Burning Ocean Slot

Pirate-themed video slots are nothing new, but hey, there’s always room in the market for another one. So went the logic behind Burning Ocean, the four-reel casino game from software specialist Spielo (try saying that five times fast). Burning Ocean was released in late 2009, and though it might not boast an eye-watering progressive jackpot, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some decent prizes to be won. After all, there are 25 paylines, meaning plenty of matching combinations to aim for!

With a jackpot of 128 coins, and a maximum bet of 50 bucks, Burning Ocean presents an enticing proposition for gamers. It’s also one of relatively few four-reel varieties, most video slots conforming to the 3-reel or 5-reel model. The game, which includes an autoplay function for continuous spinning, is available at a host of land-based and online casinos.

Setting the Ocean Alight

The coin size in Burning Ocean varies greatly, from 0.05 to 1. As such, the game is one low-rollers should enjoy. Simply determine your betting limits and set sail in the chopping waters for the alluring progressive jackpot.

The control panel appears along the bottom of the screen, where you can also configure pay-lines. You can, naturally, play on all 25, but you can also elect to play on just one. After deciding how many lines you want to play, just choose how many credits you desire to stake per line. Just be aware that the coin denomination button is located not in the control panel, but in the upper left-hand corner.

Eight symbols appear on the 4x3 board, which appears against a watery backdrop. They stick closely to the pirate theme, although there are also a bunch of playing card symbols in the mix. Among the pirate-themed icons, there are a skull and crossbones, a treasure map, a diamond ring and a steering wheel. The symbols are rather simply rendered, although this doesn’t detract from the game in any significant way.

Unfortunately, there are no scatter symbols, which somewhat limits the amount of excitement one can derive from the base game. On the other hand, there are a few quirky features. For example, if card symbols appear on all the reels, the pay-out is doubled.

The Watery Depths

In Burning Ocean, all wins pay left to right. The all-important treasure map is the bonus symbol. Land three or four maps on an active pay-line and you’ll receive a ‘Mystery Map’ bonus prize. The map is also linked to some attractive pay-outs, including 3,200 for three and 6,400 for four – providing you’re betting at the maximum, that is.

The skull and crossbones is wild and can substitute for all other icons to help you form winning combinations. It also pays 6,400 for four, although it yields just 400 for three. Still, it’s nice to see a wild linked to values in the pay-table at all.

Next in line is the diamond ring, which pays 200 for three and 3,200 for four. The steering wheel pays just 100 for three and 800 for four, while the playing cards pay 50 for three and 200 four. As stated, playing cards which flood the reels also include with a x2 multiplier.

Doubling your Dough

Once you hit a pay win on the reels, you’ll be given the chance to double your money with a 50/50 gamble game. All you have to do is hit the flashing Gamble button. It’s not very difficult to work out what happens next: just guess the colour of the face-down playing card shown on the screen. Is it black or is it red? There’s only one way to find out. If you guess correctly, you can either collect the winnings or play on. If we can offer a word of advice, don’t leave it too long to hit Collect!

Flaming Seas

Burning Ocean is a remarkably simple video slot. There are no scatters, no free spins, no bonus games – you just have to make do with a base game and a gamble feature. Having said that, the fact that a multiplier is attached to the playing card symbols is to be applauded – although how often they trigger in the necessary combination is up for debate. All in all, this is one worth checking out in demo mode before you commit any hard cash, if you decide against it, the game Amber Sky from this developer is a great play.