Dolphins Slot Machine Review
The underwater theme has been used by most slots makers at one time or another. Ainsworth, the company created by the founder of Aristocrat, Len Ainsworth, has done a great job of tackling this with Dolphins. For me this has the feel of a live slot, rather than one which was built with online play in mind. The colours are rich and the shading detailed; the game-play is solid and simple –rather than flashy and intricate. There are some notable features including stacked wilds (dolphins of course) and a free spins feature round too, though this is not what I’d call an intensive slot. This game is based on a 50 win-line 5-reel setup.
Graphics and the animations are very rich, starting with the deep blue hues of the background with the effect of the sun shining from above the waves. The backdrop of the reels is a plain cream colour, though the symbols themselves are vivid. These include a conch shell, oyster with purple pearls, chest brimming with treasure and what appears to be a parrotfish. The dolphins, which are stacked, have a special jumping animation when they form part of a winning combo. This involves splashing some water outside of the symbol itself. Sounds are mostly the classic Ainsworth fare, clicking noises as the reels stop and short tunes which vary depending on the size of your win. There are some aquatic noises, and the free spins game is played with a tune in the background too.
There is nothing particularly exceptional about the free spins, this is played with different reel sequences on a blue background, and for me it fortunately involved a lot of dolphins covering the middle reels.
Setup and Play for Dolphins
Behind the splashing and the vivid colours, this is a 50 line video slot. You can choose to play all 50; or opt for 40, 25, 10 or even just 1. The smallest spin is 1c per line (50c for the full quota) and the version I played would allow bets of $625 per spin. You can gamble after each win (either red / black or suits on the turn of a card) and you can use auto-play.
Regular pay-outs look small when you first see the pay table. What you need to keep in mind is that the stacked wilds mean you’ll often have many wins at the same time – more than making up for this.
The biggest prize for regular symbols is 1000 coins; this is for 5 of the ships. Next comes the treasure for 300, then the fish and pearls for 200. The conch shell is the final unique symbol – worth 150 for 5 of a kind. Playing cards from ace down to nine are also included and pay out smaller prizes.
There are two special symbols. First the all-important dolphin, which is a wild symbol. This will substitute for all the regular symbols listed above – though not the coin (scatter). There are no separate prizes for several wilds in a row; these count as the highest regular symbol (the ship).
Scatters are the gold coin with the dolphin engraved on it. This pays 100x your total spin amount for 5, 10x for 4 and 2x for 3. Getting 3 or more of these anywhere on the reels will also trigger the free games feature.
Dolphins Free Games Feature
This is not the most eventful free spins game I have ever played. You start off with 10 spins (a pop-up will tell you this has been awarded). The reels look the same, except for a different colour (blue) background. What I did notice is a lot more of the stacked wild dolphins covering the middle reels than in the main game. This made up a lot of winning combinations. If you get 3+ of the gold coins, you will trigger 5 more spins, which are simply added to your total. At the end of the bonus game, the total is displayed, and when you return to the reels you’ll have the opportunity to gamble this in the same way you do for the regular wins.
Dolphins – Conclusion
This slot looks great, very vivid, colourful and almost luxurious. The game-play is very much like you would expect from a live slot by Ainsworth and is sure to appeal to fans of their bricks and mortar casino games. If you enjoy the aquatic / dolphins theme and prefer more basic slots then this is a great choice for new players – check it out for yourself.
