Photo Safari Online Slot Review
It is hard to play any jungle / safari themed slot without thinking of the giant in this niche – Mega Moolah from MicroGaming. With Photo Safari, Play N Go has managed to put something of a unique spin on this popular theme – even if some of the symbols have a ring of familiarity to them. This is a 20 line slot, and has both a free spins bonus and a pick-em game to keep you entertained. As with all Play N Go slots, the production is excellent – expect smooth gameplay and quality graphics.
The transparent reels over a savannah background works great for this game. When you hit a winning combination with any of the animals, they become an old-style physical photo at the same time are making the appropriate animal noise. These sounds are complemented by the ambient insect noises of the savannah, along with some drums. Animals have a cartoon like look to them, with the lion in particular looking very vain. There are some nice touches included, such as the free spins round being held with reels make to look like photo negatives.
Other than the two bonuses, there is nothing exceptional happening on the reels. There is a wild and scatter, though no multipliers or in-reel behaviour like expanding wilds. The bonuses did not hit too often, though are worth waiting for – the free spins game in particular.
Setup and Play for Photo Safari
This is a 20 line game, rather than the 15 usually favoured by Play N Go. You can play from just 1c per line with 20c the minimum spin for the full 20 lines. There is a multiplier which allows you to play up to 5 coins per line, so with the max of 25c coins you can spin for $25 each time. You can use auto play on this slot, though the gamble after win feature is not included.
The animals are the best paying regular features. Naturally, the king of the jungle tops them all, worth 1000 coins for 5 on a line and 250 for 4. In joint second place are the elephant and giraffe, worth 500 coins for 5, and then the Zebra. Playing card symbols – which have been nicely designed with safari touches – make up the rest of the wins.
There is a wild symbol, which is a shield with 2 African drums. This substitutes for all of the regular symbols above. You’ll get 5000 coins for 5 wilds on a win line, with 500 for 4. Scatters (in the form of the camera film) pay a huge 300 times your total bet for 5 anywhere on the reels, with 30 times that total for just 4. This also triggers the free spins bonus feature. The remaining symbol is a camera, which triggers the pick-em game.
Photo Safari Bonus Features
Hitting 3 of the camera films awards you 15 free spins. The reels go dark at first, with the word free spins on each. For these spins the symbols stay the same, though the graphics become negatives from the old style photos. Some of the pictures are a little hard to work out – though once you tune in to what is happening, then you will soon be able to follow.
3 Cameras will take you to an entertaining mini game. This looks like the view through a camera, and you have to choose targets in the grasslands to take photos of. You get 3 shots, each of which will win a cash prize. Once your 3 shots are completed your wins are totalled and you go back to the main reels.
Photo Safari – Conclusion
This is an example of a nicely put together slot that does not really stand out in a crowded marketplace. Sure, the theme is light and a little bit quirky, though once you have played the bonus games a couple of times there is nothing particularly compelling that would make me return. Having said that, for a quick spin or simply for something different next time you have a session – Photo Safari would a solid choice.
