Gold Ahoy Slot Review

We’re back to NextGen’s typical aesthetic in this pirate themed slot machine titled Gold Ahoy. Although we’re not tantalised by awe-inspiring style from the off, we have a mobile friendly slot machine that delivers reasonable variance. This isn’t a diverse game by any stretch of the imagination, but it provides enough entertainment for the initial stake of 0.50 credits.

Gold Ahoy may be a pirate fest, but it delivers that imagery from a more relaxed stance than what we’re used to. Usually we’re placed on a ship, the waves crashing against the gnarled wood, but in this example we’re on a tropical beach. There’s sun, gentle lapping of water, and enormous amounts of sand. If this is the pirate life then we’re eager to become part of the crew.

Full Chest

What most impresses us about this real cash slot is the fact that there are more features than we’re used, moving that variance metre from low to medium. Users get free games, but they also get a pick me bonus, which in turn makes this a more stimulating and engaging game to play.

To unlock the Chest Bonus – originally named, we know – you need to get at least three of them upon the interface. Should you manage to achieve this, you’ll be presented with a selection of treasure chests, with your objective being to select the ones you want. It’s all very basic, and yet it feels so exciting due to NextGen rarely ever including such details.

X Marks the Spot

Returning to the expected part of the paytable now, we’ll take a look at the series of free games you can win, once you’ve got up to five map icons. The maps can only show up on the last three reels, making them more of a challenge to find than the chests, however the wait is worth it.

You see, rather than merely giving you a couple of waves and then calling it a day, the pirates of Gold Ahoy have as many as 30 games for you to play. What is more, the wins during this time have a x4 multiplier placed on them. These extra spins can be retriggered, as can the Chest Bonus, which in turn will experience multiplied wins as well, thus making it even more worthwhile.

No Gamble

For us, when writing these reviews, the lack of a gamble feature isn’t worth mentioning, however Gold Ahoy presents an interesting case. The reason being is that the paytable still lists what to expect from the gamble option, even though it doesn’t exist for this slot machine.

We can appreciate that due to the design they always use, it’s easier to add the information on at the end, but surely they can leave it off when there’s no gamble to play? It’s rather misleading, especially for those who aren’t well versed in playing slot machines. This rather small but niggling feature is one that takes away from the improvements that the brand have made with this game, e.g. the pick me bonus.

Pirate Slots A Plenty

Pirates are a big part of the online gaming community, and so finding another slot for you to play wasn’t hard, it was downright easy. We decided upon the 5-reels of Pirates Arrr Us, a Merkur game that is attractive, albeit for a different reason than those we associate with Gold Ahoy.

The interface for one is a lot more cartoony and illustrative, but that’s a charming addition for an online game, for it adds a sense of innocence to the grid. In terms of the paytable, there’s not much variance to be found at all, with Merkur letting the simplicity of the gameplay do all the talking.

Striking Gold!

Gold Ahoy is a fun little number from NextGen Gaming but, like many of their titles, it’s much of the same. Fortunately that familiarity is countered by the inclusion of a bonus round, allowing for a greater experience in general. If you’ve tired of the brand in the past, we’d definitely recommend trying this slot on for size.