Pub Fruity Pokie
As pubs are where the trend for playing pokies began, it’s only fitting that Microgaming, one of the biggest developers of these games, should release one that’s set in a traditional pub that comes complete with packets of crisps, beer taps, various drinks and a busty barmaid to welcome visitors.
It’s a traditional game as well, with just 3 reels and a single payline, although a number of bonus features lift it above many similar games and bring players some nice features like extra spins, multipliers, a darts game, nudges and holds.
Time for a Pint?
The reels sit in the centre of the game, looking as if they are part of the wall behind the bar, while the title is above them and the barmaid to the right. On the left of the reels is a dart game that we will get to in a bit, while surrounding them, and taking up much of the screen, we see several different drinks that form part of a bonus trail.
There isn’t room for a paytable on the main screen, so players will need to click the link above the darts game to see what they can win. The symbols are a mix of the classic types of fruit, and some pub-related items.
Landing 2 cherries on the line will be worth 2x the stake, while a full line of 3 pays 4x. Lemons are worth 6x, oranges 8x and grapes are valued at 10x, while the most valuable fruit is the watermelon that rewards players with 15x their stake when it fills the line.
Pub Fruity
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The bar icon pays 25x, while the bells are worth 50x, with each of these being topped by the beer mat which is the highest value jackpot symbol in the base game, that pays 250x the total bet when 3 of them land across the line.
With just a single payline, players don’t need to make many difficult decisions about what to stake on this game, with a range of bets per spin from 0.10 to 10.00 being accepted.
Around the game we see the drinks, and they are not just there for decoration as it’s a bonus trail that players move along when certain symbols land with little numbers attached to them. Players can be awarded free spins, multipliers and a jackpot of up to 500x the bet as they move along the trail, plus there’s occasionally a dart attached to a symbol.
Lighting up 3 darts symbols will start a side game where players pick a character to throw darts for them. All of the darts players will get 3 throws, and wins of up to 1000x the stake can be claimed for a perfect score.
Other bonuses include the nudges, where reels can be moved up or down a bit to try for a winning combination, and holds where a reel stays in place while the others spin for a second chance at a prize. These features are controlled by the beer taps.
The Cocktail Shaker is a rewarding spot to land on, as it will move players randomly up and down the drinks trail, and on top of these, players can earn WinSpins which are guaranteed winning spins (as the name suggests), Stoppa wins where the trail sections light up in turn for players to click and stop it, and there’s a few blank sections where players don’t win anything.
The Verdict
Pub Fruity has some interesting bonus features that add a nice level of variety to the run of play. While the bonus trail and darts game get triggered reasonably often, normal spins can still be pretty rewarding.
If there’s any downside to this pokie, perhaps it’s the relatively low maximum bet amount, and the style is a little old-fashioned, but that aside, this is a quality game which is well worth a spin.