The Discovery Slot Machine
Not content with Disney having the monopoly on Pocahontas and her story, Playtech released The Discovery, a 5-reel slot machine influenced by the tale. Gone are the whimsical illustrations of childhood, having been replaced by more multidimensional graphics, the theme a lot more well-rounded and adult in nature.
Discovering the new world is an important part of history, and one that has shaped our existence, so it makes sense to choose such an exciting time for an exciting slot machine.
With free games and wild symbols, there’s not an abundance of special features to keep the game alive, but with pay outs reaching €5,000 for a meager wager, it seems there’s more to The Discovery than meets the eye.
Casting Off
Setting out on your new adventure is easy thanks to the reduced number of controls to work with; Playtech has hidden away the ugly looking control panel, so synonymous with online slots, and has replaced it with streamlined controls.
Underneath the grid is where you’ll find the information regarding the game’s progress so far: your current credit balance, lines active, and your recent wins are all there for you to clearly see and follow along the way. Then on the right hand side of the matrix you have the spin and auto spins button rolled into one; if you want to manually play just click away, but if you want to go hands free, hold down the widget for the options to appear.
Then on the left hand side there’s an arrow – this is where you’ll set your bet amounts, neatly tucked away to keep the game play immersive. Unlike other Playtech activities, this slot allows you to reduce your number of pay lines, allowing for greater adaptability, simply use the plus or minus symbol and you can select a number of your choice. The same tactic goes for setting your wager.
The starting point for the game is €0.01 on every line, which leaves you with a €0.25 bet in all. If you press the plus symbol this total will increase up to as much as €0.40, which is arguably one of the lowest pay-ins you’ll see across the board. One niggling problem that remains though is that there’s no maximum stake option to press, leaving you to tap and click your way to the top total. Thank goodness it’s a low amount, otherwise we’d have been clicking away forever.
This section is also where you’ll find the Turbo feature, a handy option that makes the reels spin a lot faster. You’ll know when it’s active as it’ll turn the inside of the spin button orange; select spin again and the reels will pretty much grind to a stop instantly. No waiting around to get the wins or loses.
Colors of the Wind
Out of the 12 symbols listed, the scatter is the one that holds the key to enhanced gaming, thanks to its selection of free games; get three or more of the captain and you’ll activate 10 rounds and a x3 multiplier. What is most enjoyable about this event is that it can be re triggered, allowing for an indefinite feature round that can prolong your gaming experience with The Discovery considerably.
If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, there’s always the stacked wilds, a compass symbol that can land on several of the reels (2,3 or 4) and remove other symbols to make way for a win. The only icon resistant to its charm is the scatter. It doesn’t seem that any set amount of money is won with the wild, which leaves the feature a little enigmatic, but that’s part of the fun – not knowing what you’re going to win, if at all.
Pocahontas, or the character assuming a similar role, is the highest paying tile, coming it at the €5,000 mentioned early; that win is for five of the tiles. Should a user get less than that, say between three and four, the pay out will come in at between €100 and €200, however there’s a chance to win just €3 if you find only two of her.
A New World Order
The Discovery is a delightfully quaint slot machine from the Playtech brand; it uses minimal graphics, yet well designed, to deliver a small but pleasant gaming experience. The wins aren’t too big but nor are they too small, and there’s a decent if not overwhelming array of features to play with. It wouldn’t be our first choice of slot machine, but it does the job and is reasonably fun whilst doing it.
