If you’ve never played a game by Novomatic software, this is a great place to start. It’s an accessible game that has a low key theme, modest production values, and a lot of heart going into the graphics. Whether it’s the cartoon fish or the cute little turtles or the bubbles adorning your winning streak, there’s a lot of charm hear oozing from every pixel. Although there’s not much here on offer that’s going to wow you if you’re looking for something really intricate or involved, there’s just enough here to keep things fresh and interesting for old and newcomers alike. With a standard set of mechanics but a nice jackpot as well, it’s a game that seems to get players, and was made by people that are really into slots.
Our favorite part is clearly the graphics, but there’s still a lot to like here no matter who you are. If you want something new and fresh, there are some interesting tidbits here that still set their hooks into you if you give them a chance. If you’re looking for something familiar, there’s just enough of that here too that won’t put anyone off. With a wonderful RTP and good number of pay lines, you’ll wonder why you haven’t played more Novomatic titles after trying this one!
For anyone looking for a chill way to relax in some water going winning fun, this game hits the bill perfectly. We had a wonderful swim in this nice watery game, and walked away all the richer for having put up with the tide of games it took us to find it. Jump in and enjoy the winning waters!
What You Can Expect
Although this game doesn’t look like much, it has more heart than you’re likely used to seeing around here or anywhere else. There have been more games about a water themed element than we can count, thanks in no small part to the lovely ladies that tend to adorn the theme. Mermaid’s abound because guys like girls in bikinis and we count ourselves among that. Mermaid’s are women with built in bikinis, so there’s a lot to like when they happen to swim your way in slot form.
Alongside all of that is a nice set of tried and true gameplay mechanics that walk that fine line between derivative and new. The reels number at the now online standard of 5, and the pay lines only go up to 9, which keep things moving along like a motor boat and don’t get in your way by forcing you to figure things out or learn anything new. There’s also a healthy jackpot of 9000 coins, which is enough to make anyone a little richer if they’re willing to put down some dough! The max coin size is 100, so you can do the math on that to see just how much fun you can be having with your newly heightened savings account on that one.
There aren’t many bonus things to speak of, aside from the usual wilds and scatters and free spins, but that’s okay. This is a relaxing game that plays somewhat like a cruise along fertile waters filled with winnings and smiles.
What They Could Have Improved
This is probably the easiest part of this review, despite our having had a decent time with this game. They didn’t do almost anything to make the gameplay stand out here, and you could be forgiven for not being able to tell this one apart from any number of slots you see on the internet that have done some of what they did here but at times better. The gameplay is an easy thing to innovate with, either through a simple bonus round or simply some jackpots that progress, but they chose to do neither here, focusing instead on the imagery alone.
That imagery itself is also fairly low key. It has a lot of charm and we love the facial expressions that come on the little fish and sea creatures, but there’s more they could have done with it than fill it all with suits of playing cards and things like that. We wish they’d have put more into the budget here, as what’s here is good, it just needs to extend far further than they took it.
General Style and Presentation
This game has a nice hand drawn look to it, penned by a lover of fish, and not just on a dinner plate. Although everything is very cartoony, the forms and anatomy of everything is impeccable, and the leading mermaid is also a wonderful sight to see. It’s about middle of the road for money spent on it given how many suits of playing cards there are and how low budget the logo looks, but there’s something here that they clearly could have explored if they had more time and any reason too.
If you like more realistic looking drawings and things under the sea, then you’ll love the way the imagery came together here. It also helps if you like hot fish folk, but she’s not featured all that much here, making the blow fish the star of the show to us.
Summing Up the Game
Mermaid's Pearls Slots is a nice fishy flipper of a game that came out of nowhere from Novomatic and managed to impress us despite not having much backing it besides heart. If you’re okay with cartoon fishes and not much else to keep you glued to your seat on this ship, then it’s one worth sailing on for that 96% RTP alone. For anyone else, you may have to keep looking, as there’s not much staying power here if it doesn’t hook you quick. Come to think of it, that’s a sad joke considering the leading fish is actually a lady! That’s probably hurt, and we shudder to think of some of the places the hook could catch on...
