Clover Tales

Games with an Irish theme with leprechauns, rainbows and pots of gold have been done enough times in the online slot industry that it can have its own sub-genre. Playson's entry into this sub-genre is the Clover Tales slot, and it definitely stands out from the pack from the moment you first take a look at it. The graphics of this game have a sort of hand-drawn, cartoonish style to them that's of a particularly high quality, and the soundtrack has been put together in a way that immerses the player in the experience. Aside from the aesthetic values, this title also delivers heavily on the gameplay side as well.

Slot Format and Layout

This game's structure is a straightforward nine-payline video slot. It uses the typical grid of five reels and three rows of symbols. To simplify the betting side of the game, you can choose from total bet sizes only, and there is no manipulating individual coin sizes or the specific numbers of coins on the different reels. That puts players in the driver's seat when choosing how much to wager without added complication, and you can bet between $0.27 and $90 on each spin.

Every win in this game is based on your total bet size. If you bet more, then the wins increase. If you bet less, then they decrease accordingly. In the following descriptions of the pay table, we're assuming a wager of $0.90 per spin. If you bet more or less, then your payouts will change along these lines.

Wild Pot of Gold

The pot of gold could very well be the most important symbol in the entire game. It's a wild symbol, and during the regular game, it appears on the second, third and fourth reels only. In the free spin features, you'll get them on all five reels instead, and they can give you payouts for three of a kind or more. Three gets you 2x, four earns 10x, and five of a kind is worth 25x with this wild pot of gold.

You'll find that there is a rainbow across the reels at random during gameplay. This is the Rainbow Line, and it changes from spin to spin. If you get a wild on the Rainbow Line, then it will expand to cover the whole reel, which is obviously good for the player's bottom line.

Free Respins

The horseshoe, bagpipes and clovers are mid-level symbols in this game. Any winning combination in these three symbols on the Rainbow Line triggers one of two respin features. You can either have the triggering winning combination turn into wild pots of gold and stay put, or they can turn wild and shift one square in any direction. This is a fun way to add a little bit of extra value with great chances of winning on the respin.

Free Spin Feature

You can also get five free spins if you win with the fairy or leprechaun on the Rainbow Line along similar lines as how the respin feature above is triggered. You'll either get random expanding wilds on at least one reel during the feature, or you'll get a walking expanding wild that starts on the fifth reel and walks one square to the left each turn until the feature is over. Both of these features give wild-based extras that add more value.

Winning Combinations and Payouts

The two top symbols in the game other than the wild are the leprechaun and fairy, as we mentioned above with the free spins feature. Either of these will earn a 15x payout for five of a kind. The mid-level symbols are the clovers, bagpipes and horseshoes, and five of either of these three gets 5x. The lower-tier symbols are card ranks, and the orange A or red K will earn 3x for five of a kind. Likewise, you'll pick up a 2x win for five of the green Q or blue J on a payline.

In Summary

While the graphics in this game are really good, it's the gameplay that really makes Clover Tales stand out in the Irish-themed sub-genre. Playson has other games that break out of the pack in specifi sub-genres in this way as well, and that makes it not-so-surprising that they were able to do it with this game too. The combination of super-solid visuals and several features packed into one game helps to build a tremendous experience, and it's easy to see why this game gets such good ratings from players.