Endorphina slots seem to have a habit of offering a twist on traditional themes, usually with some success: while we all know, and love, the classic imagery of pirates, thanks to Captains Blood, Jack Sparrow and Edward Kenway and their ilk, as well as the more modern and less glamorous characters who captured Captain Phillips, this slot moves from the warm tropical waters favoured by sensible buccaneers to the Arctic Oceans. The background is that of a ship’s fo’c’sle, heading into iceberg infested waters, in search of treasure, with only the splash of an occasional breaching fish disturbing the tranquillity. Sound effects are muted, and confined to the mewing of gulls and the creaking of the wooden hull.
The reels are made to look like ship’s planking, separated by hawsers, and make suitably wooden noises when in motion. There is an Auto Play function, which means that busy gamers can keep several games on the go simultaneously.
Booty!
Yes, as in Treasure: Ice Pirates gives the option of up to ten pay lines, with a maximum of 5 credits per coin. There are five reels, but only four of these contain the combination symbols, with the fifth reel displaying various multiplier symbols, such as a flask or bottle, labelled with their value : land a winning line, and the multiplier at the end comes into play, making this a highly profitable game for a ten-liner. In addition to this, there is the Take Risk option, which allows you to stake any winnings made on the reels in a simple guessing game against the computer: pick a higher value card than your opponent, and win a multiplier, or fail at this, and lose your stake.
The symbols are rendered in a frost-bound style, and include the playing card symbols for low values. Above these are the pirate cabin girl, a penguin (since parrots would be of little use this far North), and a polar bear, which should slightly offend the zoologists out there. Above these are two members of the piratical crew, and the captain himself, who as well as being the most valuable of the symbols, is also the Wild, and substitutes for all except the Scatter symbol.
The Scatter is represented by the iconic skull ‘n crossbones badge, here tastefully clad in scarf and beanie in recognition of the adverse weather : not only will this award a cash prize, but will also trigger 12 free spins when 3 or more appear. In addition to this, the fifth reel gains a 10x and 20x multiplier symbol during free spins, making these extremely profitable.
A Pirate’s Life
A non-predictable theme, and only ten lines on which to play: Ice Pirates does not seem to promise much, but it certainly delivers. The game play is smooth and solid, the theme is fun and well executed, and the multipliers on the fifth reel, which come into play in every spin, help to rack up the winnings. This is an enjoyable and profitable slot, and should reward anyone looking to piracy for fun and gain, but is put off by the risks.