Underwater World Slot Machine

You’re on deck and ready to cast your line when you play Underwater World, despite what the title tells you. Although you have to explore the ocean in search of aquatic lifeforms, you’ll be doing that from a position above the waves.

This is another example of Roundstone International at their finest: they’ve got an attractive interface, a themed set of 5-reels, and a reasonable side order of features. There’s nothing not to like about this game. That is on the surface - when you delve deeper there’s a lot more to this slot than meets the eye.

Anyone used to playing with them will note the familiar layout of the title, for the controls can be found all in the same place. What is more, even though the design has changed accordingly, the package is essentially the same; what you see is very much what you get here. And with Roundstone you get in many times over.

Bonvoyage

Fear not, avid fishermen, for you won’t be set adrift without any help from the crew of your rig; the game has everything you need to ensure you know what you’re doing and where to do it. Before you begin, you need to determine whether you’re going to go with the play for real option or the play for fun. Even though the latter offers more safety, it isn’t nearly as entertaining.

Should you be starting with a cash bet, you’ll find your initial punt to be worth 0.09 credits in total, with the ability for it to increase to 45 – this appears to be the same in all of the brand’s games. Accessible though it may be, you’ll notice that the paytable might not be as generous as high roller games you’ve grown accustomed to. Titles that have larger pay-ins usually have payouts to match, and so with Underwater World the most you can hope for is 5,000 credits.

Down in the Depths

By the power of design, and the gamble feature of Underwater World, gamers will be taken to a serene part of the ocean where two skulls will appear. As creepy and disturbing as that would be for many sailors, you my friend are about to be given the chance to improve your prize fund by x2. The catch? You have to select the right skull; there’s a 50/50 chance, which you think would make the whole process easier, but we found that finding the multiplier was quite hard going.

What is more, if you shouldn’t find the prize, you end up leaving with nothing, as your most recent winnings will be removed from your kitty. This is one for those salty sea dogs that have a stubborn streak.

Fishing Season

When playing Underwater World, it’s easy to assume that the volatility is quite low, for it seems very easy to keep landing those wins; 8 times out of 10 we seemed to be cashing in more credits. However, don’t be fooled by this process, although you’re winning, you’re not winning the top amounts.

The symbols that bring in the most money (with the bonus symbol being the primary example), hardly ever show up in a three or more formation, and if they do it’s rarely on an active winline. As this real cash slot only has up to 9 winlines, it’s understandable that the wins don’t just keep on coming, but that doesn’t mean they should never come. In our entire playthrough we never made a win of over four matches, especially for the high value tiles.

Watch Out for Sharks!

If you haven’t noticed the pulsating red shark upon your matrix, where have you been looking this whole time?! This icon is the bonus one we keep harping on about, so we thought it was about time for you to know what it does. Besides bringing in the biggest base payout, it also triggers a pick me bonus round, much like the other slots from Roundstone do.

The setup of the level is very simple, and although in-keeping with the aesthetics of the game, hardly thrills us enough to keep on betting. We’d gladly take several rounds of free spins rather than this bonus feature, mainly because it would be a lot more satisfying and fulfilling.

Sprung a Leak

Underwater World could have been a great slot, but instead it’s an average one… but are we even surprised by this anymore, for this is the brand’s MO. They always seem to create visually sound slot machines that lack substance, which in turn leads to a short shelf life. There’s much bigger fish to fry elsewhere, mateys.