The Blarney Stone: Slot Overview
In Blarney Castle, Ireland, there is a block of limestone built into the battlements, which, according to legend, if kissed, gives the person the gift of the gab. It's titled The Blarney Stone, which also happens to be the title of a leprechaun-themed online slot designed by Pragmatic Play. Those with an aversion to sharing spit with strangers have nothing to worry about in this game. Kissing stones is absent, but in its place are gaming devices such as money symbol collecting, local jackpots, and potentially progressive jackpots, too, all wrapped in an amiable top of the morning skin.
Seen one leprechaun slot, and you've kind of seen them all, unless the studio has adopted the 'badass' leprechaun angle, as seen in Quickspin's Brawlers Brew or Yggdrasil Gaming's Lucky Apocalypse. The leprechauns in The Blarney Stone are of the traditional, happy-go-lucky variety, who live in a magical green spot in nature, with a quaint stone bridge and Smurf-like houses. Jolly as can be is the vibe; there doesn't appear to be any castles or lines of tourists kissing stones in sight, but there is a friendly dog, in what is a friendly-looking, generic yes, leprechaun-styled slot.
The Blarney Stone is played on a 5 reel, 25 payline grid, which explains why the bet selection goes from $/€0.25 to $/€125 per spin. Should The Blarney Stone come linked to progressive jackpots, then the higher the bet, the higher the chance of winning one. A medium volatile math model governs the action, and it has an RTP of 94.5%.
Four card royals, J-A, are the low pay symbols, while four character symbols are the premiums. Hitting 5 matching symbols pays 4x the bet when made up of the lows or 8x-20x for a combination of highs. The Blarney Stone is wild, and it lands on all reels except the leftmost reel. Wilds substitute for all of the regular paying symbols.
The Blarney Stone: Slot Features
The extras to look out for in The Blarney Stone are a money collect feature, a Jackpot Reveal Bonus Game, free spins, and a progressive jackpot bonus game.
Money Collect Feature
Money symbols land on reels 1-4 with a value of 1x to 35x the bet or Jackpot. Collect symbols only appear on the rightmost reel, and when one or more land, the values from money symbols in view are paid. If a collect symbol lands with money symbols displaying Jackpot, the Jackpot Reveal Bonus Game is awarded for each Jackpot hit. The rounds are played in sequence.
Jackpot Reveal Bonus Game
There are four jackpots available in this bonus, each has a fixed value. They are the 50x Small, 100x Medium, 200x Large, and the 1,000x XXL. Players pick symbols to reveal a jackpot symbol until three are matched and the corresponding prize is awarded.
Free Spins
Hitting 3 scatters triggers 8 free spins. During the free spins round, more money symbols and collect symbols are on the reels. Players can win an extra 8 free spins each time 3 scatter symbols land.
Jackpot Bonus Game
There can be up to four progressive jackpots available in The Blarney Stone, which increase due to contributions from bets. Jackpots can be won at random at the end of any base game spin. The winning jackpot is revealed by opening items in a bonus screen until 3 matching ones are revealed.
The Blarney Stone: Slot Verdict
The Blarney Stone is an odd little release which didn't do much that was overly thrilling. While the title suggests a dive into Irish legend and an exploration of an interesting local tourist destination, what the game actually supplies is predictable action wrapped in a very cheerful Irish theme, one that prefers comfort to innovation. So while the atmosphere is akin to a pleasant stroll through the rolling green hills of Leprechaun-land, The Blarney Stone is not a slot to choose if you want to expose yourself to preposterous gaming ideas or groundbreaking mechanics.
Put simply, unless you're a real fan of the classics, The Blarney Stone's gameplay is unexciting. The base game and the free spins bonus round are largely a money symbol collect event, which is popular, but this group of leprechauns have chosen to keep experimentation to a minimum. Classics do become classics for a reason, though, so picking symbols to reveal a jackpot will probably have a certain level of appeal for some gamblers. Winning potential is one of The Blarney Stone's talking points, as non-progressive jackpot wins are capped at 2,000x, making the progressive jackpot bonus game a large piece of the puzzle. The inclusion of both local and progressive jackpots may add a layer of anticipation, especially with random triggers in the base game.
Audiovisually, The Blarney Stone ticks the expected boxes: lush green landscapes, jovial leprechauns, and cheerful music that creates an easy-going game world. However, putting the progressive jackpot element to one side, The Blarney Stone may struggle to stand out in a crowded genre, due to high levels of genericism, and features that are completely happy not pushing any sort of boundary. It is an easy-to-play slot with a friendly demeanour, though, so it stands as a reliable option for an uncomplicated leprechaun-themed progressive jackpot slot.
The Blarney Stone delivers a simple, easygoing slot experience with classic collect mechanics, relying on its cheerful theme and jackpot features rather than innovation.
