Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond

Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond: Slot Overview

Considering the masses and masses… and masses of online slots milling about the market, it's kind of interesting there aren't more superstar slot characters. A few exist, like John Hunter, Gonzo, Kane and Rich Wilde, for example, but maybe not as many as there could be. Seeking to rectify this imbalance is software designer Slotmill, with its new explorer, Lucy Luck. The first game in the series is Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond, which sees the plucky protagonist venturing forth into the Amazonian jungle to hunt for the Crimson Diamond.

Lucy strikes a valiant, take no crap pose on the home page, and comes across as part Lara Croft, Cat Wilde, Indiana Jones, part Jinx. From the splash screen, players plunge into a jungle where a fairly regular though pleasant view of the Amazon hits the screen. Bush, carved stone blocks, that's about it, really making Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond closer in vibe to Coin Quest rather than Coin Quest 2, which was arguably the more atmospheric of the two CQ games. Not being Slotmill's first trip to this part of the world means there were expectations of more visually arresting artwork, but Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamonds looks pleasing. Gets the job done.

Operating behind the scenes to ensure tasks are accomplished is Lucy Luck's highly volatile math model, which generates an RTP of 95.5%. The gaming takes place on a 6x6 grid, which utilises a scatter pays mechanic to create regular wins. When at least 8 matching symbols are in view, anywhere on the reels, then a win is created. Players are able to select a stake of 20 p/c to $/€60, plus there are three bonus buys available from the Fast Track, as well as Burst Mode.

The symbols players encounter when hunting for the Crimson Diamond are 9 regular pays, a Bonus, and a Super Bonus symbol. The pays are a book, a grappling hook, a compass, binoculars, 4 different gemstones, then Lucy is the highest value one. Hitting a scatter win made up of 8 symbols awards 0.3 to 1 times the bet, while the biggest 16+ scatter wins award 20 to 250 times the bet. Wilds do not exist in this part of the bush.

Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond: Slot Features

Getting lucky in this game means features like Avalanches, treasure chests, bonus Bomb symbols, super bonus Bomb symbols, and free spins are popping. As well as the in-game extras are optional Fast Track bonus modes and Burst Mode.

Avalanche

All symbols part of a win explode, removing any blocks beneath them, and making way for new or existing symbols to fall downwards to fill the grid. This provides another chance to win on the same spin, and runs of Avalanches end when no new winning scatter appears.

Treasure Chests

Treasure Chests of varying sizes are placed in random positions beneath the symbols on the reels. When winning symbols explode, part or all of a treasure chest may be revealed by destroying the blocks that cover them. When a treasure chest is completely revealed, it awards the prize it holds within. This will either be coins or a diamond possessing a bet multiplier. There are three tiers of treasure chests, and the more valuable and larger the treasure chest, the more valuable its contents. The size of the chest determines how many coins are awarded, and if a chest has a diamond, only one diamond will be awarded regardless of how big the chest is. The blue diamond pays between 50x - 200x while the Crimson Diamond pays between 500x - 10,000x.

Bonus Symbol Bomb

If a Bomb symbol is on the reels, when no more wins appear, it explodes, removing itself and adjacent symbols revealing any treasure chests beneath them. The bonus Bomb symbol removes 4 adjacent symbols – up, down, left, and right, while the super bonus Bomb symbol clears direct neighbouring symbol locations. After exploding, the bonus Bomb symbol is added to the Bonus collect meter.

Free Spins

Collecting 3 bonus Bomb symbols awards 10 free spins. During free spins, cleared blocks carry over between free spins. After all treasure chests have been revealed, the grid reset with new blocks and chests, plus 1 free spin is awarded. A multiplier symbol may land during free spins. When one hits, it explodes, removing the block beneath it and adding +1 to the multiplier meter. The multiplier is applied to prizes from revealed treasure chests and is persistent till the round ends.

Super Free Spins

A total of 10 super free spins are awarded when 2 bonus Bomb symbols plus 1 super bonus Bomb symbol is collected. The rules are the same, except only Tier 3 treasure chests are hidden beneath the blocks.

Burst Mode & Fast Track

Burst Mode is a super fast way of playing Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond, where players pick a bet and a number of spins, then the math model plays out with little graphical overlay. From the Fast Track, players are able to buy:

• Bonus Boost – 4x the bet for a spin with at least 1 guaranteed Bonus symbol. Very highly volatile with an RTP of 96.02%.
• Bonus – buy the bonus round for 100x the bet. Highly volatile with an RTP of 96.15%.
• Super Bonus – buy a super bonus round for 400x the bet. Very highly volatile with an RTP of 96.29%.

Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond: Slot Verdict

As a first outing for a potential future slot superstar, Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond is an interesting debut. One of the curious things about the game is the way it resembles NetEnt's Lost Relics slots. If Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond had been released a bit earlier, it would have beaten Lost Relics 2 to market, and the comparisons might have been lessened. As it is, either Slotmill really took a liking to Lost Relics' revealing treasure chest concept, or it's just a coincidence – which is a tad hard to believe. Either way, Lucy's already stirring controversy, and it's only her first game.

Suffice to say, if unearthing treasure chests in those other games brought a smile to your face, then Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond is likely to do so as well. The scatter pays awards system brings a new dimension to the smashing of blocks procedure as your eye wanders over the grid, teeing up spots where you want wins to occur - without the need for matching symbols to be near them since scatter wins can hit anywhere. Treasure chest awards are limited in some ways, since they only award bet multipliers, though the values can potentially be rather high indeed. For example, the most sought-after chunk of stone is the Crimson Diamond itself, worth up to a cool 10,000x the bet right there, which incidentally is Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond max win figure.

While there are no complaints about the way Lucy Luck and the Crimson Diamond performs, it feels like something might be missing. The game does have a fair amount of features, but not so much variety, if that's the right word? Maybe it's because the chests in Lost Relics 2 could award a bunch of different things, not just bet multiplier prizes. Again, no major complaints. Lucy Luck performed admirably on her debut and all that, but there was a sneaky suspicion Slotmill already has its eye on sequels for which they've held back some of the really good stuff.