Sharky Slot Machine
Ahoy me matey! Here we have online slot game, Sharky, yet another pirate-themed video slot from Novomatic, simply featuring 9 paylines but more impressive features as well, including the standard wild, scatter, and free games bonus feature with even more unique surprises. What’s great about this game is that it can be played on virtually any system and it’s especially fun to play as a Mac online slot game and even a Linux online slot game.
Walk the Plank to Fortune
In the video slot Sharky, all the symbols are in line with the game’s pirate theme and portrayed in clean, realistic graphics (not the cartoony renditions some games offer). As you embark on your maiden voyage upon Sharky’s pirate vessel, you’ll encounter unforeseen adventure and action that can result in some fairly lucrative payouts for your efforts. The symbols that adorn the reels will invoke the essence of a true pirate plunder and include Sharky the Pirate himself, his loyal Parrot, Pirate Swords, a Treasure Chest, the scatter Compass (an important navigational necessity), the scatter Ship, the Beach (one of two symbols needed to trigger free games), and standard slot filler symbols 9, 10, J, Q, and K. In many ways, the symbols on this casino game remind us of some of the newer Facebook casino games that have become quite popular lately.
Complex Features
The Pirate is the wild symbol and substitutes all other symbols apart from Compasses, Ships, and Beaches. Apart from that, 5 Pirate symbols will award you a top payout worth 500,000 coins, assuming the spin was made with a maximum bet wager. Like all slot machines, the symbols appear at random, which means that there's now way to cheat the game in an effort increase your odds of winning.
Sharky’s Free Games Bonus
The Free Games Bonus embedded within the Sharky online video slot is a bit different to trigger than normal free games events in other slot games. In order to earn the 10 free games available, a player must land 2 different symbols, the scatter Ship + the Beach symbol, on the reels. Free games can be retriggered.
Another catch to the Free Games Bonus is that a new symbol is introduced to the reels—the Row Boat Pirate. With each Ship that appears on the reels during free games, one Row Boat Pirate will be lowered onto the reels. While this symbol will appear on the first reel and serves as a wild symbol, except for the Beach, Ship, and Compass, he also rows himself across the reels, rowing from one reel to another, randomly turning symbols to wilds, unless he is attacked by a roaming Shark, then he can no longer make substitutes for other symbols. If he stops on top of or adjacent to the Treasure Ship in any direction, a random prize worth anywhere between 18 and 450 credits will be given.
General Consensus
Not the newest of online slots, Sharky, which was first released in 2002, is believed by some to be outdated, even though when the game was first introduced, it was a high-quality slot and garnered much attention from slot players. Nonetheless, the advancement of state-of-the-art 3D technology employed by newer slots has caused Sharky to lose some of its luster with would-be fans opting to go with more modernized variants of similar themed slots. However, Sharky isn’t the most prehistoric slot online and still offers decent pays, active reels, and multiple and dynamic features that are in fact one-of-a-kind elements specific to this slot only. It’s worth a spin or 50 and shouldn’t be cast away based on the assumption that it can’t hold its own with newer video slots available out there. If you’re looking for something similar but with a little more depth and updated features, try Columbus Deluxe, also by Novomatic.
Our Opinion
Although the game’s layout and graphics are pretty uninspiring, you will still get some good kicks off the bonus round. In my experience, the bonus round is where all the action took place. If you want a little more of Sharky then you should try out Jolly Roger by Play ‘n’ Go or Barbary Coast by Betsoft.
