Under Water Diving Slots
As 71% of the Earth is covered in water, it’s almost tempting to ask why more games aren’t set under water. After all it seems a fun enough place for Sponge Bob and friends, Nemo and Dory, Sharky and George, Flounder and er, Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster.
But has SkillonNet captured that sense of fun and discovery in its Under Water Diving Slot game?
Plenty to “Sea” Here
All the cartoon references are apt when looking at the game as it really is far from intense and gives off a non-serious and playful vibe. One of the reasons for this is the use of bright colours. The background is all light blue for the sea with pink, yellow and light brown plants. As well as the barrier reef plants, there is a jellyfish, an old school diving helmet and a large diving gas tank, symbols that also appear in the game.
The name of the game at the front is in blue letters for the first part, then green for the second. The fact there is an oyster shell between the two parts of the name further backs up the style of having background items that are also playing symbols. A nice touch is that various types of fish move at different speeds in both directions.
The 5 reels are dead centre, with the four corners of the screen prominently covered by other designs. Either side of them you have the 20 possible winning lines, which you can see in diagram form in the Paytable. As the symbols aren’t too big it all feels spacious and free to move around.
Dive in and Play
This is a 5-reel, 20-line game with 8 different playing symbols, as well as extra symbols and bonus games. You can go from credits of 1, 2, 5, 25, 50 and 100 by going up or down. The same easy system is on the number of lines you play too, though you can play any line you like between 1 and 20. There is Autoplay, but you can’t set the number of spins on it.
It’s always a neat extra when symbols that are part of a winning return come to life. While they all move and change shape, the best of them is the oyster that opens to reveals a pearl. As shown on the Paytables page, it is the seahorses that are worth most. If you get 5 of them it is 10,000 credits. Even getting 4 gets a cool 1,000. The others on the top line are really valuable too. The diving suit is worth a maximum of 8,000 credits, oyster shells can get 6,000 and jellyfish are valued at up to 4,000. Rather helpfully, it’s easy to work out what each icon is worth with one less number, as it reduces by a 0 each time.
A quick note on the music. It’s not great. It’s clear they’ve gone for a fun nautical style theme, but it doesn’t work. The original sound is bland, but when winning a line, the sound is interrupted by another set of music and it gets very irritating. If you’re playing on Autoplay it’s even worse.
Water Great Bonus
The Wildcard is a funky goldfish, the Scatter is a yacht and the Bonus is a lifebuoy. The wild symbol, and the extra wild multiplier icon which doubles any payouts, replace all other symbols. With the Scatter you can win 20 free spins if you get 5, 10 free spins for 4, 5 free spins for 3 and 2 free spins for 2. When you get the Bonus, you receive 100 points.
When you reach 1,000 points you get taken to a new background, a darker part of the sea. Then you have a mix of treasure chests and oyster shells. There are arrows pointing to each and you choose whichever one you think will be the best. A diver comes down and slowly opens which one you go for. There are two more chances to go through the same process if you get enough points. You can also check out if you don’t fancy risking it for more.
Dive on In
If you keep the sound off, there’s fun to be had with this game. It’s clear a lot of thought has gone into the visuals and the possibilities that being underwater offers. That’s not forgetting the superb possibilities available in terms of credits and fun bonus game. Playing underwater may well leave you over the moon.
