Casino Bonuses
| Provider | Microgaming |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 3 |
| Paylines | 243 |
| Bonus Rounds | 2 |
| Bet Range | 0.20 - 50 |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 5,000x |
| Bonus Buy | No |
| RTP | 96.08% |
| Our Rating | 7.7 |
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Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Game Overview
I suspect that the title of this slot is intended to be a dual metaphor; the world’s best beaches are often described as being brilliant white – just like a diamond – whilst a beach of diamond-filled sand would also be a very valuable place indeed, representing the supposed riches on offer in Just for the Win’s new online slot Diamond Sands. If you thought that introduction was stating the obvious, I was previously considering going for a technical opener discussing the similarities in how both sand and diamonds are formed, but sadly for you, I kept falling asleep whilst trying to write it. Now, where were we? Ah yes, 243 pay ways, a 96.08% RTP, and a maximum win of 5,000x your bet. Hit the jackpot, and you may even be able to buy yourself a diamond or two!
Whilst playing Diamond Sands, cross your fingers that you can manage to trigger the Diamond Wheel feature; this special wheel contains four jackpot prizes ranging from 20x to 5,000x, and you are guaranteed to receive one of these every time the wheel is triggered. There is also a Sunset Free Spins feature, which is more interesting than a typical free spin bonus round as it awards ten free spins using an entirely different reel set.
This may be one of those games that will prove to be divisive amongst the slots community; for some, the lifestyle represented in games such as this appears desirable and opulent, whilst others consider it to be exaggerated and pretentious – if you happen to fall into either of these two camps, you should probably take your online slots a little less serious and fire up our free demo slot of Diamond Sands for a few spins to help you relax!
Diamond Sands Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
I figured I would do a search for the “high life” and see what came back as a way of opening discussion on the theme of this slot – one of the first games to come up was Stinkin’ Rich and its Slingo variant – Slingo is a combination of slots and bingo, if you are not aware, and can make a fun change from your average slot machine if you have not tried it before. I must say, I found it amusing that Big Time Gaming’s “Danger! High Voltage” also showed up in the search; speaking of which, there is a new “Megapays” variant of that game about to go on general release any day now, which we also have a review of already here at Demoslot. None of these examples is particularly similar to Diamond Sands; however, the nearest match I can think of would be NetEnt’s Mega Fortune Progressive Jackpot slot, but that game is getting a little long in the tooth at this point. I’m surprised that NetEnt hasn’t bothered to release any updated variants by now – Mega Fortune’s nearest competitor, Microgaming’s Mega Moolah, receives much more love from its owners! Come on everybody, can’t you spare some change for poor little homeless Mega Fortune? Maybe if enough of us throw it a few coppers, NetEnt will give us an update in return?
All joking aside, then, let’s check out the base paytable of Diamond Sands. First up, two bottles of champagne in a bucket are the highest-paying symbol on the list and are worth 30x the bet for a full pay way of five-of-a-kind. Surprisingly, a cheap-looking watch is next – I’m sure the graphical design is just an oversight, and that is, in fact, a Rolex and not a Casio – and is worth 20x the current stake for all five of those. An ancient looking camera takes third place, paying 15x the bet for a full pay line, and all of a sudden, I am wondering if this game is more ironic than opulent, after all! Finally, a cocktail will pay you 12.5x for a full five-of-a-kind combination. As ever, there is a handful of low-paying symbols as well – two casino chips bearing spades and hearts worth 5x for a full pay line and two more bearing clubs and diamonds, which will pay you 4x for a five-of-a-kind line of those.
As for the betting range, there are ten possible wagering options on the list in Diamond Sands. These start at €0.20 per spin and max out at €50.00 per spin, but as I’m sure you can imagine, with only eight intervals between the two extremes, there could be many players who cannot find a wager that suits their preferred betting style.
Base Game & Modifiers
Whilst Diamond Sands may resemble a progressive jackpot slot, it is, in fact, just a regular machine that happens to look like one. The game has five reels of three rows each, and the four jackpot prizes displayed to the left of the reel set are all fixed jackpots which can be won from the Diamond Wheel feature.
Diamond Wheel Trigger
The so-called “Bonus Token” is a star-shaped symbol that has a chance to trigger the Diamond Wheel each time it lands. I wouldn’t say I like the fact that this symbol only has the opportunity to trigger the feature rather than guaranteeing it, especially as the odds of either outcome are not stated on the paytable.
Additionally, the diamond wheel trigger cannot cause a Diamond Wheel Bonus on any spin that also results in a free spins trigger, which must surely be bad for the player.
Diamond Sands Slot Bonus Features
The Diamond Sands online slot includes two main bonus rounds; first, we have the wheel feature, which can only be triggered from the base game, and second, there is a free spins bonus round which is a lot more interesting than it sounds. Let’s check out these features in more detail.
Diamond Wheel Feature
The bonus token triggers the diamond wheel feature explained in the previous section but hitting a bonus token does not guarantee you will see the Diamond Wheel. Once you do make it here, however, you can be sure of winning one of the four jackpot prizes, which are worth the amounts listed below:
- “BIG” Jackpot – This bizarrely named prize is worth the lowest of the four jackpots, at just 20x your bet.
- “MAJOR” jackpot – Pays 50x the current stake
- “MEGA” jackpot – Pays 250x the current stake
- “DIAMOND” jackpot – The most valuable prize of the bunch, and the one which you are sure almost never to see, is worth 5,000x the current bet.
Free Spins
Free spins features’ these days usually fall into two camps – the regular kind and the three-spin kind. This feature combines elements of both, making it unique and interesting.
The regular symbols on the reels will be replaced before the feature begins, with the new reel strips including only three different symbols – the free spins symbol, the diamond symbol, and the collect symbol.
The first two symbols can appear on all five reels, whilst the collect symbols only appear on reel five. You will need to hit a collect symbol on each spin to win the prizes shown on the other reels; otherwise, the prizes shown are useless.
There is a free spins progression meter that is divided into five levels, each with its own multiplier. The higher levels of the meter are unlocked by collecting diamond symbols during your bonus round, and each time you unlock a new level, five extra free spins will be awarded on top of your initial ten.
The feature will end when you either run out of spins or reach the end of the fifth level of the progression meter, after which you would have played 35 free spins. Unfortunately, you cannot trigger the Diamond Wheel Feature during free spins.
Diamond Sands Slot Review Final Thoughts
However you feel about the extravagance on display in the theme of this slot; it is still a fun game to play. The stated top prize of 5,000x your bet is undoubtedly true, as you can win it via the jackpot wheel. I do feel the developer could be just a tiny bit disingenuous as I don’t think it is realistic to win such an amount via any other method. This didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the game, but I still felt it was important to point out.
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