Fish and Bird: Slot Overview
It’s no major controversy to say that gamblers, broadly speaking, have an insatiable appetite for novelty, and when winning or losing, they want to be entertained in a variety of different ways. One way software providers mix things up is by varying the dimensions of the gaming area, whether that be by adding or subtracting reels, rows, or ways to win. Theoretically, practically any alignment could be used by players to try their luck, but one grid layout casino game makers haven’t shown a ton of love for is the 4×4 setup. Big Time Gaming is a studio which has had a crack on more than one occasion in slots like Donuts or Pop, and now ELK Studios joins them by casting off in the 4×4 angling slot Fish and Bird.
One thing that sets Fish and Bird apart from a lot of fishing slots right off the bat is its appearance. Instead of going mega bright and bubbly like a lot of them do, Fish and Bird has a sort of dingy, dim, dreary look, but interestingly, not in a bad way. More, in a realistic way, which is funny because the game also has a strong cartoon appearance. There’s an almost empathic connection to the fisherman’s pain as he rows every morning out to sea with ‘nothing but wind in his beard and hope in his creaky bones.’ A very European soundtrack helps set the mood, too, shifting from slowly traditional to Eurovision and back in a moment.
The 4×4 gaming grid comes equipped with 256 ways to win, creating winning combinations from the leftmost side, across adjacent reels. Volatility for the game bobs around medium, or 6 out of 10, while the RTP comes in at 94% when betting 20 c to $/€100 per spin or when buying features from the X-iter menu.
It is possible to land winning combinations of 3 or 4 OAK, and there are eight regular paying symbols. They are four lower-value jellyfish and four higher-paying fish symbols. Winning combinations of 4 matching jellyfish pay 0.2x the bet, while 0.5x to 2x is paid for hitting 4 matching fish. All paying symbols except wilds may land in four sizes – 1×1 standard, 2×2 super, 3×3 mega, and 4×4 epic.
Fish and Bird: Slot Features
Fish and Bird provides the opportunity for collecting Prize fish as well as bird multipliers, while paddling through its base game and bonus or super bonus rounds. ELK Studios’ X-iter section is where players are able to instantly buy certain features.
Spreading Wilds
Spreading wilds (and bonus symbols) substitute for all paying symbols. Vertical wilds spread to cover all positions on their reel, while horizontal wilds cover all positions on the row.
Collector
The guy above the reels in the boat is the Collector. He collects any bird multiplier, Prize fish, and bonus symbol on the same column as itself. The Super Collector collects any multiplier on the same column as itself as well as all Prize fish and bonus symbols on the grid. When Prize fish are collected, they award the value they display multiplied by the current global multiplier. When a bird above the grid is collected, its value is added to the global multiplier. When a Collector or Super Collector collects a Prize fish, a free spin is awarded, and the Collector/Super Collector moves one column to the left. A game round starts with a reset global multiplier.
Diver
If Prize fish or bonus symbols are in view, but no Collector or Super Collector, there is a chance a diver may appear, dropping down the grid, collecting any Prize fish, bonus symbol or multiplier in its column.
Bonus Game
The bonus game is triggered by collecting a bonus symbol in the base game. The bonus round guarantees 1 Collector, and after each spin, the Collector moves one column to the left. A new Collector may enter after a spin, and the round ends when no more Collectors are visible on the screen. Collecting a super bonus instead of a regular bonus symbol triggers the super bonus round, where only Super Collectors may appear.
X-iter
The X-iter feature buy menu has the Bonus Hunt at 2.5x the bet, buying a game round with more than triple the chance of triggering a bonus round. The Spreading Wild feature costs 10x, while a game round with a guaranteed big fish symbol costs 25x the bet. A regular bonus round can be bought for 50x or the super bonus round for 250x.
Fish and Bird: Slot Verdict
Fish and Bird goes to show that sooner or later, the unstoppable force that is fishing-themed slots is eventually going to reel you in. You, in this instance, refers to software providers, because till now, ELK Studios had largely resisted the pull of this hugely popular online slot format. The studio is well acquainted with birds via its Pirots and Tropicool franchises, and while they came close in Oxygen/Oxygen 2, fishing is a topic the team has mostly left alone. ELK Studios, being the creative group they are, means Fish and Bird blends absolutely quintessential fish slot bits with others that are less well known but fit like a charm regardless.
First and foremost, if you want to actually catch fish money symbols in an angling game, then Fish and Bird has you covered. Collection is possible in all phases of play, and situating the fisherman above the game board rather than on it is a little different. Not completely different since Big Time Gaming’s Golden Catch and Play’n GO‘s Boat Bonanza operated in a similar manner. Still, fish slot fans are on less well-trodden ground here, and having the fisherman above off-grid not only adds a poignant charm, but it also means he can pluck birds out of the air, adding their values to the global multiplier. Furthermore, instead of winning an allocated number of free spins when bonus rounds trigger, a fisherman is placed on screen, for players to track his movement from right to left, while crossing their fingers a new fisherman enters on the rightmost side to keep the bonus going, injecting further originality to the gameplay.
On a less thrilling note, Fish and Bird could be exceedingly lifeless in the base game, where patches of little, if anything, drifted by. However, if the old, creaky boned guy manages to pull a freakin whale out of Fish and Bird then the game can award wins up to a 10,000x the bet cap. It’s a sizable total for a fish slot, rounding off a release that ELK Studios has made both simple yet developed enough to hook a wide range of fishing-minded gamblers in for a look.
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