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The partnership between Universal and NetEnt brings us another old movie turned video slot. This time, it’s a creeping evil lurking beneath the waters of a seemingly idyllic lake. Everything is bright and peaceful.. until the monster shows its ugly mug. At that point, you have to dive beneath the waters to save the beautiful woman it kidnapped! And if you manage to slay the beast, you will be treated to even better prizes!
The audio alternates between peaceful and creepy, always keeping you on your toes. Creature of the Black Lagoon’s RTP is 96.5%, which is higher than the current average. The game hides all of its good prizes behind special features, and makes them quite difficult to activate. As a result, all bonuses: sticky Wilds, spreading Wilds, and free spins are great value for money. After all, each free spin has a chance to win 750x your total stake.
The slot stays true to its 1950’s movie roots, right down to the screen transitions and animations. NetEnt released it back in 2013, so it looks somewhat outdated now.. Outside of free spins, there’s really not much to do. Significant prizes are incredibly rare, and you will have plenty of times when you can’t land a single win. The only reason you’d play Creature from the Black Lagoon is for the jackpot. And there are plenty of other games that offer a better one. Burning Desire by Microgaming is one of them.
High volatility and engaging gameplay go together like cats and mice. We have to commend NetEnt for trying, at the very least. Sticky Wilds will occasionally appear, and can be quite useful if you’re somewhat lucky. But for the vast majority of your time, you will be spinning again and again with nothing interesting happening. Such is the curse of high variance – big prizes demand sacrifices.
Coins can be set between ₹1.00 up to ₹50.00 per spin. By changing their coin value and bet level, players are able to change their total bet. The minimum stake is ₹20, while the maximum wager is a massive ₹1000 for each spin. This bet spread will be great for casual and mid-range gamblers. However, high rollers aren’t able to go all out, which will turn some of them away.
Each symbol on the board is unique, which we like. Their animations are simplistic, but also reveal the ‘dual’ nature of Creature from the Black Lagoon. Daggers will stab while humans will struggle, fight or flee. The most valuable icon is Kay, who pays 750x your total stake. The game’s logo is the Wild, while the letters Free Spin are a Scatter.
Wilds: During normal gameplay, Wilds are sticky. When they land on the reel, they will stay in place, while the reels around them re-spin once. During free spins, Wilds can be upgraded to become spreading Wilds. They retain their sticky nature, but will now also occupy additional positions, making them more valuable.
Free Spins: Three, four or five Scatters reward ten, fifteen or twenty extra turns. During this bonus, you fight against the monster beneath the waves, to save the beautiful blonde.
Fighting the Monster: During each free spin, there is a chance for a target symbol to appear on the fifth reel. If it does, the monster will appear and get shot, lowering its health. You can track its health by looking at the meter in the bottom right corner of the screen. The meter is split into three levels. When you damage it enough, you unlock a new level, which upgrades your Wilds. Killing the monster adds ten more free spins to be played.
Creature from the Black Lagoon is stuck in the awkward era of slots transitioning into being fully digital. It was clearly ahead of its time, but it simply cannot compare to modern graphics. It’s a shame, because NetEnt handled the theme quite well. Seemingly peaceful on the outside with a lurking horror just waiting to be unleashed.
We cannot say the same for the gameplay and cash prizes, however. With its high volatility, we expected a much better end jackpot. We have played medium variance releases that had a higher maximum prize than this slot. As a result, we cannot recommend Creature from the Black Lagoon.