Lord of the Rings Slot Machine Games

The Lord of the Rings Novels

"The Lord of the Rings" is the best-selling novel ever written. It's a sequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's novel "The Hobbit", which was written and published between 1937 and 1949.

The novel was influenced by Tolkien's own experiences in the trenches as an English soldier during World War I. He was a part of an entire generation of British men who saw his circle of friends slain, maimed, or traumatized in the Great War. To that point in world history, World War I (as it later was called) was the bloodiest conflict in human experience. Many marched off to war expecting a short war and potential glory, but returned disillusioned with modern civilization and the industrialization of war and society.

J.R.R. Tolkien read classical literature. In doing so, he became familiar with Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology. He was also a consumer of medieval literature, dwelling from his childhood on Arthurian legends and Scandinavian sagas like Beowulf. Tolkien also was a devout Catholic, so his books were infused with his own Christian attitudes.

Tolkien told his friends he wanted to create a unique English mythology, because England has no such native myths. Like the Catholic Church fused together Christian saints with pagan deities, Tolkien drew upon his readings of other European traditions to build a fictional mythology which was noticeably English in character. He even designed a new language and wrote poetry based on it.

At the heart of "The Lord of the Rings" is the Shire, which is based on the West Midlands of England. His mother's home had been in Evesham in the West Midlands. Tolkien's mother died when he was 12 and he maintained an idyllic picture of the land from his early years spent in the West Midlands.

The Shire is untouched by rampant technology and the corruption of civilization. It is home to a race of demi-humans known as Hobbits. The Hobbits are a simple agrarian people set apart and untouched by contact with the outside world.

In LoTR, a great evil once walked the land and subjugated most of Middle-Earth. That evil is embodied in Sauron, a devil figure. Sauron was defeated long ago at a great loss of life, but his evil is growing once more. His worshippers, the orcs, are arming for war by building vast foundries.

These beings are obsessed with technology and conquest. No doubt, J.R.R. Tolkien saw the orcs as embodying the corrupt traits of modern civilization and its leaders: the politicians, the generals, and the industrialists.

As the kingdoms of the prouder races (humans, elves, and dwarves) are being consumed by war, the Shire is still untouched. A wise figure, Gandalf, collects a small band of Hobbits to go on a quest to Mount Doom. One Hobbit, Frodo Baggins, must carry an evil ring to Mount Doom, where he must cast it into a volcano. To do so will destroy the One-Ring, but that ring will try to corrupt Frodo every step of the way.

Lord of the Rings Slots: Game Details

One cool thing about Lord of the Rings Slots is it takes the player to locations all around Middle-Earth: Hobbiton, Rivendell, Weathertop in Eriador, Amon Hen, Lothlorien, Bree, and the Mines of Moria. These are part of the various bonus games throughout a session.

Readers should keep in mind that the IGT slot machine is licensed to the billion-dollar movie, with video clips and audio from the original film. Thus, any deviations in the bonus games below are due to the slot machine following the movie version of the tale.

An icon of the One Ring is the scatter symbol in this game. When three pictures of the One Ring appear the screen at one time, it activates a bonus round. One of 8 different bonus games is unlocked.

Lord of the Rings Slots does not work like other bonus rounds. Most other IGT video slots have a wheel mechanism which funnels players to different bonus games. The bonus rounds in LoTR Slots follows the path of the Hobbits in the story, so you'll play these bonus games sequentially.

The Prancing Pony Bonus Game is the first adventure the Hobbits had. The Prancing Pony was the tavern where Frodo and his buddies expected to meet Gandalf the Gray. Shortly after, they were chased by the Ringwraiths, also known as the Nazgul or The Nine.

The bonus game therefore depicts the chase with the Ringwraiths. Survive to win more coins.

The next bonus game is based on Rivendell, home of the elves. The elfish civilization isn't nearly as dangerous as the Ringwraiths, so you should find the bonuses on this game a bit less stress-inducing.

Or perhaps you won't. Rivendell is where Elrond heals Frodo from a Morgul blade wound, so the player's life is on the line.

The Mines of Moria were the fallen dwarven city in the bowels of a mountain. Here, the Balrog, a fiery demonic creature, appears to kill the traveling Hobbits. Only Gandalf is able to save the Hobbits from the elemental evil, which destroyed the city of Moria.

This bonus game pits the player against the Balrog. The longer you last, the more coins you collect.

After Gandalf's death, Aragorn takes the Hobbits to Lothlorien. In this location, Galadriel the Elf (also known as Cate Blanchett) tells Frodo he must complete the quest to Mt. Doom. This is a bit of an interlude for the slots player, but more coins can be had.

The Gimli Bonus Game is straightforward and entertaining. Gimli the Dwarf enjoys turning battles into games, where he and his comrades count to see who kills the most Urumqi Ha (orcs). More dead opponents means more gold coins.

Gimli discusses the results as this 3-reel bonus game continues. Payouts are aided by a Gimli wild symbol. It stays in place until a winning combination is unlocked.

Amon Hen was the great hill at the end of the first chapter of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. There, the Hobbits faced the horrible might of the Urumqi Ha. Once again, the longer you can hold off the Urumqi Ha, the more coins you'll collect.

In this battle, Aragorn and Boromir face the orc leader, Lurtz. Your decisions determine the outcome of the battle, as well as the number of coins you'll receive.

IGT produced a Lord of the Rings 2 slots game. In "The Two Towers", the Battle of the Hornburg was depicted. This was the big assault on Helm's Deep. In the Lord of the Rings slot machine from WMS Gaming, this is a bonus game. Attacked climb the battlements as you try to knock them off their ladders. It's a particularly fun game, but won't be found on the original version.

Other Lord of the Rings Slots

Also, IGT developed a Lord of the Rings 3: Land of Mordor slot machine. This is found in some Las Vegas area casinos, such as the Rio All-Suite Hotel. Sauron gets a number of speaking lines in this game, asking players to "Embrace the power of the Ring."

Williams Interactive, the online division of WMS Gaming, also produced a Lord of the Rings Slot Machine. This include the Power Spins feature. Gollum makes a number of appearances. This is likely to cause a lot of confusion, so we mention it.