Deep Sea Slot Machine

Thanks to Pixar, Disney and countless cartoons, it’s easy to see everything under the sea as cute, fluffy and sweet.

But there are angry fish and menacing sharks amidst all the playful madness too, something that PlayPearls is keen to get across in its Deep Sea game. Will the 5-reel, 20-line game sink or swim?

Not Music to the Ears

The first thing you’ll notice about the game is the sound. It’s very annoying and very uninspired. It only has a few beats and is on a continuous loop.  Which means it becomes boring very quickly. It’s an odd choice of music as the makers know it will help form your initial opinion of the game. And even stranger when the sound continues after the game starts. The noises of the icons coming down is fine, if a little drab. There’s no volume setting on the game, but it does mute.

You’ll also notice the light-coloured tone of the sea. It’s a gorgeous light blue colour with bubbles in different parts, and darker blue coral, with bits of yellow and green too. At the top of the game is the name in quirky white capitals with a playful octopus and pufferfish for company.

That is somewhat different to the more sinister looking creatures that are part of the 5 reels and its far lighter blue background. They really do look sharp and menacing. For a game that doesn’t design itself as a good v bad type game it seems a bit odd.

The icons are all in plenty of space and the betting lines are clear on either side. The diagram form of both is in the paytable, which you can find in the Help section.

Underwater Jungle Play

In big capital letters it’s easy to change the settings. You can bet 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.00, 2.00 or 4.00 and then press Start. You cannot however choose how many lines you want to play on which is a surprise, and rather limiting. There isn’t a maximum bet setting either. However, you can use Autoplay, though there are no numerical settings on it. If you wanted to you could also use the maximum screen option.

The value of the symbols goes from up to down, rather than left to right. The shark is the one you want to get. If you see 5 of them in 1 spin you’ll get 30 credits, 4 gives 10 and 3 is valued at 5. Like with the other 8 icons, 2 is not worth anything. In keeping with the slightly erratic nature of the game, there is no obvious order for the icons.

So, after the shark there is a lifebuoy, then a type of fish and a captain’s hat. After various icons, it finishes with an anchor, worth a maximum of 5, and a minimum of 0.5. Rather oddly, it is the second anchor in the game. Why not use other pictures like a boat, coral reefs, dolphins or an octopus or squid?

Not so Much Bonus Sea Play

There isn’t much in the way of bonuses here, which is a shame. The supremely happy yellow starfish, rather out of place with the rest of the game, is a welcome sight. It doesn’t give credits, but does offer free spins. Receiving 3 of them provides 8 spins, 4 enables 15 spins and 5 offers the maximum 40 spins.

The cartoon style shark villain (a different icon to the other) is the Wildcard. It replaces everything except the happy starfish.

What the game could do with is either a bonus round or at least some extra bonus opportunities. The fact that the symbols are so unmemorable visually means the lack of extras stand out even more.

While this is noticeable on the main reels, it is also noticeable when on the paytable page. The darker blue background and sense of space shows how much they could do with some improving. The gap for an extra icon is too obvious.

Deep Trouble

There are so many games set underwater that to stand out you have to do something unusual. A different set of creatures, innovative gameplay, original bonuses or even memorable nautical music for instance.

The fact that these are missing, means that the game struggles to maintain your attention. It may not be completely all at sea, but it isn’t far off.