Great Blue Free Play in Demo Mode by Playtech

Great Blue review

Theme and Storyline

Great Blue takes its players down beneath the ocean in a fun cartoon rendering of the briny deep. Play with orcas and great whites, seahorses and angel fish, as you try to hunt down the pearls that will trigger the bonus for a big haul of undersea treasures.

The reels are bursting with sea life with each creature as full of character as they are of micro-plastic pollution.

Graphics, Sounds and Animations

The visuals are charming, with each creature rendered in a style that feels just right for the particular world that this slot is trying to create.

The animations let the side down a bit, failing to add much in the way of atmosphere and looking a little rushed to boot. It is not off-putting, but more effort could have been spent in this department.

The sounds are where the slot really lets the side down. The spin sounds are a short steel band calypso, but it just feels generic and no other sounds or background music have been added to help sell the theme to the player.

Gameplay

Great Blue’s gameplay is taken entirely from the slot machine 101 playbook. A solid but unimaginative combo of a five by three slot with twenty-five win lines, and a Free Spin bonus.

There is no gamble feature, and no additional bonuses to keep things varied.

What gameplay features it does have are well paced and well made, so this slot will work for most players.

Wilds, Bonuses and Free Spins

The Wild symbol substitutes for all symbols except the Scatter symbol. Any wins that include a Wild have a times two multiplier added to them.

The Scatter symbol pays out for two or more symbols anywhere on the reels. Three or more Scatters will also trigger a Free Spin bonus.

The Free Spin bonus starts with a times two multiplier and eight free spins. The player then picks five shells with random numbers of additional spins and multipliers, allowing them to get up to thirty-three free spins and a times fifteen multiplier.

Free Spins can be retriggered.

Bet Sizes, RTP and Variance

The return to player of this game is 96.03%, pretty much spot on our yardstick for an average of roughly 96%.

The range of bets on the site we tested ran from a minimum bet per spin of $/£/€0.25 up to a maximum of $/£/€50.00 per spin.

The volatility of this game is high, which makes it an excellent match for our preferred slot machine strategies. We like to target the highest possible volatility.

Conclusion

Great Blue has plenty of charm, high volatility, and an average RTP. That all works in its favour, though it is a little over-simple in its gameplay and lacks the atmosphere that a more rigorous set of sounds and animations would make.

Overall this one gets a mild recommendation from us, though we can easily imagine that for the right player it could be a niche favourite.