Neptune’s Kingdom, a video slot from Playtech, differs from most other slot titles available online in several respects. Most obviously, it uses only three reels, not five, and it has only 5 paylines linking the three windows on each reel. The game is also quite old-school in its lack of frills and special features – there is no Scatter or free spins round, for example.
But with only six symbols used in total, Neptune’s Kingdom does give players a decent chance at regular wins over the nine windows on display. All 5 paylines are fixed, but players can set the bet per line at a large selection of levels between 0.01 and 100.00. So the minimum bet per spin is 0.05, and the maximum is 500.00.
Not Much Visual Appeal
In keeping with its simple retro theme in the style of old mechanical fruit machines, Neptune’s Kingdom does not go in for the 3D animations and other popular bells and whistles like many modern online slots for real money. Play is quite static: a red-eyed figure of King Neptune dominates the top of the screen, next to two pay tables that cover all six symbols. The background is simple, stylised ocean waves, livened up every now and again by a sailing ship drifting past.
The lower half of the Neptune’s Kingdom screen contains the three reels, also in an old-school fruit machine frame, and the game controls. A bet meter and a win meter flank the reels. Apart from the spins, the game features no other animations or visual effects.
No Wild or Scatter
A Wild icon on a three-reeler is perhaps a bit too generous to players, so it’s no surprise that there isn’t one in Neptune’s Kingdom. Neither is there a Bonus Scatter, as there is no free spins round that needs to be triggered by a bonus icon.
So players must rely only on the payline symbols to create wins, which luckily occur quite regularly because of the three reel, six-icon format. All payline symbols relate to the undersea theme of Neptune’s Kingdom, and all prizes pay for three-of-a-kind matches on a payline only. The puffer fish wins 20X the line bet, the lobster wins 25X, the angelfish wins 30X, Neptune’s trident wins 40X, and the mermaid wins 50X the bet.
Top Prize Varies According to the Payline
The top-value symbol, a sunken treasure chest, is the only icon to instil some much-needed variation in Neptune’s Kingdom game play. The prize won for three chests depends on the payline on which the three symbols come to rest.
On Payline 1, three treasure chests will win 100X the line bet; in other words, 20X the entire bet on the spin. On Payline 2, this prize rises to 100X, on Payline 3 it is 120X, and three treasure chests on Payline 4 win 130X the bet. The top prize is paid for three treasure chest icons on Payline 5: 150X the line bet.
Although its graphics are crude and simple and game play does not offer a lot of variety unlike in many internet slots at this site, Neptune’s Kingdom will suit slots fans that enjoy fruit-machine style games. It produces worthwhile wins often enough to make it financially rewarding too.