Mermaid Seas Slots
There’s nothing fishy about the Mermaid Seas video slot from KA Gaming, as like all games from this Taiwanese developer, it’s fully licensed, independently audited for fair play and has a high return to players percentage. You can also get your teeth into wins of up to 200x the total bet when a great white shark swims into view. Set among the corals of a warm tropical ocean, this five-reel slot machine has a shoal of bonus features, such as free games, a unique fishing bonus round and a beautiful mermaid who acts as other symbols to complete combinations.
Dive into this game and the first thing that you are likely to spot is the unusual reel layout. The first two reels from the left side are only two symbols high, while the other three each have four symbols on them. Crossing this game, you have 60 paylines and you need three or more of the same symbol to cross a line to win a prize. It’s made a little more difficult by the smaller reels, which turns this into a high-volatility slot game. While you might need to go through a few non-winning spins before claiming a prize, they will tend to be quite high-value payouts when you hit winning combinations.
Those smaller reels have some special powers though, with different free games features awarded, depending on what symbols are on them. Read through this review to find out how it all works or test the game for yourself with free Mermaid Seas video slots before dipping your toes into a real money online casino that features this underwater adventure.
Just Keep Swimming
As you would expect from a slot game with an underwater theme, the reels are filled with aquatic life, such as an octopus, dolphin and turtle, plus you will discover an old shipwreck and colorful corals. You wouldn’t expect to find playing card symbols on a dive, but they are very common sights in slot machines and KA Gaming have given the 10, J, Q, K and A icons a coral effect, surrounding each with seaweed and shells. It’s a very pleasing effect, heightened by the animated bubbles that rise through the game and the soothing soundtrack where you hear bubbles popping as the reels spin.
Keep an eye out for the mermaid, as she’s not only worth up to 400x the amount staked on each payline but is also a wild symbol. She can act as any other, with the notable exception of the shark, to complete combinations. The great white brings in great prizes, with wins of up to 200x the line bet awarded, but he also starts a fun fishing bonus game when landing in any four or more places.
Fishing for Bonus Features
The Tropical Fish feature plays out on a new screen, where a number of clownfish are happily swimming about. You need to click on them in any order to uncover coin awards, either moving the cursor over them or in the mobile optimized version, using a finger to track down each fish. The size of the wins depends on how much you have wagered on the triggering spin, but this is more of an entertaining side game rather than a feature that’s going to land you with massive prizes.
You could win more during the free spins bonus games which are triggered in a unique way. An underwater castle needs to land in any three or more places on the larger reels three, four and five to start the round. If the symbols in all four spots on reels one and two are not of the same type when the feature is triggered, you get five free spins, with all of those four symbol positions filled with a randomly-picked same symbol type.
If the first two reels were filled with the same symbol on the triggering spin, you get 20 free games, during which you may or may not see the same type of symbol fill reels one and two on each spin.
Casting Your Net
The Mermaid Seas video slot uses the standard command buttons seen across the whole of the KA Gaming range. They work well, are easy to understand and give casual players as well as high rollers plenty of options. All 60 lines are active, so you will need a low limit stake of 0.60 to get started. Holding down the Spin button for a second or so activates the Autoplay function which is a good choice for gamblers who like to sit back, and watch games play out without having to keep clicking a button.
The software used to develop this game, along with the rest of the KA Gaming portfolio, means that it’s available to play on any desktop or mobile device, including iOS Android and Windows smartphones or tablets. With the mobile versions, control buttons are rearranged to suit portrait or landscape screen orientations so you won’t be twisting your thumbs and fingers to operate the game properly.
Take a Look at Other Magical Mermaids
There’s plenty of other slot machines themed around the underwater world and even a number that have a mermaid in a starring role. Perhaps the best-known of these is Mermaids Millions, from Microgaming. It’s quite an old game, with fairly simple graphics, but over the years it’s gained something of a cult status. A wild Neptune, free spins and treasure chest bonuses are waiting to be discovered at Microgaming online casinos.
Take the Plunge
While the potential to claim big prizes is always there, because you may be waiting a while to land a winning combination, this is game where low stakes players will need to be cautious. It’s easy to burn through cash before landing a whale-sized win. It’s also a game where a review of the paytable is strongly advised, or at least a few spins of the freeplay Mermaid Seas game, just so that you understand how the uneven reels work together.
Grasp these basics though and you could be enjoying some nice payouts and fun features. Of course, you’ll need to find an online casino that features this range. With KA Gaming slots now available to play across much of the world, you can check out the recommended sites and start fishing for wins right away.
