Crabby’s Gold 3

Crabby's Gold 3: Slot Overview

Developer Play'n GO returns to colourful pirate-themed waters with Crabby's Gold 3, the third instalment in its swashbuckling Crabby's Gold series. Each release so far has built on the last while also holding tight to features running through the range like the Coin Collect, Hold'n Spin, and Doubloon or Nothing gamble. Crabby's Gold 3 builds on top of those with a new bonus round called the Crabby's Cove Hold'n Win, which lands both regular Coins and special booster Coins. It's not exactly a revolutionary move, but it adds variety to a formula that appears to be working for Play'n GO. So, to find out if Crabby's latest treasure hunt is worth setting sail for, we'd best plot a course through its bright new waters.

The adventure starts in a seaside spot, right on the waterline sprinkled with items of piracy - a Jolly Roger, a treasure chest, an anchor, that sort of thing. If you've been pulled towards previous Crabby Gold slots because of the bright colours and bold buccaneering artwork, that's all back in part 3, brightening the screen in its characterful salty way. Visually, Crabby's Gold 3 stays close to the look which has defined the series so far, though some changes are found in the gameplay, offering some new tricks hidden amongst its waves.

Crabby's Gold 3 is played on a 4,096 ways to win, 6x4 gaming area. Play'n GO has attached it to a medium-high volatile math model, producing an RTP of 96.2% at the default setting. Betting choices start with a base stake of $/€0.10 to $/€50, then there is the optional GO Ultra, which increases the stake by 50% when activated.

The same pay symbols grace the grid, such as wooden J-A royals, and five charismatic character symbol high pays. A 6 OAK royal pays 1x the bet, and the same size winning combination made up of premium symbols pays 2x to 5x the bet. Wilds appear in various forms, but all are capable of substituting the regular paying symbols. Wilds may possess multipliers. Multiplier wilds count as multiple wilds equal to the multiplier displayed. If a multiplier wild lands, the remaining wilds take on the same multiplier.

Crabby's Gold 3: Slot Features 

Crabby's Gold 3 mostly brings back features from past releases such as the Coin Collect, Treasure Trail concept, the Hold'n Spin, and Doubloon or Nothing gamble, but it also has a new Crabby's Cove Hold'n Win feature.

Coin Collect

Coin Pouch symbols may appear on the leftmost and rightmost reels. Coin Pouches collect the values from Coin symbols on the reels. If two Coin Pouch symbols land, the Coin values are collected twice. Coins are worth 0.5x to 25x the bet. If Coins land without a Coin Pouch, they get collected by the Treasure Chest. When a Coin is collected, it can randomly trigger the Hold'n Spin round.

Treasure Trail

The Treasure Trail is filled by collecting Compass symbols. Each Compass symbol advances the trail by 1 segment, and every 6 segments award an upgrade. Once the Trail is completed, players enter Crabby's Cove. Five special Wilds are unlocked along the trail: 

• Upgrade 1 - Multiplier wilds with x2 or x3 values.
• Upgrade 2 - Expanding Wilds and Multiplier Expanding Wilds with x1, x2, x3 values.
• Upgrade 3 - Expanding Sticky Wilds and Multiplier Expanding Sticky Wilds with x1, x2, x3 values and 3 respins.
• Upgrade 4 - Expanding Walking Wilds and Multiplier Expanding Walking Wilds with respins. They move left with respins until off the reels or a maximum of 10 respins occurs. The Multiplier version has a value of x1, x2, or x3.
• Upgrade 5 - Mega 2x2 Wild.
• Upgrade 6 - Crabby's Cove.

Hold'n Spin 

In the Hold'n Spin, Coins land with their backs showing. When the feature ends, Coins flip to reveal a value of 1x to 30x the stake. Coins are sticky. Three respins are initially awarded. When new Coins land, they reset the spin count. When the round ends, players can collect or gamble the winnings.

Crabby's Cove Hold'n Spin 

In Crabby's Cove Hold'n Spin, Coins land with a value of 1x to 20x the stake, which is paid at the end of the feature. Special Coins may also land. The Boost Coin increases 1 or more Coin values by 1x-10x, the Multiply Coin multiplies 1 or more Coins by x2-x5, and the Collect Coin collects all values from Coins. Three spins are awarded, which reset every time 1 or more Coins land. When this feature ends, players may also collect or gamble the winnings.

Doubloon or Nothing 

If Gamble is chosen at the end of the Hold'n Spin feature, players enter the Doubloon or Nothing. In one spin, Double Coins and Wipe Coins can land. If more Double Coins land, the winnings are doubled. If more Wipe Coins land, the winnings from the Hold'n Spin are wiped to 0. The Gamble can be used up to 4 times.

GO Ultra 

When the GO Ultra is activated, Coin collections are doubled due to Pouch symbols collecting them twice. In addition, all winnings during the Hold'n Spin are doubled as well.

Crabby's Gold 3: Slot Verdict

While some pirates might get lost at sea, tossed around by the wind, and rocked in the waves, Crabby's Gold 3 knows exactly where it is and exactly where it's going. Play'n GO has written a script it likes, and rather than flip anything, the preference is to just add new touches, here and there, that fit with everything else that is going on. The third release is a familiar yet expanded version of the Crabby's Gold formula, with the new bonus feature giving the game its own twist without straying far from what players already know. The colourful pirate presentation remains one of the defining characteristics, while the returning features make Crabby's Gold 3 immediately recognisable to fans of the series.

A key reason for choosing this one over the previous two is the new hold 'n' win round. However, it might take a while (or not) to get there, since it lies at the end of the Treasure Trail. Before reaching the cove, various wilds are unlocked along the way, in a similar way to the trail found in the original Crabby's Gold. Some may have felt that just dropping the old Hold'N Win and replacing it with the new Crabby's Cove round might have been a better move, but oh well, putting it at the end of the trail provides a potential reward for patiently sticking around. Winning potential is greater than Crabby's Gold 2, capped as it is at 35,000x the bet, which, for the record, is half of what Crabby's Gold part one boasted.

Crabby's Gold 3 is not a slot that showcases the latest in slot development, or even a pirate game rammed with edgy dangerous pirates who'd sack their own hometown for a doubloon. However, for those who have enjoyed what Crabby's been up to so far, part three simply and reliably builds on that, in its trademarked colourfully flamboyant style.