SunTide

When you look at the Suntide video slot for the first time, it's clear that there's something a bit minimalistic about it. It has a summer-themed game to a large degree, especially if you notice the birds in the background, and it has a generally warm and relaxing feel to it. However, what's also important to notice is that everything is set up to make this game a bit of a throwback to what the original video slots were like when the industry first started pulling away from the mechanical, three-reel games that are now known as classic slots.

An Older Game Format

The format of this game uses five reels with three rows of symbols, so everything looks pretty normal until you realize it has just nine paylines. This is fewer than the vast majority of video slots out there today, but it was completely normal when the industry first started up. Despite the fact that this title was released in 2016, it still has this older feel, and that's by design.

Instead of choosing to play with a certain number of paylines and coin sizes for each payline, there's a simple bet-selection mechanism where you can decide on your total amount to wager per spin. This starts with $0.09 per spin at the lower end of the spectrum. If you open up the advanced betting options, however, you can choose the number of paylines, coins per line and coin size as usual. The maximum bet is $22.50 per spin, along these lines.

Top Payouts

For all of the payouts that we list in this game, everything is going to be listed in dollar amounts based on a bet size of $0.90 per spin. If you bet more or less than this, then the wins you can get will scale accordingly.

The wild symbol shows up on all reels, and it expands on the middle reel only during regular play. Five of a kind earns a whooping $1,000 win, and four earns a smaller $100. You can even win $10 for three or $0.50 for just two of a kind.

The diamond gives you $100 for five of a kind and $20 for four. You'll also have $75 wins available when you get five of the lucky purple seven, but a $15 secondary prize is available for four of them. The bell, a classic symbol from games of the past, will earn you $40 for five on an activated payline, and that same number of symbols gets you $25 with the golden bar symbol.

Low-End Fruit Payouts

The five lower-level payouts are based around five fruit symbols. These symbols come from the fact that some of the oldest mechanical slots would pay out chewing gum in different flavors as prizes. The fruit that made up your winning combination on the game's single payline would determine what flavor of gum you received.

In Suntide, you'll get cash payouts instead. Five of the oranges earns $18, and five of the lemon will get $10. A payout of $15 is there for the watermelon halves if you get five in a row, and you can make that $8 for five of the strawberries. Finally, five cherries earns $5 for a sizable payout for the lowest "big" win in the game.

Scatters and Free Spins

The scatter symbol shows a beach scene with palm trees and the ocean, and it shows up on every reel. You can get paid for two or more anywhere on the reels, not just left to right or on an activated payline. Five of a kind earns 90 times your total bet size, which comes to $81 with the $0.90 bet size we've been using as the standard for all of the payouts.

Three or more scatters earns a set of 15 free spins. You can re-trigger these free spins for added value as well. During these free turns, the wild gains a bit more value since it expands on all three of the middle reels instead of just the third one, and that makes it a lot easier to hit huge multi-win combinations during your free turns.

Our Opinion

It's clear that this game is a bit of a throwback to older games, particularly some of the first video slots ever produced. With that having been said, the graphics are crisp and clean, and the free spins feature adds extra value without resorting to the laziness of multipliers on your wins that we've seen done so many times we couldn't count. If you're looking for a solid, medium-volatility game that doesn't have many bells and whistles, then Suntide will do you nicely. However, it will not appeal to everyone, and it definitely does not have the feature set or graphical appeal that you see with a lot of modern games.

Play SunTide at these Casinos

Screenshots

players also played

10,001 Nights MegaWays

Rated 4 /5

Software Name Red Tiger Gaming

Theme Arabian, Fairy Tale

Reel 6

Type Video

Review

Play

Cygnus 2

Rated 4 /5

Software Name ELK Studios

Theme Space

Reel 6

Type Video

Review

Play