TheFishin’ Frenzy copycat genreis teeming with popular releases, and it’s a very tough niche to compete in. 3 Oaks originalPearl Diver, which was a straight upFishin’ Frenzyclone, hasn’t been wildly successful, but they’ve done a few things in this follow-up that deserves attention. Pearl Diver 2: Treasure Chest looks very similar to the predecessor, and the symbol values are also the same.
You’re taken to what seems like a new location though, and you’ll dive to the bottom when the bonus round triggers. The base game is barebones as usual, but the feature comes with a Gold Pearl collect system that not only awards extra spins, but also guarantees Diver Collect symbols when a reel meter is full. This is a very clever innovation actually, and it livens up the bonus round in a way that should intrigue all Fishin’ Frenzy fans out there.
The 4 premium symbols, consisting of diving masks, swimfins, turtles and dolphins, pay between 50 and 200 x your stake for 5 of a kind wins. TheDiver Wildsteps in for all regular pay symbols to help complete winning combinations, and he also serves as a scatter symbol. The pearl symbols pay 20x your stake for 5-oak wins in the base game, while serving as collectable cash symbols in the bonus round.
Landing3, 4 or 5 diver symbolsanywhere pays1, 10 or 100 x your stake, respectively, and it also triggers the Bonus Round. You get10 free spinsfor starters, and this is where theDiver Featurecomes into play. Landing the Diver symbol together with a pearl cash symbol, or a treasure chest jackpot symbol, collects the winnings.
Pearl symbols come with cash prizes of2x, 5x, 10x or 15x, and all in view are collected by the Diver. There are 4Treasure Chest Jackpot symbolsthat can land, and these award theMini, Minor, Major or Grand jackpotsthat pay20x, 50x, 100x or 1,000x your stake, respectively. If you land more than one Diver symbol, all present pearl prizes and jackpots are collected for each Diver.
Some of the cash pearl symbols land with a golden pearl, and this pearl is collected in theGolden Pearl Progress Meterabove each reel. You need to collect3 golden pearls per reelto fill the meter, and this awards+1 extra spinand a guaranteed Diver symbol on the spin that follows. Landing2, 3, 4 or 5 Divers on the same spinawards5, 10, 15 or 20 extra spins, respectively.
Finally, non-UK players, and anyone living in an eligible jurisdiction, may take advantage of theBonus Buy feature. This will set you back80x your stake, but you’re then guaranteed to land 3+ scatters on the spin that follows.
Nothing too exciting happened for us in the base game, so you can safely skip to the 1-minute mark where we purchase the bonus round. We landed a decent Diver collect win at the very start, and the feature plays out for the remainder of the 4:18-minute highlights video. Check it all out for yourself by hitting the play button below.
We liked the tropical island backdrop from the original better, but other than that Pearl Diver 2: Treasure Chest is a superior release. The symbols have gone through a slight makeover, but the paytable is close to identical and the symbols all pay the same. The deep blue color scheme has a calming effect, which is only reinforced by the tranquil soundtrack, and the cozy Fishin’ Frenzy vibe is going strong all the way.
Instead of pearl prizes up to 1,000x you now get a Grand Jackpot symbol worth the same, and you also have smaller jackpots that can be collected together with pearl prizes up to 15x. The big innovation is the Gold Pearl Collect System, giving you extra spins and guaranteed Collect Diver symbols. This is a very welcome and useful feature, and together with the4,000x potentialit could be enough to convince Fishin’ Frenzy fans to go for a pearl diving session instead.
Pros
Cons
Pearl Diver- is one to try if you want a change of scenery, as well as a more back to basic Fishin’ Frenzy copycat. This original 3 Oaks installment is very similar though, but you get a regular pearl prize collect feature with no extras in the bonus round. The 3,000x potential is a bit lower than the game at hand as well.
Fishin’ Frenzy- is the legendary and iconic Reel Time Gaming original that all sorts of developers have been inspired by. The atmosphere is cozy and tranquil, and the game revolves around the bonus round reel ‘em feature. You can win up to 2,000x your stake, and the volatility is low to medium.
Fishin Frenzy The Big Catch- is a steroid injected Blueprint installment in the fishin’ frenzy genre, and the reel ‘em bonus round comes with a lucrative upgrade system. Getting to level 4 means that all cash fish come with the top-tier 50x prize, and you can win up to 50,000x your stake (capped at £250,000).
