Diamonds of the Realm

Diamonds of the Realm: Slot Overview

Developer Play'n GO squeeze more mileage out of the Arthurian legends in their medieval themed slot Diamonds of the Realm. This one isn't just a follow up to the two previous releases titled The Sword and the Grail and The Green Knight; it practically is the same game, though with a few statistical modifications. We've lost count of the number of times Arthur and the lads have populated a Play'n GO release by now. Fortunately, they have a knack for being rather good, and if not always a raging inferno of innovation, can be depended on to deliver entertaining gaming regardless.

A few paragraphs of text on the game sheet help set the mood. In this iteration of the Arthurian story, a dark shadow has fallen on Camelot in the form of Morgan and Mordred. In their drive for vengeance, or whatever it is that motivates them, the duo have nicked the Diamonds of the Realm. It's the player's job to get them back during free spins, which can provide substantial rewards for successful service.

Whether the diamonds have special powers or just look pretty, getting them back is a good enough excuse to revisit Arthur and his knights one more time if ever there was one. Play'n GO has a soft spot for these sorts of games, and quite a number has built up in their collection by now. Diamonds of the Realm is one of the grimmer looking ones, which makes sense with all this talk of dark shadows and so forth. Mighty Camelot sits in the background behind a 5-reel, 20 payline game panel, while above it is the multiplier trail, ready to drop in the base game, and later, on every single free spin.

Mathematically, there have been a few changes. The theoretical return, for one, has dipped slightly, now measuring 96.23% in the default configuration. The volatility, meanwhile, remains sky-high, with a full 10 out of 10 rating, making Diamonds of the Realm as unpredictable as its predecessor 'Grail' was. As before, bets range from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin, so no changes there.

While you're trying to save the realm, regular wins occur when three to five matching symbols line up from the left-hand side of the reels. Symbols include coins stamped with J, Q, K, A, and T, as the low pays, while Mordred, Morgan, Queen Guinevere, and King Arthur are the 4 premium symbols. Hit a line of five premiums to collect a win worth 7.5 to 100 times your stake. A wild symbol also pops up in the game on any reel to substitute for all symbols except diamond scatters. In the same manner as the King, wilds are worth up to 100x the stake for a line of five of them.

Diamonds of the Realm: Slot Features

Diamonds of the Realm has two closely related features, one which livens up the base game, the other, is a number of triggered free spins. At any point in the main game, the Win Multiplier feature may trigger. When it does, multiplier values of x2, x5, x10, or x100 appear over the reels. If a win occurs on this spin, its value is bolstered by whatever multiplier was randomly selected.

To access free spins, you'll need at least 3 diamond scatters symbols to land in view. The reward is 5 free spins with the multiplier always active, so all wins during the bonus are subject to a starting multiplier of x2.

Diamond scatters remain desirable symbols during free spins and are collected whenever they land. Gathering enough of them moves players through 3 more levels, like so:

• Level 2 – collecting 6 diamonds awards +5 free spins and increases the win multiplier to x5.
• Level 3– collecting 12 diamonds awards +5 free spins and increases the win multiplier to x10.
• Level 4 – collecting 18 diamonds awards +5 free spins and increases the win multiplier to x100. Once reaching level 4, diamonds are removed from the reels, so additional free spins cannot be won.

Diamonds of the Realm: Slot Verdict

If you liked The Sword and the Grail, then you'll no doubt be up for Diamonds of the Realm as well, as it's the same game but with increased potential. In fact, if you went in for any of the Arthurian inspired slots from Play'n GO, you'd do well to give Diamonds of the Realm a crack as well. Each has something similar to offer, revolving around big multipliers in all facets of play. It's a little formulaic, though not a bad formula at all. These slots tend to look great, pack in loads of brooding atmosphere while doling out solid as a rock gameplay.

The gameplay in question means a big bonus game that follows in the footsteps of 300 Shields while offering the occasional multiplier in the base game to balance things out and keep you alert. Play'n GO do like to toss the odd random multiplier into the main game, but they don't usually go as high as x100, which can do some serious damage, should it show up. Free spins are just as intense in Diamonds of the Realm as they ever were in The Sword and the Grail. It all starts with a short blast of just five spins to start cranking out diamond scatters in the hopes of progressing through the various levels to the fabled x100 round.

The difference between this game and the previous one is that the rewards for successfully guarding the realm, or getting the diamonds, or whatever, are double that of what the two precious titles in the series had to offer at 20,000 times the bet. The probability of doing so is actually slightly better as well, though at 1 in 90 million or so spins, don't expect it to happen anytime soon.

There is a feeling that we probably could have done without Diamonds of the Realm since it doesn't do much the original didn't do. However, players up for some more highly polished, highly volatile Arthur driven action are unlikely to be complaining, especially with the larger max win capabilities thrown into the bargain.