Giant’s Gold Quick Verdict
Is this game cool?
The fairytale topic isn’t the coolest going, but I enjoy the classic theme, and I like any game with the Colossal Reels mechanism. Free spins with the potential for multipliers and transferring wilds are a real highlight, with some cool animations of giants and golden geese along the way.
Is this game old?
A bit, yes. Giant’s Gold dates back to the early 2010s. WMS’s US trademark record lists June 22, 2012 as its first use in commerce. The online version followed around 2013, putting the game comfortably over a decade old today.
About the Online Giant’s Gold Slot Machine
| Genre | Video Slot |
|---|---|
| Developer | WMS (Light & Wonder) |
| RTP | 96.21% |
| Volatility | High |
| Min/Max Bet | $0.10 / $100 |
| Reels | Colossal Reels (5 & 5) |
| Paylines | 100 |
Launched in 2013, the Giant’s Gold slot from WMS was first introduced at land-based casinos in North America. It was the first game to bring the famous tale of Jack and the Beanstalk to the world of gambling and still has a player base to this day.
Giant’s Gold plays out on two sets of reels, with a conventional 5×4 grid to the left and 5×12 Colossal Reels to the right. It gives you 100 ways to match high card symbols, geese, bags of gold, and the giant from left to right. Jack is now a beautiful young woman, which is an interesting choice. Beanstalks and golden eggs have magical powers, acting as others and triggering free spins where Colossal Reel wins are doubled in value.
I tested the free demo version available here on CoolOldGames to see why this pioneering game has been such a “giant” hit, then checked out some of the other twists on the famous fairytale.
How it Works
Like other slots with the Colossal Reels mechanism, such as Spartacus: Gladiator of Rome, Giant’s Gold is an impressive sight. The 5×4 + 5×12 setup sees high card emblems J to A, the gold, cow, and goose across the reels, along with a burly giant and the sultry, red-haired Jack, (Jackie?), in a skimpy outfit. Symbols stack on the Colossal Reels, which makes it easier to match them for prizes.
There’s a cartoon style to the various characters, with the reels set against a backdrop of fields, the beanstalk and a little farmhouse in the distance. Giant’s Gold has an unusual soundtrack of animal noises, although the Fe Fi Fo Fum of an angry giant triggers during the free games round. It may have been the first slot based on Jack and the Beanstalk, but I think it remains a good-looking example of what is now a popular topic.
I would classify this as a high volatility game, where I saw fewer wins than in many other online slots, with runs of losses often countered by high prizes. Even though you play with virtual money, it still offers a demo bet range of 0.10 to 100.00, and you play with one coin per two lines.
Payouts per Symbol
Match symbols on the 5×4 or 5×12 symbol grids, across up to 100 paylines to win these portions of the total bet –
| Symbol | Three on a Payline | Four on a Payline | Five on a Payline |
|---|---|---|---|
| J, Q, K, A | X0.1 | X0.2 | X1 |
| Money Bag | X0.1 | X0.3 | X2 |
| Harp | X0.1 | X0.3 | X2 |
| Goose | X0.2 | X0.4 | X2 |
| Cow | X0.3 | X0.5 | X3 |
| Giant | X0.3 | X1 | X4 |
| Girl | X0.5 | X1 | X5 |
| Beanstalk | X0,5 | X1 | X10 |
Wild Symbol: The Beanstalk
As well as paying the highest prizes, the beanstalk is a WILD symbol which acts as others to complete or improve wins. It can’t act as the golden egg though.
Golden Egg Feature: Free Spins Bonus
The golden egg symbol cracks open a free spins bonus round when seen in at least 3 places on both reel sets. You get 5 free spins from 3 eggs, with additional feature symbols awarding an extra spin. If you are lucky enough to land 40 eggs at once, the maximum 100 free spins will play out.
During the bonus games, all wins on the Colossal Reels are doubled in value, and if 4 stacked wilds appear on the 5×4 grid, they transfer to the corresponding Colossal Reel set. Strangely, the paytable doesn’t cover the free spins, and I had to go to the little ‘?’ button at the bottom of the game to retrieve this important information.
