Black Diamond Slot
Compared to many Octopus Gaming slots, Black Diamond is visually very crisp and clear. The brushed metal frame and detailed light-work on the gems which make up the symbols look very professional. This is a lower intensity game with 5 reels and 3 rows of symbols. There is a free spins round, which you can retrigger – and a random bonus award too. The main attraction for me is the smooth game-play and the chance to accumulate some reasonably big wins. This is the type of slot you can setup on auto-play and relax with.
There are some mountains in the background of the reels, though the main effect is very sleek and industrial. Symbols are over a black background, which works well to bring out the light reflections on them on different PC and mobile screen sizes. There are several different coloured gems in play with the ruby and emerald looking particularly effective. In addition there are diamonds with an orange background, bars of gold and the wild black diamonds, which have a blue background. There are basic animations, for example growing or flashing gems when you make winning combinations. The sounds include the wind in the background, and computer beeps which are tuneful and mild enough not to be disturbing while you play.
Only the free spins feature and occasional random bonus will interrupt your play on this game.
Diamond in the Rough
This is a 25 line slot, which you can play from 1c per line (you could also reduce the number of lines if you wish). The maximum spin is $5 per line, or $125. Auto play is available, and the game settings let you toggle the sounds and animations off if you prefer.
Octopus Gaming slots often have one win which is disproportionately bigger than the rest. In this case it is the yellow gem, which is worth 6000 coins for 5 on a win line. This pays from 2+, with 400 for 4, 60 coins for 3 and 6 coins for the pair. Rubies come next at 1000 coins for 5, with the emeralds at 500, purple gem at 300 of others making up the smaller prizes.
The wild black diamonds do not have a prize of their own assigned – meaning 5 will pay the biggest regular prize of 6000 for 5 of the yellow gems. This symbol will substitute for any of the others to make up wins. You will often find wilds make wins over several lines at once.
Two more symbols can be found on the reels. One is a red gem with the word ‘Scatter’ above. This only appears on the first and fifth reel. When both hit you will trigger 10 free spins. The other symbol is a pile of 3 gold bricks with the word bonus written on them. These appear on the middle 3 reels, and if you hit 3 (they need to be on a win-line) then you get a randomly awarded bonus of up to 600 coins.
Black Diamond – Bonus Games
As free spins games go, this is very ordinary. 2 scatter symbols on lines 1 and 5 trigger the spins, and the main change you will see if that the frame of the slot turns from silver to gold. A panel at the bottom of the reels counts down your free spins. Game play is exactly the same, if anything a little slower as the slot cycles through each winning line individually. You can add 10 more spins each time you get the 2 scatters during play. At the end of your spins you will go to a screen which shows your total won, you click ok here to return to the main game.
Gold bars is a simple random bonus award. If you line these up in the middle 3 reels, a message appears over the reels telling you how many coins you just won. You click ok, and simply carry on spinning. This money is welcome of course, though it is not the most interesting bonus feature I have come across.
A Gem of a Game
This is firmly in the low-intensity camp for me, if you enjoy uninterrupted slot play with smart graphics and the characteristically smooth Octopus Gaming action, then this could be a good choice. There is the chance of a 6000 coin windfall in normal play, and the occasional free spins round could see your balance grow too. If you enjoy smart and relaxing games, then check out Octopus Gaming’s Black Diamond for yourself soon!
