Sails of Riches

Sails of Riches: Slot Overview

Gather around fellow swashbucklers and landlubbers with a taste for the sea to hear a tale from developer Play'n GO told through its online slot Sails of Riches. This one brings the colourful character Klaus Störtebeker to the reels, a figure from Northern German folklore, often portrayed as the 'Robin Hood of the Seas.' Following a war between Sweden and Denmark, in which Störtebeker and his companions were hired to bring supplies to a besieged Stockholm, the group turned to piracy, calling themselves the Likedeelers because they allegedly divided their plunder equally among the crew and shared it with the poor. Ironic, because Sails of Riches itself plunders its gameplay and features from another slot, though one with nothing to do with piracy.

Ship of Riches' voyage is a nighttime one, where a ship with an enormously conspicuous skull on its sail chops through water next to a gaming grid. Pirate music plays as the sky darkens under thick, ominous clouds, setting the scene for a dash of swashbuckling. However, for anyone not well versed in German folklore, it might be tricky to make the connection between Sails of Riches and Klaus Störtebeker, had his name not been added to the game sheet to describe the highest paying symbol.

Played on a 6x4 gaming area, winning combinations are formed when matching symbols land on at least 3 adjacent reels from the leftmost side, providing 4,096 ways to win. Rated 8 out of 10, Sails of Riches is a highly volatile game, producing a default RTP of 96.2%, and offering bets of $/€0.10 to $/€100.

Dashing 10-A card royals are Sails of Riches' low pay symbols, awarding 1x to 1.4x the bet for a 6 OAK hit. Then there are beer mugs, Jolly Rogers, maps, and Klaus Störtebeker, paying 3x to 5x the stake for a 6-of-a-kind combination. Present on all reels is the pay symbol substituting wild. A way of 6 wilds is worth 6x the bet.

Sails of Riches: Slot Features

Sails of Riches' features are Ship of Riches base game prize, a Vitalien Lock hold'n win, and free spins with a win multiplier.

Ship of Riches

If 5 or fewer coins land on the reels, they get collected by the Ship of Riches. When 1 or more coins are collected, there is a chance a Ship of Riches prize is randomly awarded. This could be the Mini 20x, Minor 50x, Major 100x, or the Grand 1,000x the stake. This feature is not available in free spins or Vitalien Lock.

Vitalien Lock

If 4 or 5 coins land, the reels without coins respin. Landing 6 coins triggers the Vitalien Lock feature. Players initially get 3 respins where coins can land and stick on each spin. The number of respins is reset when at least one coin lands. The feature ends when respins run out or the grid is covered in coins. At the end, each coin flips to reveal a value of 1x to 10x the bet. Covering the reels in coins awards a total of 500x regardless of the values of landed coins.

Spin the Wheel and Free Spins

Hitting 3 or more Treasure Chest scatters triggers a spin on the wheel, which awards a number of free spins depending on the number of triggering scatters. Landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters awards 10-30, 15-30, 20-30, or 25 or 30 free spins, respectively. The wheel also determines a starting multiplier of x1 to x5.

During the feature, special wild symbols may land, carrying multipliers of x1, x2, or x3, which add +1, +2, or +3 to the multiplier counter, respectively. The multiplier counter applies to all wins in free spins. Coins do land during the feature, but each landed scatter grants +1 free spin up to a maximum of 65.

Sails of Riches: Slot Verdict

To continue in story mode for a moment, Störtebeker is believed to be a nickname meaning 'empty the mug in one gulp' in Old German, referring to his legendary ability to drink a four-litre mug of beer in a single go. Klaus Störtebeker was eventually captured in 1401 and brought to Hamburg, where he was sentenced to death by beheading. It's been said that he asked the Mayor of Hamburg to pardon any of his men he could walk past after being beheaded, and according to the legend, his headless body rose and walked past eleven or so of his crew before the executioner tripped him with an outstretched foot. Despite the deal, the mayor apparently executed all of the pirates anyway.

Whatever the truth may be, it's a fascinating story, and a shame that Play'n GO has squandered it on such a mediocre slot. The features aren't terrible per se, but since this is basically Tomb of Gold 2 all over again, there's nothing rip-roaringly exciting to check out either. The switch from ancient Egypt to piracy has been executed well enough; there are no major qualms with the audiovisuals, though less generic pirate stuff and more focus on the Klaus Störtebeker story would have given the game more personality. As it stands, without seeing Klaus' name on the game sheet, it would have been difficult to make the connection.

By the end of the review, Sails of Riches felt like a missed opportunity to use a legendary piece of German lore to craft a unique gaming experience. While features like the wheel, multiplier-driven free spins, and a 10,000x max win provide a decent foundation, the lack of new gameplay and shallow narration caused Sails of Riches to feel like just another pirate game in a crowded genre. It is a functional slot, but for a man who it was said walked headless to save his crew, Klaus Störtebeker deserved a game that felt less like a recycled blueprint and more like a revolution on the high seas.