Da Vinci Slots
It might seem funny to name a game after one of the greatest minds in the history of mankind without putting a picture of the man himself, but then again his work did speak for itself. After all, he was a genius in painting, science, anatomy, inventions, maths and cartography as well as countless other things. So does this Simbat game do him justice?
Step Back in Time
As the man himself was born in 1452 we are really stepping far back in time. The game takes advantage of this to make the layout different to most other slot games. The brown colour immediately stands out, with a shade reminiscent of old papers turned a darker gold over the centuries. And in keeping with the tone of letting his work speak for itself, the name is clearly mentioned in the top right corner rather than in big letters at the top.
The top and bottom slots are neatly separated by the Clubmeter, Win and Credits box, as well as two of the neatest coins for Head and Tail. The two slots look as though they are part of an invention, with the Clubmeter and Win connected to the top one, and Credits to the bottom one.
By zooming out, the neat organisation of the layout is still there (with top and bottom games being more separated), though as you might expect it is harder to read. This view would probably only appeal to players who like the classic slot machine image, including those who actually like pulling the handle down.
Real Da Vinci Code
There are two sets of games: Basic and Top. The Basic game uses one payline for a single credit, something made clear on the main display. You can hold down columns if you’re feeling confident of what will come next. With that in mind, you can either double or completely lose your winning with the Head or Tail feature. While you can collect what you’ve won, you could keep that spirit going and transfer it to the Top. The gold symbols bring a mystery payout.
The Chemistry jars are where the value is at. If you get three, it’s worth 100 credits, while even two are worth 20. The four leaf clover and bells are worth 75, with plums 50 and watermelons 25. While there are other fruits those are the ones you’ll want to be aiming for.
The Top game can be played with either 5, 10 or 20 credits per spin and uses 5 paylines. If you move to 10 credits you activate a wild Chemistry symbol on reel 2, replacing any other symbol to make up a winning combination. If you bet the maximum number of credits, each reel become wild. If you get three flying machines you get free spins.
Fitting for a man of such aura, the game has the most discrete of flashing buttons. It also has the value of each symbol on old scrolls. The Chemistry jars are worth 200 credits, four leaf clover, grapes, bells and plums 80 and half of that for watermelons, strawberries, lemons and cherries.
A Sense of Discovery
Like with other Simbat games, the overall navigation is really well designed. The difference between your credit line and overall total is easy to see. You can slide the volume to suit the level you like, though the sound effects here are very average. The game is carefully explained in the Info button, along with links to Account, Storing Balance and Bank Account.
You can also see the instructions (in alphabetical order) of the other games in the Simbat catalogue and within the Start button the links to the actual games. In the Main Menu, it’s also really easy to Login, Register and Cashout. Just remember that there’s no automatic time out. You’re in until you log out.
And one of the best features of any Simbat game is here too. Although the game is pretty simple to understand, you can practice for fun with the 10 “Fun Euros” they give and you can reload as many times as you want until you’re ready to play for real.
Not Ahead of Its Time
Unlike Da Vinci, this game is not ahead of its time and it’s also a shame the game doesn’t use more symbols related to the man himself rather than random fruits. For all that, it’s still solid enough to have fun playing.
