Piranha Pays Slot

Before I commence this slot review for the Piranha Pays slot by Play’n GO, I shall crack my knuckles like so, [crack]. Lean back into my chair [pherp!], that was the leather! And I shall radiate a look of joy that shall be spelled in the sound of a harmonious choir, [Aahhh]. 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, players and peculiars. I lean in to tell you that this may be one of the best slot games ever made by the developer Play’n GO. I lean back to further announce that in this slot review for Piranha Pays, I shall be sharing my experience of the game and discussing how it performs, what features feature, and what slot machine bonuses are a bonus to those who play the game. 

The design of the Piranha Pays slot is not something I have seen before in all my years of owning my two eyes. The game opens with an introductory video. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: for the purpose of continuity, developers will only ever use an intro if they are proud of the work they have done. 

Once you have gone through the intro story, which is done through a series of Polaroid pictures, you find yourself in the living room of an elderly gentleman who is asleep in his armchair. Music fills the room from the vinyl player that plays the greatest hits of old-time piano music. 

The fish tank itself sits centerstage of the game and forms the slot. Piranha Pays is a 4-row, 5-reel game that initially plays with 30 paylines. However, the game comes with expanding reels, which enlarges the paylines to 50. It increases the rows and reels to an 8x5 grid. Above the reels is a feature called the Free Spins Trail that leads players to the game’s bonus round and multiplier feature.

Now, many fish-themed slots are circulating online, and this one is already my favorite simply because Piranha Pays is doing something different with how the game is presented. 

Now, one must be warned that Piranha Pays comes with a bit of bite about it. Many in-play features make this game a glorious playing experience, but first, I shall discuss the basics of how to play Piranha Pays both as a real money and demo game. 

When you load Piranha Pays, first, set the price that you will be wagering per spin. The game defaults at $1.50, but you can set a cost that ranges from a minimum bet of $0.10 per spin to a maximum bet amount of $50 per spin. Select the pricing from the control panel, which is wonderfully designed as a VHS player. 

Once ready to play, press the spin button in the color green, and the reels will begin to rotate. There is the option to play with the auto spins, which allows you to control the spins played and set limits on when they should stop, i.e., when you win x amount.

To win, you need to match 3, 4, or 5 of the same symbols across any of the game’s paylines. These must form from left to right of the reels. The number of paylines will increase by activating a special bonus feature. Symbols include a joint of ham, steak pie, egg on toast, a Battenburg slice, and a jam biscuit. These are the top symbols, with the lower ones being A, K, Q, and J.

Win Multiplier: This feature can be triggered on any spin played and will add a multiplier to the win, should one form. The values include x2, x3, x4, x5, x6, x7, x8, x9, and x10.

Mystery Instant Win: If the free spins bonus comes close to triggering, the last reel will illuminate to reveal a mystery symbol, which could lead to a mystery prize.

Free Spins Bonus: To trigger the free spins bonus round, you need to land 3 scatter symbols (can of food). Your reward will be 10 free spins to play the round with. 

Free Spins Trail: The trail above the reels relies on you landing scatter symbols, and once you land the acquired scatters, you will be awarded free spins. During this round of play, the Piranha will mutate, and the fish tank will grow larger by adding additional rows. 

Special Symbols: Both the Piranha and the Can are scatter symbols.

Play’n GO is a multi-award-winning slot developer, so I always approach their real money slots online with a high air of expectation. Admittedly, recent releases have been somewhat flat, but once I saw the opening of this game, I could not wait to play it. It looked the part, and design-wise, it's one of their best slot games. But have my expectations been set too high?

I signed into my online casino, found the game, and played with $2 per spin across 50 spins. The following events took place: 

[space left for dramatic effect]

The results were… abso-bloody-lutely nothing! 

I could count the number of small wins that landed on both of my own two hands. This experience was awful. So, I did something I wouldn’t normally do after such a poor display: I tried another 50 spins. 

The reels spun, I watched, I waited, and not a bite. Had my luck dried up, I thought. Soon, I was on spin 20, but there was nothing. Spin 34, nothing. Spin 42, and still nothing. In the end, I was down $200 from this experience.

Ladies, gentlemen, players, and peculiars, I lean in to tell you that this game is perhaps one of the worst games ever made by Play’n GO. I pulled out my gun and shot at my laptop [shot]! 

The maximum amount that can be won is 5,000 times the value of your bet. So, if you spin at $50 and win the jackpot, you would be $250,000 richer. The RTP is 96.20%, and the volatility programmed into this game is, of course, high, which accounts for why my laptop is now suing me for attempted murder.

Piranha Pays looks the part, and yes, maybe I spoke too soon to suggest that Play’n GO had done something quite spectacular just based on first impressions. However, my experience was awful. The game looked to offer so much, but nothing happened. It seems, dear readers, that the slot was the bait, and I was the one that got caught. 

Here are some fishing-theme slots that aren’t as slippy as Piranha Pays:

Big Bass Floats My Boat by Pragmatic Play

Ugliest Catch by Nolimit City

Play the demos for free and find the best casinos online offering all the games mentioned in their real money format via Casinos.com.