Cursed Seas

Review Cursed Seas

Although the seas in this game are treacherous, venturing into them is well worth the risk. Cursed Seas takes players on an exhilarating pirate-themed journey, where a Kraken guards a hidden treasure. In addition to the standard 5-reel setup, this Hacksaw Gaming release offers an unusual number of paylines, with 26 in total. The game features unique visual elements, with brownish reels adorned with dark symbols. The background of the game showcases a majestic pirate ship navigating massive waves. Surprisingly, the piano music creates a soothing and delightful atmosphere. This expert review of Cursed Seas provides an in-depth exploration of the game’s options and bonuses, including bonus games and multipliers.

How to Play

Cursed Seas is a recently launched online pokie developed by Hacksaw Gaming, featuring a 6×6 grid layout. This exciting title is available at various online casinos in New Zealand that offer Hacksaw Gaming titles. Let us guide you through the gameplay:

• Whilst it may appear that the Cursed Seas pokie has limited buttons, accessing the menu reveals a lot more options, including sound, music, turbo, super turbo, and information.
• Adjust your bet using the up and down arrows according to your balance and risk preference.
• Next to the larger spin button, you’ll find the autoplay feature. Advanced settings allow you to set loss and single win limits, promoting responsible gambling.
• Even when playing in demo mode, it is beneficial to set limits and bet sensibly to create an authentic experience and develop good habits.
• The only button remaining is the spin button.
• Remember to take breaks during gameplay and enjoy your adventure!

Symbol Wins

Cursed Seas transports you to a fantasy world where your piggy banks come to life, filled with enchanting magic. The reels are set against stacks of gold coins and cash, whilst golden piggies bounce around in the background, creating a cheerful atmosphere. The low values are represented by royal cards from 10 to Ace in the colour of money-green. High-value symbols include classic fruits and horseshoes. The diamond symbol is the highest paying one, offering payouts of 30x your bet for combinations of five. To boost your chances of winning, the wild symbol appears on all reels and can substitute for any regular symbol. Additionally, landing five wilds awards a generous 30x your stake. Here is a clear overview of the different symbol payouts:

Bonus Features

There are 4 bonus features in the Cursed Seas pokie. You have the Cursed Chests, which open to reveal multipliers that can help boost potential wins. You’ve also got a couple of Free Spins features, with one slightly better than the other in terms of potential returns. Read on as we explain how everything works so that you can fully understand it.

Sunken Treasure Bonus Game

Cursed Seas offers four exciting bonus features. The Cursed Chests feature reveals multipliers that can significantly boost your winnings. The game also includes two Free Spins features, with one offering slightly higher potential returns than the other. Let us explain how each feature works, allowing you to fully comprehend the gameplay.

Sunken Treasure Bonus Game:

Activate this bonus feature by landing 3 Lantern Scatters during the base game. You will be rewarded with 10 free spins. Whenever Cursed Chests appear, they will open, creating cursed areas that remain active throughout the bonus round. If a Cursed Chest lands beneath a cursed area, that area on the reel will expand.

The multipliers from the opened Cursed Chests accumulate into a total multiplier above the reels, impacting all cursed areas. Furthermore, all winning combinations passing through cursed areas are multiplied by the total multiplier. If you manage to land additional Lantern Scatters on the reels during the free spins, the following rewards await:

• 2 Scatters: 2 Extra Free Spins.
• 3 Scatters: 4 Extra Free Spins.
• 4 Scatters: 6 Extra Free Spins.

Dead Men Tell No Tales Bonus Game:

Achieve 4 lantern scatter symbols during the base game to activate this feature, awarding 3 free spins. Only Skull or Kraken symbols can appear in this round. Each reel features a multiplier above it, starting at x1. Landing a Cursed Skull reveals a multiplier that adds to the one above its respective reel, simultaneously creating a Cursed Area from its position to the top of the reel. The Cursed Area expands if a new Cursed Skull lands below it.

Cursed Skulls can possess values ranging from x1 to x500. The Tormented Skull reveals a multiplier of x2 to x25, which multiplies the existing multiplier above the reel where it lands. Kraken symbols appear with values of x1 to x500, adding to the multipliers above all reels. Each new symbol resets the spin count to 3. When the spins run out, the multiplier values at the top of the reels combine with each position in the Cursed Areas, leading to cumulative rewards.

Feature Buy:

Accessing the feature buy menu allows players to activate any of the following options:

• BonusHunt Feature Spins: costs 3x the bet and increases the likelihood of triggering a bonus game by 5x. This option offers very high variance with a maximum RTP of 96.21%.
• Sunken Treasure: costs 100x the bet and provides a highly variance experience with a maximum RTP of 96.26%.
• Dead Men Tell No Tales: costs 200x the bet and offers highly variance gameplay with a maximum RTP of 96.33%.

Payout Metrics

The Cursed Seas pokie features an RTP of 96.22%, surpassing the industry average for online pokies. However, note that there are different RTP versions of the same game available, including 94.24%, 92.21%, and 88.38% variations. The casino game boasts a generous hit frequency of 37%, exceeding that of many other pokies typically ranging in the 20s. In terms of variance, Cursed Seas falls on the higher end of the scale, earning a 4 out of 5 rating from the game provider. The maximum win achievable is 12,500x your total bet, slightly surpassing the typical norm for Hacksaw Gaming pokies, which tend to cap at around 10,000x your stake. The maximum win potential can be attained in the base game, as well as during the Sunken Treasure and Dead Men Tell No Tales bonus features.

Summary

We consider Cursed Seas to be another outstanding release from Hacksaw Gaming. From its captivating visuals to its engaging gameplay, this online pokie game encompasses everything necessary for an exceptional gaming experience. Whilst the bonus features may not be entirely unique, the implementation of cursed areas and Free Spins features adds a nice level of excitement to the gameplay.

With a generous hit frequency of 37%, the potential for 12,500x your bet in maximum wins (albeit rare), and an above-average Return to Player, Cursed Seas possesses all the elements required to make it worthwhile. Considering the game’s variance, we believe it deserves a high rating. Personally, we thoroughly enjoyed the game and definitely recommend trying the demo version before deciding whether to play it with real money.