Volatility & RTP
Giant’s Gold has a high volatility and WMS give it a return to players of 96.21% which is right where I expect it to be for a highly volatile slot. It tends to pay less often, but once winning combinations land, high value prizes can be yours. I saw the best wins in the free games, where prizes double on Colossal Reels.
How to Play the Giant’s Gold Slot Online
Step 1 – Load it for Free on Your Desktop or Mobile Device
Just click the ‘Play for Free’ button overlaying the game on this page, and Giant’s Gold loads onto your chosen device in seconds. You don’t have to download any software or make any commitment to spin the reels of the demo version, and it has all of the style, options, and features of the original WMS Bluebird cabinet as found in Vegas.
The free online version has the added advantages of fullscreen mode, and if your virtual balance drops too low, simply reload the game to top it right back up.
Step 2 – Choose Your Stake and Number of Paylines
You can pick from bet options of 0.10 to 100.00 with lots of levels in between these limits. Giant’s Gold has 100 paylines, and while you can reduce this down to a minimum of 10 lines, I always recommend having them all active, so you don’t miss out on any wins.
Just select a lower bet per line to match your style of play, and as with other highly volatile games, it’s better to use lower stakes to improve the chances of hitting big wins or features. Of course, this doesn’t matter so much when playing for free, but it’s still good practice.
Read through the paytable before you play to see relative symbol values. Autoplay and Turbo settings are available, and you can check these out at any time. I recommend both settings for this slot, as hitting a multiple payline win causes a noticeable delay in between spins.
Step 3 – Look for Beanstalks and Golden Eggs
Wild beanstalks that can stack on reels are key to extra wins and helped out on multiple occasions as I played the Giant’s Gold slot machine. Golden egg feature symbols can lead to as many as 100 free spins, although I only saw 3 eggs at once, for 5 bonus games. Hopefully you’ll have more luck than me.
Similar Themed Games: How Do They Compare?
If you want to play other games based on the same story, here are a couple of my favorites:
Jack and the Beanstalk
This slot from NetEnt is massively popular, thanks to high-end graphics with a 3D effect and plenty of exciting bonus features. Wild beanstalks can walk across the grid as reels respin, with all wins tripled throughout, and there are free spins with a key collection feature that unlocks expanding wilds. Comes with an RTP of 96.28% and medium volatility.
Fairytale Fortunes: Jack and the Giants
Rival Gaming are behind this 5-reel, 3-row, 243 ways to win game. It has a low volatility which will suit players looking for smaller, but steady wins and along with wild substitutions, you can enjoy free spins where reels expand for more winning ways. The RTP on this one is 94.36%.
Both these games are found at US-facing online casinos. If you decide to take that step, be sure to play responsibly with money that you can afford to lose. Always treat casino games as entertainment, not a source of income.
Arthur’s Verdict on Giant’s Gold by WMS
Like others with the Colossal Reels mechanism, this game looks impressive, although I would recommend full screen mode to get the best view, as symbols can be quite small.
Other than the 2 reel sets, Giant’s Gold doesn’t have a wide range of features, with stacked wild beanstalks plus free spins with the chance of 2x multipliers and transferring wilds making up the short list of extras.
That makes it suitable for novices looking for easy gameplay, but even if you have lots of experience with slot machines, there’s enough going on, and of course, it introduced a highly popular topic to the gambling world.
There are no details on the maximum possible win, which is a missed opportunity, and I still don’t understand why the paytable doesn’t carry details on the free spins. Not to worry, as once I found the ‘?’ button, all was revealed.
Anyone who prefers a high rate of wins may not like the level of variance, and it won’t suit those seeking multiple bonus rounds. It’s a game I’d revisit myself occasionally, but it doesn’t stand out from other Colossal Reels slots such as Spartacus. But if you like the fairytale theme and want a high volatility slot with decent returns and easy-to-follow features, then I would recommend trying the Giant’s Gold slot on this page for free.