The Sword and the Grail Excalibur (Play'n Go) Slot Review
The Sword and the Grail Excalibur: Slot Overview
Play’n GO returns to Arthurian legend with The Sword and the Grail Excalibur, a powerful sequel that picks up the narrative where previous entries like The Sword and the Grail and Return of the Green Knight left off. If you’re familiar with the earlier installments, you’ll recognize the familiar medieval setup and core mechanics — wild multipliers, sword scatter collections, and escalating win potential. But this 2024 release doesn’t just play the nostalgia card. It amplifies the action with fresh features like King’s Prizes and semi-sticky wilds, wrapped in even more polished visuals.
At its core, The Sword and the Grail Excalibur is all about progression — leveling up multipliers through a collection system, winning instant prizes, and pushing toward that elusive x100 wild multiplier. While its free spins system remains inspired by the original, this version feels more refined and feature-rich. The stakes are also significantly higher. With a max win potential of 25,000x your bet, it’s one of the most volatile slots in the Play’n GO catalogue — sporting a full 10/10 volatility rating.
Design and Graphics
Visually, The Sword and the Grail Excalibur impresses with enhanced production value. The slot is set in a richly detailed, castle-like throne room, replacing the airy outdoors of the original with a more solemn, candle-lit setting. The art direction leans into darker tones and a more ritualistic aesthetic, emphasizing the gravity of the quest.The transition between day and night — one mode for base game, one for bonus — adds cinematic flair, and the premium character symbols (Lancelot, Guinevere, Merlin, King Arthur) have been redrawn with sharper definition. The low pays (J to A) appear as medieval-styled coins in varying metals. The multiplier meter — now framed in ornate gold — sits permanently above the reels, constantly teasing the slot’s potential to erupt with exponential rewards.
Gameplay Mechanics
The game grid sticks to a 5-reel, 3-row layout with 20 fixed paylines, offering classic slot structure with modern dynamism. Wins form from left to right, with familiar mechanics carried over and enhanced.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the symbols and payouts:
Low Pays (J–A coins): 1–2x for five of a kind.
High Pays (Characters): Lancelot, Merlin, Guinevere, and Arthur pay 5x to 15x for five.
Grail Wild: Pays 25x for five and substitutes for all regular symbols.
Scatter (Sword): Triggers free spins and fuels the Sword Meter.
The main thrill is in chasing the wild multiplier stages. Wilds can land with x2, x5, x10, or the massive x100 multiplier, which, when applied to premium symbol wins or King’s Prizes, can result in jaw-dropping payouts. In fact, five x100 wilds pay a whopping 1,500x, even before line multipliers are factored in.
Sound and Music
The soundtrack elevates the drama with a haunting orchestral score filled with choral accents and swelling strings. During free spins, the music intensifies, syncing perfectly with the tension of multiplier progression and King’s Prize hits. Symbol clicks, scatter landings, and wild animations are all accompanied by satisfying audio cues that reinforce the game’s premium feel.
Sound design here does more than just set a tone — it builds suspense. When you’re one scatter away from hitting the next multiplier stage or about to land a Grail Wild with a x100 value, the escalating musical cues truly enhance the experience.
Bonus Features
Sword Meter & Wild Multipliers
Above the reels is the Sword Meter, which powers up your wilds during bonus play. Collect enough Sword scatters, and you’ll advance to the next multiplier tier:x2 Wild Multiplier
x5 Wild Multiplier
x10 Wild Multiplier
x100 Wild Multiplier
This leveling mechanic adds strategy and anticipation to free spins. Every 5 collected scatters upgrades the multiplier stage and adds +3 extra spins.
Free Spins
Triggered by landing 3 or more Sword scatters, the game offers a twist before spins begin — the Round Table Wheel, which determines how many starting free spins and Sword scatters you receive:
8 free spins with 3–4 swords
10 free spins with 2–3 swords
12 free spins with 0–1 sword
All collected Sword scatters — from the base game and bonus trigger — are added to the Sword Meter. During free spins, Grail Wilds can become roaming wilds, moving randomly between spins and staying semi-sticky. These can also appear with attached multipliers if unlocked, making the later stages especially explosive.
King’s Prizes
A new addition for 2024, King’s Prizes are instant win values displayed on trophy symbols. If one lands and the Sword Meter is active, the prize gets multiplied by the current wild stage. For example, landing a 100x King’s Prize during the x10 stage awards 1,000x. These prizes inject quick-hit potential even between major hits.
Betting Options and Payouts
Betting ranges are standard for Play’n GO: from €0.10 to €100 per spin, suitable for both cautious players and high rollers. The default RTP is 96.20%, though lower versions (94.20%, 91.20%, 87.20%, 84.20%) may be offered by certain casinos — so be sure to check the settings before playing.
The maximum win sits at a dramatic 25,000x your bet, though Play’n GO admits the win probability is less than 1 in 1 billion. This is a high-risk, high-reward game through and through — and a statistical unicorn of a jackpot. Still, even sub-maximum hits can feel satisfying, thanks to the intense volatility and impressive bonus design.
Conclusion
The Sword and the Grail Excalibur is everything a sequel should be. It retains the strong foundation of its predecessor while expanding the feature set in ways that matter. The visuals are more polished, the mechanics more layered, and the win potential significantly greater. It’s an excellent addition to Play’n GO’s Arthurian saga, particularly for players who loved the original but wanted a bit more complexity and power.
The combination of escalating multipliers, semi-sticky roaming wilds, and instant prize symbols makes for thrilling gameplay that balances grinding scatter collection with sudden bursts of massive win potential. While the slot may not hit the mainstream like Book of Dead or Reactoonz, it’s a standout for fans of highly volatile, feature-rich video slots.
In short: The Sword and the Grail Excalibur is a noble continuation of a legendary slot line — packed with sword-swinging spectacle, royal rewards, and the ever-present allure of that x100 wild. Just be prepared for a long quest… the Grail doesn’t reveal itself easily.