Reel Strike
The wombat says: Picture the scene: You’re on your boat, chucking back some beers in cans and smoking cigars just waiting to catch a big ol’ bite. The sun’s on your face and your dozing off. But wait!
If nothing’s giving, load up your laptop and cast off this fish-themed slot from Microgaming, the people behind the Deck the Halls slot- that famous Christmas game.
Yes, we do intent do cram as many sea-related puns into this review as we can, simply because we pike them!
Game Play
Reel Strike is classic 5 reel, 3 row slot with 15 paylines. Your fishy symbols on the reels include a barracuda, red snapper, flying fish and many more of our scaly friends. Then there’s the fish tackle, which serves as the Wild symbol in the slot and will substitute for all other symbols on the reels to help make winning combos. This cartoon game, like the Frogs n Flies slot, should keep you entertained.
The Ship Propeller’s symbol is the Scatter, and will trigger off the bonus game if you manage to line up 5x of the bleeders anywhere across your reels.
A quick word on the bet levels: The max bet on this slot is ₤75. You might want to experiment a bit with what kind of wager suits your budget. But remember: the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish you’ll haul into your boat. So if you don’t want to end up only with small fry, don’t be koi!
Ha!
Fishy Bonus
It’s the Free Spins round Wombat fans! But before the dizzy business begins, you’ll be taken first to a new screen where you have to choose between a number of boats. Depending on which boat you pick, you’ll uncover a certain number of hidden Free Spins (from between x2 and x7) that will be dished out to you back on the reels.
Next, you get to choose a different boat, which will determine which multiplier you’ll be playing with in the Free Spins (from between 1x – 6x). It’s completely random, so all you can do here is to cross your (fish) fingers and hope that your choice will give you the life-changing catch of the day.
Don’t feel short-changed if you land a shrimpy combination of only a few free spins plus a low multiplier. There’s no need to feel crabby, because as we all know, there are plenty more fish in the sea! And unlike many rival slots, the Wild symbol here in Reel Strike will also substitute for the bonus Scatter symbol – making it a lot easier to get to the Free Spins in the first place!
Which means you are always only a spin away from having whale of a time…
Conclusion
This game is one for connoisseurs of classic slots, we’re talking the Fruit Fiesta 5 Reel slot era. I am not saying that it’s gone off like an old fish, but the graphics are definitely a bit dated. Still, if you choose well in the pre-spins pick ’em bonus, the game can be quite lucrative, and is does have a nice soundtrack, too. Instead of the usual frenetic slot score, you are treated to the sound of the waves lapping against the shore – which is quite relaxing. So get your fishing hat, grab a six pack and tackle up! It’s worth a spin.
Wombat score: 3/5
We’ve played batter slots, but if you’re an angler you’ll like it.