Shamrock Holmes Megaways
As our hearts were full of St Patrick’s Day spirit, we decided to take a closer look and review one of the most exciting Irish slots launched recently: Shamrock Holmes Megaways.
What makes this game very special is the fact that this is at least to our knowledge the first ever Irish Megaways slot ever made. As the name suggests, the whole story behind this product includes a detective leprechaun called Shamrock Holmes.
This game is quite openly combining both the Sherlock Holmes character and Irish folklore into a dynamic 117,469-payline Megaways platform! It seems though that working idea has been only based on that funny intertextual name and character as the gameplay itself has no features realted to the theme. That does not take away the quality and entertainment factor though.
Shamrock Holmes Megaways: How It Works?
Since this slot is build on Big Time Gaming’s licensed Megaways platform by Microgaming, the number of paylines is constantly changing between spins. There is kind of a game within a game as the additional RNG (random number generator) is first drawing a random amount of paylines between 64 and 117,649. After this the second random draw is made to see the resulting combination and outcome that could be anything between a no-win or $500,000.
The game’s table is constantly changing due to this special feature and the only thing fixed is the number of reels. There are always six reels in play and every on of these reels can hold the minimum of two and the maximum of seven rows. Even though the number of lines is dynamic, the bet sizes are always the same. The minimum bet in Shamrock Holmes Megaways is $0.20 per spin and the maximum allowed bet is $20.00. Nothing surprising here since these are pretty much standard things to all slots using the same technology.
Shamrock Holmes Megaways looks very good and also the sound editing deserves some credit. Fresh 3D graphics combined to high quality audio effects are important part of solid gaming experience these days. The symbols used have obviously been taken from the Irish culture as fairies, shamrocks, clover leaves and leprechauns are in-play. The highest paying winning combinations are formed with character symbols with Shamrock Holmes and Golden Pot Fairy bringing the big bucks.
There are several interesting tools and settings for players to personalize their gaming experience. You can either choose to play with the standard speed or select a “Quick Play” option for faster rolling reels and action. Of course automatic play is available for up to 100 spins at a time and it is possible to play with or without the sounds. Also by double clicking the spin button you can stop the reels with an immediate effect revealing the outcome instantly.
Shamrock Holmes Megaways RTP
The verified and inspected return to player i.e. RTP of Shamrock Holmes Megaways is set to 96.44%. This is actually lightly higher than the average of slots by a few decimals. Why is this RTP so important then? Well, it basically tells you the rate how much money the slot is paying you back on average. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose but in the long run for example every $100 wagered would equal returns of $96.44.
Since this is a Megaways slot, alsot the volatility is high. This indicates that the game has less than average winning keys coded within the RNG but on the other hand the wins are larger than average compared to the players bet size. For example some slot could pay you a small win on every second spin but another is paying you triple the money but only on every fourth spin or so. To sum it up, this game pays your more rarely, but it pays you bigger wins.
Special Features
For most of the players the bonus game is always the ultimate goal and key for super mega big wins. That is the case also with Shamrock Holmes Megaways slot as the bonus feature really gives you the tools needed for a great heist. Scatters are in this case pictured as old gold coins with a clover printed on them. When you land four of these symbols on the reels, the bonus game will be triggered with 10 free spins.
Sometimes you can get more scatters at once and for every extra coin you are getting +2 free spins more. This bonus game always starts with a 2 x multiplier on the wins and when Rolling Reels are activated, this multiplier will increase by 1 each time. Since the maximum multiplier does not exist, this feature can keep stacking unbelievable wins. If there are 3 or more scatters during the free spins, you’ll be awarded additional free spins.
Magic Forest Respin is triggered when you land 3 scatters and high level symbols on the reels. With Shamrock Holmes and Pixie the fairy you’ll have a re-spin with guaranteed maximum 117,649 Megaways lines in use. With 3 scatters and just the leprechaun you’ll have at least 34,000 lines and 3 scatters plus Pixie will get you guaranteed 10,000 paylines.
Unlike those Magic Forest Respins, Rolling Reels feature is also available during the free spin game. When you hit winning combinations the symbols forming these wins will explode and drop off the gametable. New random symbols are then dropping in filling the gaps and new winning combinations can be formed. As said earlier, during the free spin game Rolling Reels will add a multiplier to all winnings.
Verdict
We were especially satisfied with the overall environment and feeling Shamrock Holmes Megaways was able to create. Joyful Irish music, great sound effects and special features but also the exciting Megaways technology is a combination for a solid gaming experience. The feeling and ambiance of a slot is so important and this game nailed it totally. When you play this slot, you could actually imagine yourself in the woods of the Emerald Isle.
Nonetheless, we did love the general presence but there was still room for an improvement. The developers could have spend a bit more time working around the storyline since the name and main character Shamrock Holmes is quite brilliant to be honest. However, we felt that this idea was not fully utilized in the features or design up to its entire potential.
Based on our experience and opinion, we are happy to say that this slot is one of the best St Patrick’s Day slots or maybe even the best Irish themed game ever made. It really compliments to the theme and keeps you on your toes for a good amount of time. Our score for Shamrock Holmes Megaways is 9 out of 10.