Reef Raider

Swedish software game developer NetEnt is back with another belting slot hit, bang in the middle of the Summer months. As the heat persists, NetEnt invites you to join a wannabe pirate to claim some wins.

The main protagonist is a cute little crab, complete with a hook, pirate’s hat and eye patch. We must admit we ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ when we spotted him. Occasionally, he’ll make himself heard with an ‘aaarrrr’. It’s so adorable, you just want to bundle him up. At least we wanted to

But we digress. The game is set deep down into the ocean and comes with a Spongebob Squarepants feel. As such, it does not have a soundtrack, but a little jiggly jangly beat booming in the background, without being imposing or in any way, annoying.

Set across a 7 by 7 reel setup, Reef Raider relies on cluster wins to bring in the moolah. It uses the help of avalanche reels and comes with quite a bit of extra, which is not evident at face value.

Two wilds, as well as up to 50x multipliers, do cause some movers and shakers. When the Treasure Trailer meter is fully charged, a free spins round commences with a range of overlay mystery symbols.

Of course, the main selling point is also the opportunity to win up to 8.500x your wager, but more about this in a bit.

Short facts

• Developer: Net Entertainment
• RTP: 96.02%
• Volatility/Variance: Medium
• Layout: 7 x 7
• Paylines: Cluster Pays
• Bonus features: Two different types of wilds, up to 50x multipliers, free spins bonus rounds, 4 different modifiers and avalanche feature
• Max wins (coins): 8,500x your stake

Reef Raider jackpots

Reef Raider comes with no jackpots attached.

Reef Raider free spins

The only way to activate the free spins bonus round is by charging all fifteen positions on the Treasure Trail Meter. It is no hard feat, but when you do, you receive no less than 9 free spins. You can claim an additional two free spins for every three charged bars on the Treasure Trail.

When you trigger the bonus round, you also activate the Mystery Overlay. One mystery symbol is placed in the centre position with an additional four added either vertically or horizontally.

The main aim of the Mystery symbols is to change into a matching symbol per free spin. You also have the option to add more Mystery Symbols during this feature. These will stay put in place and remain throughout the rest of the free spins bonus round.

The Treasure Trail Meter continues to play its part throughout this round. You can trigger an extra four Treasure Trail features and add more to your free spins. If you succeed in filling up all 15 bars, you will receive 1 extra free spin.

Reef Raider bonus features

As you take a relaxing dip into the sea, Reef Raider offers you 7 bonus features, including two wilds, a free spins bonus rounds and four different modifiers as follows::

Avalanche Feature

When you hit a winning cluster, the Avalanche feature is activated. All symbols forming part of a winning cluster are blasted away and replaced by new symbols dropping in from the top. If you keep hitting winning combinations, you’ll keep on retriggering the feature, until there are none.

With every Avalanche activated, you also charge the Treasure Trail meter.

Multiplier feature

When you land a multiplier symbol opposite a winning combination, the Multiplier feature is triggered. Your multipliers can range between 2x and 50x.

Treasure Trail Feature

When you land a succession of avalanche wins, you automatically charge up the Treasure Trail Meter. This meter is made up of no less than 15 different stages. In order to activate a special feature, you would need to land three subsequent wins or more:

• Anchor Drop feature: This feature is activated by three avalanche wins. When this feature is triggered between 1 and 3 low-value symbols are randomly picked and removed from the reels. A respin is triggered.
• Random Wilds feature: Activated by six avalanche wins, between 4 and 8 coin wilds are added to the reels. They will substitute for any symbol, with the exception of the multiplier to create winning combinations.
• Mystery Chest feature: Triggered by 9 avalanche wins, this feature sees mystery symbols substitute up to 16 low to medium value symbols and transform them into a similar symbol.
• Cannon Blast feature: Activated by 12 avalanche wins, this feature sees one symbol removed from the reels. All symbols lining up this row and column are blasted off.

Reef Raider RTP

The Reef Raider RTP stands at an average of 96.02%. It is slightly lower than that of other games with cluster pays. However, this is a medium volatile game, so you can expect regular and slightly higher wins.

Verdict

We have to admit that when we first landed on this game, we were a little disappointed. However, there is much more than meets the eye when you start playing the game. The theme is colourful and the friendly crab is a welcome sight. The soundtrack is not overbearing or imposing, bringing with it relaxing chill sounds,

The game is mostly powered by successive avalanches, which will trigger numerous features, including the free spins rounds with modifiers and all the works.

If you are looking to hit it back, the biggest win will come by triggering the 50x multiplier symbol next to a massive cluster. You might also want to throw in several mystery symbols into the mix to really harrumph at the finish line.

You can also win a maximum of 8,500x your wager, but this can only be achieved with the 50x multiplier and a good sprinkle of luck.

We do think this is a highly entertaining online slot game, with plenty of features and a happy theme. You could go through a few spins without triggering a winning cluster, but when you do, your bankroll will thank you for it.

The Treasure Trail meter is not easily triggerable, and filling up the full 15 stages is a challenge in itself. When you look at our cluster pays games from other providers such as Gems Bonanza, this game brings with it plenty more features and substantial wins.

If the crab is not cuteness personified, then we don’t know what is!