Clover's Tales Slots
Pints of beer, lucky horseshoes, clover and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow leave us in no doubt that the Clover’s Tales video slot is yet another Irish-themed game. Just to be certain that we haven’t missed the point, developer GamingSoft have filled the screen with green playing card symbols, and placed the reels over a backdrop of fields, trees and toadstools.
There’s even a slightly manic-looking leprechaun making an appearance, holding on to his beer as if his life depended on it. Players of this 5-reel, 30-payline online casino slot can depend on steady wins in the base game, while special bonus features include high-paying wild substitutions, a free spins bonus round with multipliers and a jackpot side game where they can scoop any of 4 progressive prizes.
It’s been designed in a nice cartoon style and there’s a jaunty Irish tune playing along in the background. All 30 lines are activated, so there’s no option to test it out on just a payline or two, although free Clover’s Tales video slots can be used for practice spins. A low limit of 0.30 will be needed to get spinning for real cash and the maximum bet is 300.00, which becomes important in the jackpot round, as higher stakes means higher percentages of the progressive prizes can be won.
Aiming for the Luck of the Irish
Most symbols will need to land across 3 or more adjacent reels on a payline, from the left side to create a winning combination, although the top-value icons only need to appear on 2 or more reels. Bright green 9, 10, J, and Q symbols are each worth 5x the amount staked per line when landing on reels 1, 2 and 3 at a time, while 4 are worth 25x and full lines pay out 100x. The K and A are valued at 10x, 50x and 150x.
A refreshing-looking mug of beer and the blue harp each returns 15x, 75x and 250x when they stop on 3, 4, or 5 reels, while an orange 7 symbol pays out 20x, 100x and 400x. The best wins in the base game come when either the lucky horseshoe or four-leaf clover symbols appear, with spinners being awarded 2x the line stake if they are on just reels 1 and 2, while prizes of 25x, 125x and 750x are paid for longer lines.
The mad Leprechaun has a couple of special awards for players, as he’s both the highest-value symbol paying 10,000x the line stake when he’s across 5 reels, as well as being the wild symbol. He’s able to act as all those listed above if it’s then possible to create a winning combination, and as an extra treat, he’ll be Dublin the value of any win with a 2x multiplier.
Bonus Free Spins
A classic Irish-style wishing well is a scatter symbol that will pay multiplies of the total stake, not just the per line values. There’s 2x the stake when it stops in any 2 positions, while 3, 4, or 5 of them pay out 5x, 20x and 200x, plus they trigger a free spins bonus round.
Before these games begin, players get to click on clover symbols to discover how many spins they have been awarded above the initial 15, and any win multipliers that will be apply throughout them. Any 3 or more scatter symbols in a single free spin will retrigger the round.
Pot of Gold Jackpots
A big shiny pot filled with gold coins heralds the start of a progressive jackpot round when it lands in any 3 positions on reels 1, 2 and 3. Our happy leprechaun is standing behind 5 pots of gold, still holding on to his beer, and players simply pick a pot to be awarded the jackpot hidden within it.
The percentage of the Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand jackpots that can be claimed depends on the triggering bet size, with punters at minimum stakes getting 10% of the overall prize, while those who have the maximum bet on will get to cash out 100%.
Other Irish-Themed Slots
As this is one of the most popular topics for online slot machines to follow, there’s no shortage of other Irish themed slot games available. The most famous is probably Rainbow Riches from Barcrest, but we particularly like Shamrock ‘n’ Roll and not just because of a clever title. It’s got free spins, a wild Leprechaun and the chance to land up to 1,000x the triggering stake, all playing out against a traditional Irish soundtrack.
The Verdict
Irish-themed slot machines are pretty common and there’s clearly an audience for games based on the customs of the Emerald Isle. The Clover’s Tales video slot is a classic example of the type and online casino games developer GamingSoft have played safe with the style and choice of symbols.
But they have added in a good selection of bonus features and the potential for some high payouts, particularly when the wild symbol makes up a winning line, or completes a combination.
This slot is mobile-optimised and has a good overall return to player percentage, so fans of the style should hopefully find their pot of gold at online casinos which feature the GamingSoft range.
