Jolly Roger Online Slot Machine Review
Pirate-themed slots are common, with just about every major manufacturer having a game based on this theme. Jolly Roger from Play'n GO feels like an early video slot. It is entertaining, though lacks the finesse and quality of graphics which you might be used to from later Play'n GO titles. Having said that, this game is nicely put together, and is worth a spin or two. There are two bonus rounds to enjoy and wilds and scatters to keep the wins coming in from regular play.
There is a contradiction between the sounds and the visuals with this game. The reels are made to sound mechanical, with the clicking noise as they spin and land. At the same time, the Jolly Roger slot itself is very much a video-based title, not attempting to recreate the mechanical look at all. The symbols are bright and clear, and the animations are basic. Each win has a sound effect with it too. The cannons fire, and the gold coins play you a calypso tune. When you hit the bonus games there are some animations and break out screens. Once again these are basic, the kind of games which might have been the new thing at the end of the 1990’s when video slots were still fairly new.
The bonuses of the Jolly Roger slot machine are pick-em games. Of the two, the chest bonus has the most potential for bigger wins – though your mileage will of course vary.
Setup and Play for Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger slot game has 15 paylines, which allows you to select from 1 payline and up if you wish. You can choose your coin value, and also spin up to 5 coins per line. The smallest is 1c and 1 coin per line – making 15c for the full lines for each spin. You can go all the way up to $18.75c per spin if you wish. Auto play is available, and this can be configured to stop at pre-defined win or loss limits.
The Jolly Roger (skull and crossbones) flag is by far the most valuable symbol in this game. This is worth 10000 coins for all 5 and 1000 for just 4. It is also wild, substituting for all the regular symbols – though not the scatter or bonus symbols. Any wins which include this flag are doubled.
Of the regular symbols the diamond has the biggest prize; this is worth 1250 for 5, with the ruby ring bringing 500 and the gold coin 250. The pirate, ship, cannon and swords bring in the smaller wins. There are no playing card symbols on this game – a nice touch from Play'n GO.
Scatters are a colorful parrot in a hat. With 5 of these anywhere on the reels of the Jolly Roger slot machine you will win 500 times your total bet amount. The remaining symbols trigger the bonuses. There are 3 parts of a treasure map which appear on the first 3 reels. Collecting all 3 takes you to the map bonus. Chests trigger a different bonus game; you need 3, 4 or 5 and can win bigger prizes in the game the more chests you get to trigger the feature.
Jolly Roger Bonus Games
Both bonus games of the Jolly Roger slot simply let you choose to win prizes, though visually they could not be more different. The map bonus takes you to an old treasure map which has 5 red crosses on it. You get to choose 3 of these in turn, and will hear the noise of pirates digging and see puffs of dust rise. Your win amount is revealed for each place you dig. These crosses will move when you trigger the bonus again, at least adding a little interest.
The chest bonus simply gives you 5 chests to choose from in a jewel-filled cave. You get 2 picks, and the size of your prizes varies depending on how many chests you got to trigger the feature. With 5 chests you can win up to 4000 coins, with 4 chests 3000 max and 3 chests limits your max win to 2000 coins.
These are quick and easy games, and you’ll be back to the main reels of the Jolly Roger slot very quickly to enjoy your wins.
Jolly Roger – Conclusion
This is not the best pirate slot we have ever played, though it does score high for doing the basics well and overall smooth gameplay. The Jolly Roger slot machine could do with a make-over, bringing it up to a level that the current Play'n GO slots enjoy and adding some more interesting bonus games. Pick-ems might have been new all those years ago – though now it does feel very simplistic.
Worth a spin if you enjoy Play'n GO slot titles, or pirate-themed slots – though certainly not up there with the best in their range.
