Rock the Boat Pokies
Sometimes it seems that game developers think of a catchy phrase and then build a game around it, and this looks to be the case with Microgamings’ Rock the Boat pokie where we see Elvis singing away on a rowing boat for no other reason than it makes for a good title.
Why? Why not. Despite the strange theme this is a good example of the 3 reel machines that Microgaming are famed for and comes with a couple of bonus features like jackpot wins and wild multipliers to get players all shook up.
Playing Rock the Boat
Anyone who has played a 3 reel, single payline pokie from Microgaming will know what to expect here and they have stuck with convention by placing the reels in the top left corner and having a picture to set the scene below them.
In this case we have a cartoon Elvis, dressed in the white jumpsuit and carrying a guitar, floating away from a colourful lighthouse and all of these images will turn up later as we look at the symbols.
The paytable, with 2 columns of payouts, details what each symbol will be worth when it lands across a line and then below it all players will see a series of control buttons used to determine how much to bet per spin.
Rock the Boat
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By using the + and – buttons, players can set the value of a coin at 0.25, 0.50, 1.00, 2.00, 5.00, 10.00, 20.00, 25.00 or 50.00, while either 1 or 2 coins can be activated for a top bet of 100.00. There’s no autoplay option, so players will have to click each time to spin the reels, but it’s hardly a difficult job.
Depending on how many coins are played the relevant column of the paytable will be highlighted but the ratio of bet size to win size remains exactly the same for any payout. Starting at the bottom of the table, landing a single guitar symbol on the line will reward players with 2x their stake and any combination of the single, double or triple bars will be worth 3x.
It’s back to the guitar again, with any 2 of them landing on the line paying out 5x the amount bet per spin and then the single bar icon filling the line on its own will pay 10x. A full line of guitars will reward players with a win equal to 20x their stake, the double bar is worth 25x while the triple is valued at 50x.
The lighthouse makes an appearance next, as it will be worth 100x the bet and the King himself takes his rightful place as the highest value symbol, being worth substantially more than anything else at 800x the amount staked per spin.
Elvis is also a wild symbol, multiplying the value of any winning lines he creates when substituting for any other symbols. If for example, players land 2 guitars and Elvis, they will win twice the amount that they would have had for 3 guitars, or 40x the stake. Using the same symbol as an example, if just a single guitar and 2 Elvis symbols land on the line, players will have the win quadrupled to 80x.
The Verdict
Elvis may have left the lighthouse and is heading out on his boat, but this strange combination of themes is found in a high quality pokie. There’s nothing that hasn’t been seen before and in fact the gameplay is exactly the same as it is in a number of other Microgaming titles, but when a successful format has been developed, why change it?
So players should enjoy frequent winning spins, boosted by the wild multipliers, and the potential for a substantial jackpot equal to 40,000.00 should certainly attract fans of Elvis, or even fans of lighthouses and rowing boats.