Pirates and treasures! All aboard? I have encountered this theme and formula in many slot machines, and I must admit I enjoyed several of these games. And some offered me a pretty bumpy slot ride too! One game that offered me many highs and lows is the Booty Bay slot by Push Gaming, and this review will point out many of its best features.
Booty Bay is a highly volatile 5×5 slot and relies on the hugely popular Cluster Mechanic. There are no paylines to be seen on the reels instead, the payouts are triggered by the clusters of identical symbols falling on the reels. The center of the grid is occupied by a 3×3 mesh called the Hot-Zone that works in conjunction with Wilds to unleash several exciting in-game features such as the Multipliers and Respins.
In Booty Bay, Push Gaming went full speed on the theme and visuals department, and it somehow paid off. It’s a high volatility slot, too, with a max payout of up to 20,000x your bet, making this game worth your time!
Booty Bay, just like other online slots, holds its own advantages and disadvantages, and here are a few that I noticed.
PROS
CONS
I will say this now: Booty Bay is an enjoyable game with its impressive attention to detail and premium selection of visuals and paying symbols. As soon as I open and play spin the reels, I instantly notice its similarity to video games. You are immediately transported into a tropical island with treasure chests lining up both sides of the screen. This game is built using a Pirate and Treasure Hunt theme with the action spilling into the open seas. The visually transparent reels spin on top of what seems to be a skull island with a dune right in the middle. The sand dune covers the middle 3×3 section of the grid, where the Wilds land and the real magic happens.
The game uses advanced 3D graphics coupled with lively animations and a funky tune playing in the background. The animations are nicely complemented by the timely sound effects that uplift the whole gaming environment. Overall, Booty Bay is a well-done slot, and I must say that Push Gaming’s design team has put in a whole lot of effort that is visible as soon as the game loads up.
Booty Bay gameplay seemed pretty standard; however, this might not be the case for new players. Below, I’ll mention a few highlights and observations for players who are still trying to figure out how the game works.
As mentioned, this game relies on the Cluster Pay Mechanic, where regular wins occur when six or more matching symbols land next to each other, horizontally or vertically. Nine regular-paying symbols are all pirates-inspired such as Bronze Coins, Silver Coins, Gold Coins, Telescopes, Compasses, and Barrels. The premium symbols are three types of Pirates which award between 10x and 50x your wager for clusters of at least 18 symbols. There are also four special symbols- Chest Wild, Swirling Wild, Looked Wild, and Treasure Map. Watch out for the Treasure Map as it activates the Treasure Hunt features!
In the game, you can take possession of pirated loot from 0.10 to 100.00 per spin. In some regions, the Booty Pay slot accepts a betting range between 0.10 and 50.00.
Booty Bay isn’t your standard slot with regular paylines, cascading reels triggering successive wins, or even the popular Free Spins Round. Instead, it uses the sandy Hot-Zone that depends on the falling symbols, rewards Hot-Zone Re-Spins, as well as the Swirling Wilds, Locking Wilds, Treasure Maps, and Triple Wild Lock features. Let’s take a look at the game’s features that replace the standard Free Spins Round.
Well, there’s nothing new about the Pirate theme, as it has been explored by almost every software provider in the industry. But what I liked about Booty Bay is that the team tries to push the creative limits to deliver a few more unique features. The game takes an unusual approach towards the bonus features as there is no Free Spin feature that, for me, is a must. However, the game tries to salvage its entertainment value by offering Re-Spins instead.
Moreover, there’s always a chance to trigger that 20,000x payout, so, overall, I would say that Booty Bay is a promising slot, and it has what it takes to compete with similarly themed slot machines. However, I recommend you be very cautious about your bets as it’s a highly volatile slot and will eat up your credits pretty quickly.
