Finn and The Swirly Spin slot owes more to Play'n Go grid slots such as Moon Princess, Gemix and Viking Runecraft than it does any comparable previous Netent releases, but with a slight difference as we shall discover. The theme is Irish and needless to say we hear the archetypal Celtic flute and fiddle music incessantly blasted out by the stereotypical red-haired figure in green felt who sits to the left of the grid and occasionally bursts into action for our benefit. The grid is on black granite which lies over a Gaelic countryside scene that wouldn't be complete without a rainbow and toadstools and thus completes this tired old theme. Can Finn pipe his way into our good books though and send some of his good ol' Irish luck our way?
Well, 'reels' is maybe the wrong term here as it is a 5x5 grid with the same pay method as a reels-based slot but which works, as the name suggests, in a 'swirl'! The grid a spiral of 25 icons which always begins with a key (which you need for the free games) and wins are paid for any 3 to 5-of-a-kind appearing horizontally or vertically as the symbols make their way toward the centre, any winning ones disappearing and being replaced at the end by new ones. As they move around they may line up in more winning combinations, and I can tell you immediately that if this goes on enough and the Key ends up in the centre position, then you've triggered the free games!
For now though we need to see the values and there are only 6 symbols here to consider aside from the Key - Red Gems which pay 50x bet for 5-of-a-kind, Acorns 12x, Horseshoes 10x, Clover 8x and Wooden or Granite Heart and Spade symbols 4x for a line of 5. Any wins occurring with a Wild in will leave behind a Wild on the grid when they disappear but these only occur with Finn's help! To assist us in keeping the 'swirls' going and those wins piling up, Finn may randomly throw some enhancements our way:
Starfall Wilds - two Star Wilds are added in random positions and if no win occurs they continue to be added until one does.
Dragon Destroy - occurs after a losing play and a random number of symbols are incinerated and you are guaranteed a win from those which replace them.
Irish Luck - occurs after a losing play and a full 5-of-a-kind is added either horizontally or vertically except for the Wild.
Magic Transform - all the low-value Spade and Heart icons are transformed into a higher one, which can be different for either icon therefore there are 16 (4x4) possible permutations of symbol.
So if as described above, we see the key end up in the centre position, it will trigger Finn's free spins bonus. Like slots such as Thunderstruck 2 and Immortal Romance you progress through the options as you collect feature triggers and will eventually open all the options below:
The Star Bar - 7 free games with the Starfall Wilds feature on each. This is what you begin with.
Lava Lair - 3 free games with the Dragon Destroy feature on each and a sticky Wild in place of the Key. You unlock this from the 4th. trigger onwards.
Lucky Mug - 4 free games with the Irish Luck feature active on each and is unlocked from the 9th. Key onwards.
Golden Pot - 2 free games with the Magic Transform feature on each, potentially can pay the biggest hits here with multiple 5-of-a-kinds. You need the 16th. Key to unlock this.
There are no extra spins or retriggers possible.
Finn and The Swirly Spin slot is simply a low volatility game with bells and whistles (and pipes of course!) using a tired old theme disguised by some fancy graphics and game mechanics. The low potential will put off many players expecting some treats for unlocking the various levels as they may have done on the Microgaming 243-way classics, though having said that you do get a good 96.62% RTP and it can be fun to watch the action unfold, when it finally does. You cannot fault Fiddling Finn for lack of entertainment and longevity of your bankroll, though I suspect you may quickly realize that the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow is exactly that - a myth...
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