Finding a hidden pearl of a jackpot is the goal in Mermaid’s Tale, an underwater-themed video slot powered by Novomatic. The chief attractions in this 5 reel, 20 payline game are the giant wilds which can turn multiple reels into jokers. Dive in from 40p per spin.
The design in Mermaid’s Tale is pretty basic – with the sea bed in the background, the plain white reels include the usual A to 10 playing cards. More rewarding are the mermaid’s mirror and the box of jewels which offer payouts of up to 12.5 times your total stake per payline.
Better still is the orange and white striped fish as you can look forward to an award of 2, 5 or 25 times your total bet if you land 3, 4 or 5 on a payline. The best symbol is the mysterious mermaid – land 3, 4 or 5 of her in a single payline and you’ll pocket an award equal to 2.5, 10 or 100 times your stake.
So far, so standard. The main wrinkle in this game comes from the pearl and shell which is the wild. It does the usual substituting tricks but really comes into its own when you land wilds on adjacent reels – when that happens, both of those reels will combine and turn into a single giant reel.
For example, if you landed wilds on the middle of row 3 and the bottom of row 4, reels 3 and 4 would turn into a giant wild. It’s possible to turn all 5 reels wilds if the pearls fall nicely.
It’s usually about this time in the Novomatic slot review that we write about a free spins rounds with a funky twist. Sadly, there’s nothing to report on that front. There are no bonus games on offer at all. All the main action comes via the giant wilds.
That’s disappointing. Some free spins or other feature would have certainly spiced up the action. The giant wilds can certainly deliver some hidden ocean treasure. The gameplay becomes a little repetitive while you try though. Mermaid’s Tale is a solid enough performer, just a little dull. If you like underwater adventures, IGT’s King of Atlantis or Novomatic’s Lord of the Ocean are superb options.