Book of Blarney GigaBlox: Slot Overview
Despite what it might feel like sometimes, life still has the capacity to surprise us, even when we think we’ve seen it all. Take, for example, the game Book of Blarney GigaBlox by Reflex Gaming. Contrary to expectations, this game doesn’t follow the well-trodden path of Book of Dead and its countless variants. Rather than filling its reels with the typical expanding symbols that pay from anywhere, it introduces a unique twist. The game features a book that triggers one of several bonuses: the Water Wheel bonus, the Lucky Coins bonus, or free spins. During these free spins, the game’s grid can expand, but the symbols do not.
However, while the game’s mechanics offer a fresh take, its aesthetic sticks closely to the familiar. Book of Blarney is draped in the classic Irish theme, complete with verdant, grassy hills, rainbows, clovers, horseshoes, and a particularly jolly leprechaun. This leprechaun’s cheerfulness is so exaggerated, it’s comical, suggesting he’s either overly thrilled to see players or perhaps a bit too enthusiastic in his celebrations. Beyond these thematic elements, there’s not much more to say. In essence, Book of Blarney presents itself as a standard leprechaun-themed slot, albeit with some gameplay surprises.
Enhanced with Gigablox mechanics, Book of Blarney unfolds on a 6-reel layout featuring 4 rows of symbols and 40 paylines, which can expand to 8 rows and up to 100 paylines during free spins. Players can place bets ranging from 20 cents to $/€100, with additional options like the Lucky Bet or three bonus buy features to bypass the base game. It’s worth noting that this slot operates on a medium/high volatility math model and offers a default Return to Player (RTP) of 96%.
The game incorporates symbols that appear both in standard 1×1 sizes and as larger Gigablox symbols, ranging from 2×2 to 6×6, including scatters. There are eight regular paying symbols in Book of Blarney: the lower value J-A, followed by higher value symbols such as a hat, a horseshoe, a pot of gold, and a leprechaun. Lining up six matching low-value symbols pays out 1.6 to 2 times the bet, whereas a line of six high-value symbols rewards players with 10 times the bet. Wilds, which substitute for all symbols except scatters, appear on all reels and carry the same payout value as the leprechaun symbol.
Book of Blarney GigaBlox: Slot Features
Landing 6 or more Book of Blarney scatter symbols on the reels triggers one of three distinct bonuses, as detailed in the game’s mystical book. These bonuses include the Water Wheel bonus, the Lucky Coins bonus, and the free spins bonus, with the possibility of encountering up to 20 book scatters in a single spin.
Water Wheel Bonus: The number of scatter symbols determines the spins awarded in this feature. Players choose between a lower or higher volatility option, which influences the multipliers on offer, though both options maintain the same RTP. The lower volatility option features wheel segments with multipliers of x1, x2, x3, and x4, whereas the higher volatility option has five x1 segments and one x10 segment. In each spin, players select a mushroom to uncover a cash prize ranging from 1x to 10x the bet, and the Water Wheel spins to apply a multiplier to the prize. The total prize accumulated at the end of the feature is awarded to the player.
Lucky Coins Bonus: Scatters transform into coins, revealing cash values between 0.5x to 25x the bet or names of jackpot pots—Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega, worth 20x, 50x, 500x, and 5,000x the bet, respectively. Larger scatters result in larger coins with generally higher values. Coins lock in place, and 3 respins are given, with only coins or blanks appearing on the reels. New coins also lock in place and reset the spin counter. The feature concludes when spins run out or all positions are filled, and the total win is then calculated. A special x2 coin doubles the total prize meter value, with additional x2 coins further doubling the total. The Mega pot value is added after any multipliers have been applied to coin prizes.
Free Spins Bonus: The number of free spins awarded corresponds to the number of scatters landed. Each win during this bonus adds +2 free spins, up to a total of 8 additional spins. Wins also cause the reels to expand by +1 row and add 15 paylines, reaching up to 8 rows and 100 paylines at most.
Lucky Bet and Bonus Buys: The Lucky Bet option significantly boosts the chances of triggering a bonus feature at the cost of an additional 50% per spin. Alternatively, players can directly purchase access to the free spins for 100x the bet, the Lucky Coins for 60x, or the Water Wheels for 40x the bet, bypassing the base game.
Book of Blarney GigaBlox: Slot Verdict
Book of Blarney, while incorporating the Gigablox mechanic, isn’t Reflex Gaming’s first foray into utilizing this feature, as seen previously in their Desperate Dawgs 2 slot. Interestingly, some elements in Book of Blarney closely mirror features from Desperate Dawgs 2, albeit with new branding: the Gunslinger bonus has been revamped as the Water Wheel bonus, and the Bad Boy bonus now serves as the framework for the free spins bonus. The introduction of the Lucky Coins bonus offers a fresh element, though it shares common ground with the familiar hold ‘n win mechanics found in numerous other games.
Essentially, Book of Blarney amalgamates various existing concepts, presenting them in a package that allows players to either organically unlock these features through gameplay or directly purchase access. The question of whether these offerings are compelling enough for players to engage with them remains open. The Water Wheel bonus, while accessible, lacks substantial impact. Conversely, the Lucky Coins feature, also reasonably priced, holds the allure of a 5,000x Mega prize, hinting at a potentially lucrative end of the rainbow.
Despite a high potential maximum win of 10,368x the stake, the game doesn’t break new ground in terms of creativity, particularly in its thematic execution, the rehashed bonus rounds, and a presentation style that’s typical of Reflex Gaming’s understated approach. Although the graphics might slightly edge past previous efforts like Moley Moolah (a point up for debate), they fail to leave a lasting impression. However, the overly cheerful leprechaun character might just be memorable enough to linger in the minds of players.