Marlin Masters: Slot Overview
Proving its perennial irresistibility, the fishing slot genre has reeled in another developer in the form of none other than Hacksaw Gaming. The studio has largely resisted the pull of this popular slot variety, but the bait clearly proved to be good to say no to, and as a result, fish fans now have another angling slot to select. Titled Marlin Masters, it follows close to the two titans of the water, Fishin’ Frenzy and Big Bass Bonanza, delivering fish symbol cash collection and a progression-powered free spins feature.
A Look at the Visuals: A Middle-Ground Approach
Going into Marlin Masters without being forewarned, it might be hard to guess who the game’s maker might be based on appearance only. It doesn’t have a classic Hacksaw Gaming look, being neither super sweet (like Canny the Can, etc.) nor super terrifying (like Hand of Anubis, etc.). Instead, Marlin Masters visually inhabits a general middle-ground area and is paired with arguably general middle-ground features. At a guess, Hacksaw Gaming is pitching Marlin Masters to a mainstream audience, though players outside this scope could still find fishy moments of fun here.
Game Setup: The 5×4 Grid and 14 Paylines
Sitting precariously on the edge of a boat is Marlin Masters’ 5×4 gaming grid, lashed with 14 paylines for evaluation purposes. Winning combination values aren’t huge, however, so the focus is really on catching Marlin cash symbols. Stakes, bait, whatever, go from 10 c to $/€100 per game round, and players who like to put their luckycola foot on the gas get five bonus buys to choose from. Volatility also bobs about in the midground with a medium rating, while the RTP has a ceiling value of 96.24% when regularly betting.
High Pay Symbols: Meet the Marlins
Four fishies are Marlin Masters’ high pay symbols, awarding 5x to 7.5x for a 5-matching fish hit. Beneath them in value are a bunch of 10-A card royals, awarding players 2x the bet for a 5 OAK hit. Surprisingly, the Fisherman symbol is not wild in Marlin Masters, but the anchor symbol is. It substitutes any regular pay symbol. Wilds hit on all reels and pay 10x for 5 OAK.
Slot Features You Should Know
If you’ve played a fishing slot before, then Marlin Masters’ feature section will be like going back and reading a familiar book. It’s got Lootlines, Cash Them All!, where fish money symbols are awarded, as well as three bonus games – Reel It In, Off The Hook, and Plenty Of Fish In The Sea, plus bonus buys.
Lootlines and Cash Them All! – Collecting Fish Symbols
Marlin symbols are pay symbols that display cash values. Cash values range from 1x the bet up to 1,000x. Marlin symbols are collected if 3 or more of them land in a winning payline combination, 4 Fantastic Fish style. In addition, if there is at least one Fisherman symbol in view, each Fisherman symbol also collects the values of the Marlin symbols. The Fisherman symbol can land with a multiplier value of x1 to x20, which affects the value of the Marlin symbols it collects.
Reel It In: Free Spins with a Marlin Progress Bar
Reel It In with 10 free spins is activated when landing 3 FS scatter symbols in the base game. A Marlin Progress Bar comes with this feature. Each time a Fisherman lands, whether it collects cash or not, it progresses the Marlin Progress Bar by +1 step. After every 4 Fisherman symbols have landed, play advances to the next level:
- Upgrade 1 triggers 10 extra free spins and guarantees all following Fisherman symbols land with a multiplier of at least x2.
- Upgrade 2 triggers 10 extra free spins and guarantees all following Fisherman symbols land with a multiplier of at least x4.
- Upgrade 3 triggers 10 extra free spins and guarantees all following Fisherman symbols land with a multiplier of at least x10.
Off The Hook: A Bigger Challenge with More Free Spins
This feature and 15 free spins are awarded when landing 4 FS scatters in the base game. Off The Hook is similar to Reel It In, except Fisherman symbols are guaranteed to have a multiplier of at least x2 from the start, and the levels are enhanced.
- Upgrade 1 triggers 15 extra free spins and guarantees all following Fisherman symbols land with a multiplier of at least x4.
- Upgrade 2 triggers 15 extra free spins and guarantees all following Fisherman symbols land with a multiplier of at least x10.
- Upgrade 3 triggers 15 extra free spins and guarantees all following Fisherman symbols land with a multiplier of at least x15.
Plenty Of Fish In The Sea: Marlin Multipliers
Hitting 5 FS scatters in the base game triggers this bonus with 10 free spins. In this feature, all Marlin symbols are guaranteed to luckycola have values of at least x5. At least one Marlin and one Fisherman are guaranteed to land on every spin. It’s a sea of fish, and the stakes are higher with the guaranteed Marlins and Fishermen.
Bonus Buys: Pay to Play Big
From the bonus buy, players can activate BonusHunt FeatureSpins for 3x the bet to make each spin 5 times more likely to trigger a bonus game. For 50x the bet, each spin is guaranteed to land at least two Marlins and one Fisherman. As for the bonus games, Reel It In entrance costs 65x, while Off The Hook costs 200x to activate.
LuckyCola’s Take: Why It Works
With a familiar setup that many have enjoyed in other fishing-themed slots, Marlin Masters stands out with its own unique progression mechanics and the fun multiplier action. Fans of LuckyCola’s variety of games will appreciate the familiarity but with fresh twists. The RTP and medium volatility create a balanced atmosphere for casual gamers and those more experienced in fishing slots. The use of Fisherman symbols, Marlin symbols, and wilds makes every spin exciting, especially when linked with the bonus buy options.
Marlin Masters: Slot Verdict
It is hard to shake the feeling of having seen a lot of this before, but that is a common reaction after reviewing a lot of fishing slots. Marlin Masters has the classic ‘land a Fisherman symbol to collect fish money symbols’ event going on, which is absolutely endemic in the genre. It makes sense, as fishermen and women go to sea to catch actual fish in real life, so the activity translates well to a slot. This betting form is unbelievably popular and has been for a good long while. Partly because of luckycola gambler appetite, no doubt, partly due to the enthusiasm of casino game designers to keep slinging this sort of stuff out.
