The Lord of the Ocean is a popular online casino slot machine game developed by Novomatic, an Austrian gaming company known for its high-quality slots. Released in 2011, this underwater-themed slot has been a fan favorite among players ever since. In this comprehensive review, we’ll delve into every aspect of the game to provide you with a thorough understanding of what it offers.
Theme and Design
As you can expect from an underwater theme, Lord of the Ocean takes place in the depths of the ocean. The game’s design website is vibrant and colorful, featuring majestic sea creatures like fish, dolphins, and even mermaids. The background is set against a stunning underwater landscape with schools of sparkling fish swimming about. The symbols are equally impressive, ranging from low-value playing card numbers to high-paying treasures such as chests filled with gold coins.
Symbols
The game features 10 standard payline symbols, divided into two categories: lower and higher value symbols. Lower-value symbols include the traditional playing card suits – hearts (J), diamonds (Q), clubs (K), and spades (A) – while higher-value symbols are comprised of various treasures like coins, scrolls, and a magnificent golden treasure chest.
Higher-value symbols pay out more substantial sums, with the highest-paying symbol being the Golden Treasure Chest. Landing five Golden Treasure Chests on an active payline rewards you with a generous 10,000-coin payout!
Payouts
Each of the lower-value playing card suits pays out differently depending on the combination and the total bet placed.
- J: Pays 5 coins
- Q: Pays 8 coins
- K: Pays 12 coins
- A: Pays 15 coins
Meanwhile, higher-value symbols offer more substantial payouts:
- Scroll: Pays 20 coins (2-3 times in a row) or 80 coins (4-6 of the same symbol)
- Fish with Coins: Pays 50 coins (2-5 of the same symbol) or 200 coins (5 of the same symbol and two other scrolls on adjacent reels)
- Dolphin: Pays 100 coins (2-3 times in a row) or 500 coins (4 or five of the same symbol)
- Mermaid with Fish and Coins: Pays 150 coins (2-6 of the same symbol)
Wilds
The Wild symbol is represented by the Lord of the Ocean himself, Poseidon. He can replace any standard payline symbols to form winning combinations.
The wild feature also comes into play during the bonus game, as we’ll discuss later in this review.
Scatters
To trigger a free spins session or access other special features, you need to land three Scattered Mermaids anywhere on the reels (not necessarily along active paylines).
One of the Mermaid scatters can appear on each reel. The scatter payout is 2x your total bet for one mermaid, 5 times your bet for two, and a whopping 15x your wager for all five!
Bonus Features
There are several exciting features that make up the core gameplay experience.
- Free Spins Bonus Game
- Landing three Scattered Mermaids triggers an underwater bonus round.
- You’re given 12 free spins with tripled payouts in this special feature.
- During these spins, any Wilds become Stacked Symbols on reels two and four (center of the grid).
- Second Chance Feature
- If you fail to trigger a bonus game by landing only three Mermaids, Novomatic offers an additional opportunity for extra rewards via the ‘Second Chance’ feature.
- Auto-Play Functionality
This allows players to automatically spin their preferred number of rounds without continuous manual input.
Free Spins
A minimum combination of five identical symbols on any payline will award 5 free spins; more combinations lead to a larger reward:
Minimum Combination Awarded Free Spins Five of the same symbol + two scrolls 10 FS Three scatters (Mermaids) anywhere in view 12 FS
The gameplay has its own pace and strategy.
RTP
According to Novomatic, Lord of the Ocean’s theoretical return to player percentage is 95%. While this might be a moderate RTP for some slots enthusiasts, it still provides ample entertainment value with the potential for massive rewards during bonus rounds or through progressive jackpot participation (more on that in a bit).
Keep in mind that actual returns vary depending upon specific settings and wager choices.
Volatility
Lord of the Ocean’s volatility falls into the middle range. The slot offers regular wins along active paylines but is less frequent with larger payouts, much like its Novomatic counterparts. However, successful activation of bonus features significantly increases player chances at landing substantial rewards.
When comparing this game to other popular titles within online casino platforms or real-world gaming parlors, you might observe some similarity in the probability distribution patterns – more common, yet sometimes yielding significant prizes due to higher maximum bet sizes allowed per payline.
