Mermaid’s Pearl Pokie Review
Mermaid’s Pearl is a 3-reel slot that was made for those who prefer simplicity over numerous bonus features. There are no scatters or free spins in the game but you can still enjoy an excellent gameplay with lots of wins. Besides, the pokie has a wild symbol that grants a $1000 jackpot if you hit three wilds along a payline. Simple and straightforward, Mermaid’s Pearl provides a no-frills gaming fun that real enthusiasts of three-reel games are going to duly appreciate.
Mermaid’s Pearl has a classic reel configuration, with 3 reels and 5 paylines and a set of symbols is devoted to a sea theme. Graphics in the pokie leapfrog over Betsoft’s signature three-dimensional solutions but gravitate towards simplicity. The entire game is seated on a single screen, with the paytable located above the reels. Mermaid’s Pearl imitates the exterior of a land-based slot machine: It looks like a portion of a slot cabinet with electronic indicators and informational signs such as “Inserts Bills”. Given that the modern online pokie vendors tend to produce five-reel games, the reviewed pokie is a jolt of fresh air for many online casino gamblers.
Symbols and bet options
The symbols utilized in the pokie include a single bar (5 coins), a double bar (10 coins), a triple bar (20 coins), palm trees (25 coins), a starfish (50 coins) and an orange fish (100 coins). All of these pay the specified cash rewards when three of the same align on an active payline. Besides, a Fish + StarFish + Palm Tree combination awards a small prize of 3 coins.
Bet options fail to provide flexible choices for gamblers but this scarcity in bet sizes is fairly typical for three-reel games. One of the changeable options is a coin denomination that ranges between $0.01 and $1. And the second option is the number of active lines. By clicking the Bet One button, you add one active payline to bet on. You can deselect four lines and leave only 1 on the screen, if desired. Therefore, the minimum and maximum stakes in Mermaid’s Pearl are $0.01 and $5 per spin.
Pokie variance
When spinning the reels, you will notice that winning combinations in Mermaid’s Pearl do not occur often. This is because the pokie belongs to the category of high-volatile games. Just check the lowest and highest payouts in the paytable. The smallest prize here is 3 coins at a 1-coin bet, which is three times as much. The highest prize is 1000 coins, which is x1000 times as much as a line bet size. Playing a high-variance game, you will not have payouts often but when they do come, they tend to be big.
Wild symbol and Fifth Coin bonus
The pokie accepts the maximum of 1 coin per line (5 coins per spin). The best non-feature payout the pokie can generate is $100. This is awarded if you hit three orange fishes at the maximum bet. There is also a feature symbol represented by a Pearl. The pearl acts as a wild symbol and the only bonus feature in the game. When it lands in any position, it would substitute for any symbol and helps complete a winning combination. Moreover, pearls are able to form winning combos by themselves. If three of them hit an active line, you may get 750 or 1000 coins.
Why does the combination of three wilds have two payout values? The matter is that the pokie offers a 5th Coin bonus that applies to wild symbols. It works as follows: betting 1 to 4 coins, you can receive no more than 750 coins for three wild symbols. If you activate all the five lines and get three pearls on any active line, you will grab 1000 coins. In view of this, you have a strong incentive to wager 5 coins, not less. As for other symbols, their payouts are uniform no matter the number of coins wagered.
Bottom line on Mermaid’s Pearl
Mermaid’s Pearl is a classic pokie with 3 reels and 5 paylines. The theme of the pokie is ocean and the symbols have a strong thematic touch. The only bonus feature is a wild symbol, with three of them paying out the pokie’s highest prize of $1000 at max. Bet sizes vary between $0.05 and $5, with all lines active.