Under the Sea Slot Machine
You’d expect BetSoft to take just about any theme and make an amazing slot out of it. They do not let us down with Under the Sea. This is not one of their most elaborate slots, with solid game play and just a couple of feature games. The animations and 3D graphics are the strong point. For me it is the attention to detail in things like the underwater plants wafting and bubbles going over the reels which make the difference. One thing which always baffles me is why so many cartoon fish have a perfect set of human teeth? Guess that one will have to remain a mystery – for this slot at least!
Everything about the way the graphics look is characteristically BetSoft. The sea shimmers above the reels, the plants wave gently on their coral reef beds and bubbles float over reels full of cartoon fish. Those fish have a ring of familiarity - this is more the general design that being specific copies of well-known underwater animated movies, though these could easily be characters in Finding Nemo.
When you hit a win, each type of fish has a break out animation sequence which builds out from the reels. In addition there are pearls, ship wrecks and a blonde lady (could be a mermaid, though you only get to see her face). Upbeat Caribbean style music plays in the background and the reels stop to what sounds like someone hitting a xylophone. When you hit the bonus games, the music changes – though the general vibe stays the same. There are also bubble and general underwater noises in place.
There is one free spins game and one pick-em type game involving treasure chests in this slot. These do not trigger too often, though the prizes can be good when they do come in.
Take the Plunge
There are 30 win lines as a default for this slot. You can select any number of these. Your stakes start from 2c per line (60c per spin) up to $1 per line for $30 per spin. The auto-play button brings up a box which lets you configure everything to your satisfaction before hitting the confirm button.
As with many BetSoft titles, the main wins come through combination wins and features – rather than from the regular line wins. The single biggest regular win comes from the blonde lady, which is worth 400 coins for 5 and 200 for 4. The green fish is next (300 coins for 5) and the yellow follows this one at 200 coins for 5. Next the blue, orange, grey and flatter blue fish prop up the prizes with smaller wins. There are no playing card symbols at all in this slot – which is always a sign of a solid design.
There are 3 special symbols. First the pearl - which is still in a clam shell. This is the wild symbol and has a handy multiplier attached. Wins with 1 wild are doubled, 2 wilds win 4x and 3 wilds create 8x wins. With all 30 lines in play, these wilds will often make multiple wins at the same time too.
The ship is the scatter; this triggers the free spins (8 for 3 ships, 12 for 4 and 15 for 5). There is a pay-out of 2x your total bet for 2 ships anywhere on the reels. The final special symbol is the treasure chest, 3 of these will lead to the pick-em treasure game.
Under the Sea Bonus Games
There is nothing particularly interesting about the free spins round. When you hit 3+ ships, free spins are announced and the music track changes (becoming a little more calypso). You then simply run through your spins with the same set of reels as before. At the end of the game your winning total is shown, and you go back to the main game.
Treasure chests lead to a beautifully produced underwater scene, where you’ll get to choose from a number of chests with prizes attached. When you click they will open to reveal a prize in coins. You continue the game until you hit one which says ‘collect’, at which point the bonus ends.
These are not the most exciting or innovative bonus games compared to some BetSoft slots. Together with the wild symbols they do break up the game play very effectively.
A Game Worth Shelling Out For
Great graphics are the hallmark of this slot which will bring you on an underwater adventure, filled with thrills, spills and hopefully some big wins. It's not one of my favorite slots, but it's fun for a change and is a low volatility game. Best of all, it's at most online casinos that accept US players. Why not dive right in and take the plunge? You won't regret it.
