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The design was excellent, combining a cartoonish charm with crisp visuals, and I liked this light-hearted approach very much. The music was soothing but inviting enough to make me take a deep dive into the adventure. Discovering this captivating underwater kingdom was a treat.
The fast-paced gameplay connects the cool atmosphere of a coral reef with thrill-inducing sessions. I liked the mixture of relaxation and excitement provided by this pokie, which enabled me to have heaps of tremendous entertainment. I finished my test run with a smile, which is always great.
I enjoyed myself while diving into the ocean to search for hidden treasures. Of course, there were some similarities with other submarine pokies, but Golden Octopus had its unique perks. With a hit rate of 30.03%, you can expect approximately every third or fourth spin to be a winning one.
The adrenaline-pumping experience of clearing the grid and landing consecutive wins was a treat. The life-changing amounts evaded me, but I found the game thoroughly rewarding. Some dead spins were unavoidable due to the game’s volatility, but Golden Octopus is excellent. The elusive titular hero is a Wild symbol that can grant huge wins in combination with other symbols.
Despite liking the game very much, I have a couple of issues with it. The first one is an RTP of 95.35%, going below the industry standard. The second includes multiple dead spins and a tough task to fill the entire Free Spins meter. I did it once, but it was as challenging as it gets.
The serenity of underwater life was rarely as rewarding as it is here. The action occurs on a 6×6 grid with no traditional paylines. The Cluster Pays mechanic awards wins when 5 or more symbols are connected. Each win triggers a cascade, where winning icons disappear from the grid, and the new batch takes their places.
The most lucrative symbol is a turtle that grants 50x the stake for 9 or more symbols in a cluster. A medusa pays 25x the bet for the same, while a Fish gives 15x for at least 9 icons. The rest of the symbols’ pay range goes from 3x-10x for the same cluster. A golden octopus is a Wild that replaces all symbols in winning combinations. There are no Scatter symbols, as Free Spins are activated by filling the meter.
The high volatility indicates plenty of chills and thrills, alongside good wins if you can handle dead spins. I played rounds using every given bet, and you can start with $1.64, while the highest potential wager is $82. All players can enjoy the game, regardless of their budget. The maximum win amounts to 10,180x the stake.
The Free Spins round is the most interesting feature, but there is also the Speed Up Bonus. You can choose between two options there: Fish Booster and 10 Free Spins.
The Free Spins Progress Bar is on the right side of the screen, being filled by various units after every win. It resets to zero after a completed round. Of course, the more clusters are formed, the more segments are filled.
The bar contains 3 colour buoys. When a unit reaches any of them, all the symbols of a certain type explode on the game board. It always happens when no winning clusters can be formed. Once the bar is filled, the Free Spins round is automatically triggered. The fewer buoys produced an explosion, the more spins the players receive. The number of spins varies between 10 and 25.
The Free Spins round has a multiplier bar, which is also filled by units with every winning cluster. It resets to zero after each spin but activates a higher multiplier whenever it is full. There are 8 potential multipliers, ranging from 2x to 100x.
The Speed Up bonus can be activated by clicking the appropriate button on the left side of the screen. I had the opportunity to test both options players get to choose from. The fish booster can be unlocked if you fill the space around the sleeping fugu fish entirely.
It is filled unit by unit every time you make a bet, and it removes all the symbols from the grid when active. If you want to buy the feature, it costs 25x the stake. Furthermore, the Bonus Buy option is worth 37x the bet under the conditions above.
Golden Octopus is a breath of fresh air in today’s world of aquatic-themed pokies. It has an excellent cartoonish design and gameplay with standard features but unique assets, delivering potentially handsome wins. While it maintains some elements of similar games, it is different enough to spark an interest.
However, it has some minor flaws, including a below-average RTP and multiple dead spins to handle. Notwithstanding the decent hit rate, I experienced streaks of dead spins, but I will come back to it nevertheless. Onlyplay gave me a pleasant surprise with this one.
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