Sharky

In a Nutshell

Sharky is a 5-reel, 9-payline slot from Novomatic, the online slots arm of Austrian manufacturer Novoline, which exhibits all the standard features we have come to expect from this fun developer, but with some extras.

For one thing the symbol graphics are animated and somewhat more sophisticated than many of its stablemates, and the sound effects are a little funkier as well.

A Closer Look

Sharky has the usual 9 paylines that other Novomatic games have, which can be selected in increments of 1,3,5,7 and 9, and a ‘max bet’ feature as well as a ‘bet’ feature which lets you select how much you bet, again in increments.

As the name might hint, there are sharks in the water in this game, but you needn’t be scared! There’s a good chance you’ll net a great cash haul whilst dodging the teeth and fins, and with a 95.99% RTP, you’re unlikely to get gobbled up…

Symbols are in fact as much pirate-themed as shark themed, with the bandana-ed pirate himself acting as a Wild and substituting for all symbols except bonus and scatters.

The first type of Scatter is a compass, which can bring in winnings if you get 3 or more, anywhere on the reels…

Free Spin Features

..however if you get a sailing ship Scatter AND a desert island, anywhere on the reels, you’ll be taken to the free spins screen. This is where things get more interesting. You get 10 free spins straight off, but these can be re-triggered as many times as you get the same ship/island combination.

Bonus Features

During free spins play, a ship appearing on its own lowers an animated pirate, whose job it is to row across the reels from left to right. As in normal play, he is a Wild (substituting for all symbols except Scatters) and if he rows adjacent to a treasure chest Symbol it can net anything from 18 to 450 credits.

So the pirate can bring in a lot of pieces of eight, is what we’re saying, although beware of the lurking shark. If it pops up next to our rowing pirate he’ll be knocked out of his boat and…let’s say the shark will spit out his wooden leg.

Special Features

Like most Novomatic games, Sharky has the signature ‘gamble or collect’ feature. This is triggered every time you have a win in regular play, where you get the ‘take or risk’ option, which, if you take it, opens up a video poker type screen, where you can double your winning on the last spin if you beat the dealer’s card from one of the remaining 4.

You can continue to double up each time up to x5 unless you either lose to the dealer or decide to claim your winnings. Either way you then go back to the main screen.