spin: For 10x the bet, players can guarantee that only Knight, Barbarian, or Battle scatters land in the center position. However, it is important to note that regular Free Spins cannot be triggered during this mode, so that is quite a significant compromise.
- Bonus Buys: Players can buy the standard Free Spins for 100x the bet. Alternatively, the Super Free Spins cost 500x the bet and ensure only the most valuable Battle or free spins scatters land in the center. It is important to note there is no natural way to land the Super Free Spins without the buy. Further, while the grid really does come to life during Super Free Spins rounds, the buy-in is incredibly steep and the returns do not always measure up.
Good Alternates to Knights vs Barbarians
If you found yourself glued to the screen playing Knights vs Barbarians, we recommend you give these slots a try:
- The Knight King: The Knight King drops you into a medieval battle setting with knights, dragons and royal icons that echo Knights vs Barbarians’ intense theme. It uses stacked wilds, scatters with multipliers, and a free spins bonus that lets you boost payouts through special symbols and retriggers, making it a strong thematic and feature-rich alternative.
- Le Viking: Le Viking channels Norse warrior energy, combining a battle theme with multiple free spin modes ranging from Berserk to Valkyrie and Ragnarök rounds offering variety while maintaining a heroic combat style. Its bold visuals and bonus mechanics give the same sense of epic conflict that Knights vs Barbarians players enjoy, albeit with a different cultural twist.
- Avalon X: Avalon X brings a fantasy medieval adventure to life with high-variance gameplay and immersive visuals taking one back to the stories of castle sieges and heroic quests. Its features like cascading wins and global multipliers add an extra layer of excitement for players who enjoy slots with dynamic mechanics and strong visual storytelling.
Our Opinion and Final Veridct
Knights vs Barbarians boasts an epic battle them well and successfully builds an atmospheric world of conflict. While it may feel like similar to Pragmatic Play's typical multiplier-heavy lineup, the center-reel mechanic keeps the base game interesting and allows the Free Spins to shine with high potential. While it would not be wring to argue that more could have been done vis-à-vis mechanics, with a 10,000x win cap Knights vs Barbarians provides enough "bloody devastation" to satisfy thrill-seekers, even if it doesn't entirely reinvent the wheel.
James is a casino games expert on the Playcasino.com editorial team. With many years of professional experience at a leading casino game development company and a passion for playing casino games, James has become a true expert in slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and other games.
James uses this expertise to provide reliable, insider advice through his reviews and guides, breaking down the game rules and offering tips to help you win more often. Rely on James's extensive experience for expert advice on your casino play.
