Shark Feast

Shark Feast: Slot Overview

While you're more likely to be injured by dogs or taking a selfie, there is something about sharks that makes them infinitely scarier. In the online gambling biz, sharks are generally portrayed as flesh-rending abominations, as in Push Gaming's Razor Shark or Hacksaw Gaming's Jaws of Justice, or, as in Play'n GO's scatter pays slot Shark Feast, as your best mate. Perhaps the shark of today's game is on his best behaviour, because some of the features that he's brought with him have been reeled in from competitors' slots? Or, perhaps he's just a friendly guy? Either way, Shark Feast is a game boasting big numbers, while potentially delivering them through a grid multiplier feature and a shiver of attached extras.

The host of the show is a playful, sharp-toothed shark named Joe, or at least, that's the name dangling on his gold necklace. Joe really doesn't look like the sort of shark who would eat people. Even less so in the free spins round when he pops on a pink dress and a pearl necklace. Clearly, this is a guy who doesn't really care what other people, or sharks, think of him, which is fitting given that Shark Feast is a slot that brashly borrows gaming ideas from elsewhere. In terms of mathematics and potential, Shark Feast is a serious slot, make no mistake, but you might not think so if basing your opinion of the game solely on audiovisuals, which are playful, a bit silly, but all done in jest, probably.

Keen players can bait up the old rod with a stake of $/€0.20 to $/€50 per spin, and have the choice of engaging the GO Ultra ante bet if so desired. Shark Feast boasts massive (on paper) winning potential, so it was no big surprise to see it powered by a highly volatile math model. It comes with the five standard PnG RTP configurations, where the most attractive option is the 96.2% variant. Played on a 6x5 gaming area, winning combinations are created by landing 8 matching symbols in any grid position. Winning symbols disappear after paying, making way for a symbol drop. If a win hits after a symbol drop, the process gets repeated.

Five shells make up Shark Feast's low pay symbols, then come fish, shrimps, octopi, and shellfish as the high pays. Winning combinations of 8-9 in size are worth 0.1x-0.3x, rising to 12+ OAK combos paying 1x-4x the bet. Wilds actually land in the game, where they substitute all symbols except scatters and Helper symbols.

Shark Feast: Slot Features

The feast of features includes Chomp Multipliers, GO Ultra, Helper symbols, and free spins with up to three active upgrades.

Chomp Multipliers

When winning symbols are removed, the cleared positions get an x2 multiplier. If a multiplier already exists in a position and it contributes to a win, the multiplier doubles. Chomp Multipliers reset at the start of a new base game spin. When a win includes one or more Chomp Multipliers, their values are added together and applied to the payout. Chomp Multipliers can be increased to a maximum of x2,048.

GO Ultra

Turning the GO Ultra ante bet on increases the stake by 50%. The benefit of doing so is that each spin starts with x2 Chomp Multipliers in the centre of the grid.

Helper Symbols

Helper symbols trigger modifiers when they land in the base or bonus game, contributing to building combinations and wins.

• Bubble: Transforms into a regular symbol and reveals a Chomp Multiplier of x2 to x8. When a Bubble lands on a position with a Chomp Multiplier, the new value is multiplied by the existing one. If more than one Bubble hits, they all reveal the same symbol. Each multiplier is independently assigned.
• Expansion Bubble: Turns into a regular symbol and adds a Chomp Multiplier of x2 to x8 to all matching symbols, including its own. If more than one Bubble or Expansion Bubble hits, they all reveal the same symbol and Chomp Multiplier. When an Expansion Bubble lands on a position with a Chomp Multiplier, their values are multiplied. This same effect applies if the Expansion Bubble spreads to other matching positions with a Chomp Multiplier.
• Crunch!: Clears a 3x3 area around its position, removing all symbols except wilds and scatters. Cleared positions get a new x2 Chomp Multiplier, while existing Chomp Multipliers are doubled.

Free Spins

Landing 3-5 scatters triggers one of three free spins types. During free spins, Chomp Multipliers remain sticky throughout the whole round. Scatters are replaced in free spins by Lucky Vouchers, and each one that lands awards +1 free spin. Before the round begins, players pick up to 3 tickets to reveal three possible upgrades. Each upgrade lasts the full duration of the bonus.

• Only Expansion Bubble: Expansion Bubble symbols replace regular Bubbles, which spread every time they land. Regular Bubble symbols do not land.
• Mega Crunch!: Clears a 5x5 area rather than 3x3.
• Mega Lucky Vouchers: Award +2 free spins instead of +1.

If 3 scatters triggered the feature, Jelly Fish Festival grants 7 free spins and one pick; 4 scatters trigger Deep Sea Fiesta, granting 8 free spins and two picks, while 5 scatters trigger 10 free spins in Aqua Beat Carnival with all three upgrades active.

Shark Feast: Slot Verdict

First off, let's acknowledge the elephant fish in the room, as Shark Feast's Chomp Multipliers are one of its main strengths and weaknesses. Weakness in that the idea has clearly been used elsewhere, on several occasions, notably in Pragmatic Play's candy slot Sugar Rush. Once upon a time, this specific feature reuse could have been a bigger deal, but now, after more studios like Nolimit City and Print Studios have utilised the technique in games such as Duck Hunters and Phantom Pulse, the 'borrowing' effect has diluted the reaction from what once might have been outcry to the current mild shrug.

Shark Feast's complimentary features also contribute to it being viewed as an evolution of the grid multiplier family. Helper symbols roll up their sleeves to improve the multiplier state of the grid, including the Crunch feature, making them important components in spreading and raising Chomp Multipliers across the reels. Free spins are where the whole show can shine brighter, since, like others of its kind, grid multipliers are persistent till the round's conclusion. Play'n GO couldn't resist adding an old school element to the game via a pre-bonus pick, climaxing in a 5 scatter triggered round, letting players sit back and enjoy all three upgrades, in what might turn out to be quite a feast.

Cementing Shark Feast's credentials as a great white rather than a guppy is its 40,000x advertised max win, boosted by the hefty x2,048 Chomp Multiplier cap. But as is often the case with Play'n GO, big potential doesn't always translate into reality, and so it's questionable how achievable that ceiling really is. The daunting max win probability stats reinforces that feeling, so gamblers shouldn't be surprised if Shark Feast proves a tough nut to crack. Still, beneath its light-hearted surface lies a volatile grid multiplier slot with enough depth to appeal to fans of the genre.