Duel in the Deep Slots

When you’re playing nautically themed video slots, there is usually all manner of treasure to be found on the ocean floor. On this occasion it’s not jewels you’re diving for but duels, because where better to fight it out than on the ocean floor?

Duel in the Deep is a 5-reel slot from NuWorks that’s equipped with 25 paylines and all manner of oceanic symbols.

The company behind the slot is owned by Hastings International B.V., a firm whose other software development company is Real Time Gaming. RTG slots are thin on the ground these days, but NuWorks games including Duel in the Deep can still be found at a handful of online casinos. NuWorks slots don’t look as flashy as some of the 3D slots being made by Europe’s leading developers nowadays, but they’re still eminently likable. Duel in the Deep may not be as cool as the ocean where the action unfolds, but it’s full of features and is mightily entertaining.

Dive Deep

Let’s dive deep into this NuWorks game and see what it has to offer. The dashboard – the same one that the company uses on all its 5-reel slots – looks cluttered on first inspection. It’s not the cleanest layout, but it’s one NuWorks have persisted with and in truth it functions well once you get used to it.

At the top of the screen, on the extreme left and right, there are two jackpot totals to view. This may seem unusual, but it’s standard behaviour from NuWorks and it’s a pretty neat touch if truth be told.

The major jackpot and minor jackpot are self-explanatory: ideally you’ll want to scoop the former but you’ll settle for either. Beneath the two jackpots is information regarding the level at which each one must trigger. In the case of the minor, this is $500, while it’s $2,500 for the major. The total doesn’t need to reach that level before triggering however – it could happen at any time.

Graphically, the jackpot totals are accompanied by a pair of instruments used to measure the depth of a submarine or other subsea vessel, because this is Duel in the Deep remember.

Reels and Rules

Down the side of the reels is a series of coloured buttons denoting the active paylines. These flash whenever they’re the source of a winning combo of some sort. It seems a superfluous touch to expend this much screen real estate on displaying the paylines, but that’s how NuWorks have chosen to do things and the system works even if it does look a tad clumsy.

Just to further encroach on the reel space, they’ve also squeezed a vertical link leading to Help and Rules on the extreme left and a similar vertical link to the paytable on the extreme right.

Below the reels, there is a flurry of buttons to take in. While their function is self-explanatory in most cases, it again seems odd that NuWorks haven’t elected to hide some of them behind a master button. On the bottom left of the screen you’ll be able to make out your balance, followed by a bright orange cashier button. Then there are two purple and blue boxes, the first to control the number of active lines and the second to control the bet per line.

The remainder of the bottom section is taken up by an autoplay button, a speed button – there are 5 speeds to choose from – and finally a large green Spin button.

Fishy Thrills

Most of the game symbols are made up of playing card abbreviations, augmented with fronds of seaweed and pebbles. The swordfish serves as the game’s wild symbol and will appear on reels 1 and 5 only. The wild symbol will substitute for any of the game’s other symbols save for the sumo fish and the shipwreck. The latter symbol serves as scatter.

The fighting fish symbol, which appears in reels 1 and 5, will take you through to the game’s bonus feature. This is where the title of the games starts to make sense and it’s also where NuWorks show their genius. When the fighting fish feature is activated you’ll be asked to choose the fish to serve as your champion. It will then go head to head against its piscine opponent for 3 rounds.

The graphics may be pedestrian and the sound run-of-the-mill, but thanks to its twin jackpots and creative and highly entertaining features, Duel in the Deep is worth your time and money.