Both Stormcraft Studios and Microgaming are familiar names to anyone with experience playing online casino games. Between the two of them, these two developers account for a significant portion of all the online slot games on the market today. Having either of these names attached to a digital slot game is a sure sign of quality, so it is no surprise that having them work together produces results as good as this.
Wild Catch is a fishing-themed slot game that brings together many of the best elements from previous games from the developer. This is actually a reworking of an old Microgaming title that shares a name with this one. Stormcraft have produced several sequels on behalf of Microgaming to a mixed response. How does this later effort stack up?
Wild Catch is one of the few fishing-themed slot games that we have seen online Fishing enthusiasts will no doubt be thrilled. As you would expect from a game with this pedigree, the quality of the visual design is second to none. As with Stormcraft’s other games, the focus here is on minimalism. Stormcraft are masters at using relatively basic art in an effective way that enables it to punch above its weight.
Whenever you land on a win, the game does a good job of making you aware of it, the visual cues enable players to keep up with the fast pace of the action.
Anyone who has played past games that Stormcraft has developed for Microgaming will know more or less what to expect here. Players can bet anywhere from 20 cents to $20, with larger bets bringing more reels into play. The maximum bet will enable the player to take advantage of all 5 reels when matching symbols after spinning.
There are 9 regular symbols on the reels, along with 5 picture symbols. One drawback of the game is that is isn’t always great at conveying the relative value of these symbols, but you will soon get used to how they all work.
Wild Catch features a standard wildcard symbol, but it works a little differently here. The wildcard has the potential to randomly turn into a Splashing Wild. The Splashing Wild will stack reels 2-4 in order to guarantee a win for the player. Once a Splashing Wild has appeared, it will remain in place for any subsequent wins. While this ability is active, the wildcard will gain a range of new effects that it didn’t cause before. Landing on the wild again will trigger these effects.
Overall, Wild Catch is a great slot game. While the features and gameplay will be familiar to anyone who has an appreciable amount of experience with these kinds of games will appreciate the way that Stormgathering has managed to bring all of these different elements together. While this Wild Catch bears no resemblance to the Microgaming original, it is still a worthwhile effort in its own right. Fishing enthusiasts will feel right at home with the design choices here.