House of Doom 2: The Crypt slot review

House of Doom 2: The Crypt is the sequel to the critically acclaimed House of Doom, developed by Play ‘n GO. This slot once again features strange, gothic graphics alongside re-spins, free spins and stacked wilds to keep the player engaged.

The slot was released in 2021 and makes use of some great tricks when it comes to its look and feel. Instead of using standard art, it mostly uses photos as a backdrop for linework, creating something that seems like ultrarealistic cell-shading. I thought it was an interesting way to create the rather dark and unsettling mood that fits the slot. The 5-reel, 3-row playing field further holds a series of appropriate symbols for the high-paying wins.

When it comes to animations, the game does not spend quite as much time on it. The winning symbols light up slightly and the win is shown across the 20 paylines that the game comes with. In the background, we can see a fireplace with a crackling fire and the game is framed by some creepy looking gargoyles. Activating the free spins mode will bring us down into the titular crypt.

As the slot is based on a song by the Swedish band Candlemass, the game does feature music and appearances by the band. Triggering the free spins mode shows a quick clip of them merging together, while the stacked symbols can be of one of the members. The music playing during the game is called doom metal so be prepared to lower the volume or start headbanging when you load up the slot.

Symbols

House of Doom 2: The Crypt still uses the usual divide between high- and low-paying symbols. The low-paying symbols are card letters drawn in a gothic font but are unremarkable besides that. The high-paying symbols consist of different characters and some dark images like skulls and chandeliers. They do help in setting the mood for this dark game.

The symbols are from highest to lowest:

• Scatter: Get 3 scatters on the screen to activate the free spins mode.
• Wild: Substitute all regular symbols in the game. Max. 25x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Skull: Max. 10x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Candles: Max. 5x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Nightshade: Max. 4.5x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Knives: Max. 4x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Ace: Max. 3.5x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• King: Max. 3x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Queen: Max. 2.5x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• Jack: Max. 2x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.
• 10: Max. 2x your bet with five-of-a-kind on a win line.

The game has a large number of symbols, especially considering how the Wilds come in 4 different types. However, the Wilds can become stacked which make it easier to get a win. As a result, the slot has lower payouts for wins but still has High Volatility. A rather uncommon combination but it makes sense when playing the game.

Features

House of Doom 2: The Crypt has a reasonable number of features but many of them combine in some way. I found the features to be frequent enough to really make an impact on the gameplay, helping to create wins without having any very big ones.

The features you’ll find in the game include:

• Wilds: Wilds substitute all symbols in the game except the Scatter symbol.
• Stacked Wilds: When a Wild appears on a reel with a Spirit Gate, it becomes Stacked and fills the reel.
• Re-Spins: Getting a Stacked Wild will also trigger a re-spin, keeping the Wild on the screen for that extra spin.
• Queen of the Damned: A Wild that will add a Spirit Gate to all reels.
• Metal Priestess: This wild will convert all ritual relic symbols into skull symbols.
• Fire Mistress: The fire mistress will award a multiplier to any wins that spin.
• Free Spins: Get 3 scatters on the screen to activate the free spins mode.
• Spirit of Unity: This wild will activate all Wild bonuses at the same time. Only available during the free spins mode.

Even though this might look quite overwhelming, it comes down to different Wilds being active at different times. Whenever the free spins mode ends a different Wild is activated. Until the next free spins mode, only that Wild will appear on the screen.

During the base game, the Wilds are rather frequent but their effectiveness is questionable. The best thing to happen is to have a Wild appear on a reel with a spirit gate as that will turn the Wild into a Stacked Wild and trigger a re-spin.

In my experience, this is rather rare during the base game but the free spins mode makes it very likely for it to trigger multiple times. As a result, I found the free spins mode to be responsible for the majority of my wins. Even though the volatility is quite high the wins stay rather low in comparison. This is balanced out by the free spins mode being activated frequently.

In Conclusion

House of Doom 2: The Crypt is an enjoyable sequel to the original game for players that liked the first slot. If you’re unfamiliar with either the original slot or the metal band, this might be a good introduction to both. Players who don’t like loud metal music should be prepared to turn the volume down or use the mute button since it is a prominent part of the game.

The game’s high volatility might be an issue for some players but as usual, the slot allows them to pick the bet they’re most comfortable with. Players can choose a bet between £0.20 and £100 per spin. As an incentive to keep playing, the game offers a max. win of 6,000x your bet. Considering the volatility, that’s a bit above the average.

I liked this slot, especially in the way it handled the graphics. The game isn’t especially scary but it also doesn’t try to be, instead of seeking to evoke a darkly gothic mood. The features might be somewhat overwhelming at first but I think the game did a good job pacing them out.