Sunshine Reef

Deep beneath the surface of the ocean lie undiscovered, sunken treasures, ready for the taking if anyone is brave enough to venture into this unknown, underwater universe.

Sunshine Reef is a Microgaming video slot game that uses cute characters and a cartoon-like universe to create a colourful game universe for players to enjoy. It might not be the most original game there is on the current market, but you will find that Sunshine Reef still contains a few interesting features that are worth mentioning.

So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at Sunshine Reef to try to figure out what your best strategy is to hit the ultimate jackpot…

Hold Your Breath and Dive

Sunshine Reef is one of the many slot games that take place underwater, on a tropical reel populated by colourful and cute creatures.

The transparent reels leave an obstructed view to players, who can enjoy a vast aquatic landscape of coral and rock formations, with even a shipwreck visible in the distance. The command buttons are all gathered at the bottom of the game screen to keep the game uncluttered and clear, which players will certainly appreciate.

Sunshine Reef might not have stunning graphics, but it is an honest-looking slot games with a cute atmosphere and enough to attract prospective players under the surface.

Start Looking for Pearls

The basic gameplay in Sunshine Reef is quite straightforward and does not include anything more than basic slot game rules.

The game matrix is a regular 5x3 setup, with 9 paylines available on the 5 spinning reels. Make sure that winning combinations land on activated paylines to harvest their rewards. It is also worth noting that combinations do not have to start from reel one to count, but will delivered cash prizes regardless of where the symbols start lining up. That should give you more chances to score a win or two. Use the command bar below the reels in order to adjust your wager and activate as many paylines as you see fit. After each win, you can play an optional mini game and guess which oyster contains a pearl. A correct answer doubles your prize, while a wrong guess makes all your money disappear in a second.

To skip ahead and stick to the base game, turn on the autospin mode.The reels will keep on spinning round and round for as long as you let them, placing your bet each time.

Sea Creatures

The paytable of Sunshine Reef is entirely made up of various adorable deep sea dwellers, all colourful and friendly-looking.

Seahorses, puffer fish, oysters, turtles, jellyfish, starfish and sea anemones, the list goes on an on. Only combinations on identical symbols properly lined up anywhere on the reels will count and trigger a cash win. It is worth noting that the rewards available on the reels are more modest than in the vast majority of modern slot games.

The basic symbol list does not offer much surprises, but Sunshine Reef still has a few special features that we will explore in more details in the next section of our review.

Final Surprises to Rise the Stakes

Sunshine Reef features a few more special symbols that can turn the game around in your favour if you know how to use them.

The cute blue dolphin symbol is a wild card that can replace absolutely any other symbol on the reels. Use it to complete more winning combinations and land extra rewards as you do so.

The treasure chest symbol is a bonus icon. You need to land 3 or more of them on an activated payline to trigger the bonus game. Note that you can use a wild card to replace a treasure chest as well. The game that ensues is simple: pick a treasure chest amongst the 3 that appear on screen to win the prize associated with it. The maximum reward corresponds to 250 times the size of your wager.

A Pleasant Dive into a Classic Universe

Sunshine Reef is a cute game with likeable characters on the reels and standard bonus features available. That being said, the game is quite classic and the rewards not as interesting as we would have liked them to be.

Lower risk means lower pay, and as such you could consider Sunshine Reef as a decent introduction to the slot game universe for complete beginners. Beyond that, the game might feel a little disappointing in the long term.