The journey begins outside the pub, as if awaiting your comrades to catch up. The base game introduces Random Awards that can scale up to a substantial 5,000 times your wager. This feature sporadically triggers with the presence of 2 scatters. The bonus round, on the other hand, revolves around elevating the award meters assigned to each reel. This progression is achieved through the accumulation of Viking symbols, all of which is accompanied by an exuberant soundtrack evoking a thirst for chilled beverages. Pub Kings is a captivating release, its unique award system poised to make ripples in the slot gaming realm.

Premium Viking character symbols extend payouts ranging from 25 to 150 times your stake for 5 identical symbols. Meanwhile, the royal symbols present a decent 5 to 15 times your stake for a quintet. Notably, there are no wild symbols in Pub Kings, and the scatter symbol exclusively appears on reels 1, 3, and 5.

Soon, we delve into the bonus round, but it's worth noting that scatters can also unlock Random Awards. Whenever precisely 2 scatters materialize on the screen, there's a possibility of triggering the Random Award feature. However, the paytable's wording creates some ambiguity, implying that the Random Award always activates. Our experience with the demo version contradicts this assertion.

Upon activation, the scatters select a random reel, rewarding a corresponding prize as follows (all reels offer prizes from level 1, the lowest, to level 7, the highest – relevant for the bonus round trigger):

Reel 1 bestows 10x, 25x, 125x, 250x, 600x, 1,000x, or 5,000x your stake.

Reel 2 grants 6x, 15x, 45x, 200x, 400x, 800x, or 2,500x your stake.

Reel 3 awards 4x, 10x, 30x, 150x, 300x, 600x, or 1,500x your stake.

Reel 4 offers 3x, 8x, 25x, 60x, 150x, 300x, or 750x your stake.

Reel 5 yields 2x, 6x, 20x, 50x, 125x, 250x, or 500x your stake.

The Bonus Round triggers with the appearance of 3 scatters on reels 1, 3, and 5 simultaneously, rewarding you with 10 free spins. Each of the 5 Viking characters is assigned to a reel during this feature. Viking symbols collected after each spin accumulate in their respective reel meters. Activation of the lowest level 1 prize mandates the collection of 6 symbols per reel, and every third collected symbol thereafter elevates the prize to the subsequent level.

Upon conclusion of the bonus round, the reel/Viking boasting the highest collected symbols disburses the associated prize according to the achieved level. In case of a tie between 2 or more reels/Vikings, the highest prize-bearing reel/Viking prevails. Note that retriggering the bonus round or securing additional spins is impossible.

A concluding note concerns the Bonus Buy option, exclusively available to non-UK players and eligible individuals. This feature allows players to seize instant access to the bonus round.

Pub Kings slot is optimized for mobile use, ensuring that players can enjoy the game seamlessly on their smartphones and tablets. The game's design, layout, and user interface are adapted to smaller screens, offering a smooth and engaging experience for players on the go.