Hercules’ training in Greek mythology was like bootcamp on steroids—literal god steroids. First, he was taught by Chiron, the centaur who somehow managed to teach a kid to be both civilized and capable of ripping a lion in half with his bare hands. Hercules’ workouts included wrestling boars the size of Volkswagens, running marathons in sandals made of cowhide, and practicing archery by shooting at targets that were miles away (because normal distances are for mortals). This mythological swole session resulted in a physique fit for Mount Olympus.

However, there is one workout that Evoplay seems to think the demigod used that doesn’t feature in the pages about Greek mythology. That workout, according to the company’s new Hercules: Sports Legend slot, is sheep clubbing, or sheep baseball, or extreme sheep crochet—I’m really not sure what you’d call this abomination of a sport. What I do know is that this is one of the weirder games I’ve had the pleasure to stumble across. 

Let the weird commence

First off, this game’s not all about pushing a button and waiting for a result. There is some skill involved. Once you’ve decided how much you’re going to bet, you click the play button, and an unsuspecting sheep rolls down a stone ramp towards Hercules, who is holding a wooden club. Your job is to click the button again to hit the sheep as far as you can. 

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In my testing, the timing of when you choose to hit the sheep does affect the angle at which you launch it. This does, however, appear to mostly just affect the animation with the outcome being predetermined. However, if you completely miss, you lose your bet amount. And if you swing too early, you’re also outta luck! This gives the game some fun stakes that really made me want to keep coming back for more.

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The game does have one special feature, the Talaria sandals, which are the winged sandals worn by the messenger god, Hermes. This feature will be applied randomly to any successful hit and will help the sheep sail much farther than a regular swing would be able to achieve.

Is Hercules: Sports Legend a little gem in a cynical world?

In Hercules: Sports Legend by Evoplay, you can place your bets anywhere from a modest $0.10 to a bold $200, with the potential to hit a max win of $200,000. The game features a solid 1,000x multiplier, so even the smallest bets could give your bankroll a serious workout. Despite Hercules’ legendary strength, the game itself has low volatility, meaning you won’t feel like you’re constantly battling the gods to see a win. The game features an RTP of 96%.

I love Hercules: Sports Legend. In the game’s rules, Evoplay has even included a retelling of Greek mythology to explain why Hercules is out here smacking sheep with a club. Apparently, in addition to the Twelve Labors, King Eurystheus also challenged Hercules to see how far he could throw. The demigod apparently decided that how far he could throw a sheep would be a good way to measure the challenge. The pages of Evoplay mythology even include a bit about the sheep not being harmed because the soft fleece protected them from injury. 

I love that the slot provider chose to include the backstory even though it will likely only be seen by a tiny fraction of those who choose to play it. And even then, even fewer will read all four paragraphs. It’s really a testament to the thought that the team over at Evoplay put in it. I give Hercules: Sports Legend a ten out of ten.

If you’re looking for a few other games from Evoplay to try out, I recommend Europe Transit and Animal Quest.