I can wrap my head around the names of most of the shark-themed slots we have reviewed – Shark Frenzy, for example, makes immediate sense – but what on earth is a Shark Wash? I’ve been thinking about it for a few minutes now and haven’t come up with anything … perhaps it’s a surfing term? Or something to do with when a shark attacks a boat? Alas, maybe I’ll drop Relax Gaming a note and ask them; there must be some kind of explanation, right? Casting the name aside for a moment, this is a 1,024-payway machine with a 5,000x jackpot and a 96.06% RTP, increasing slightly to 96.5% if the bonus buy facility is utilised.
Once I started to look at the game a little closer, I began to suspect that today was one of those games where I was the one kid at the party who didn’t get the joke! All of the sharks that feature on the reels of Shark Wash are busy holding soap, cloths, or bubble bath – it seems that these are just sharks who are getting a wash then… fair enough, Relax! When they aren’t busy doing the dishes, these sharks also know about sticky wilds – albeit ones that come with a countdown feature that will eventually remove them from the playfield! The main bonus round is a free spins feature that can award between 7 and 15 free spins depending on the number of triggering scatter symbols, but the best part is that the sticky wilds are truly sticky during this part of the game! Better yet, a bonus buy facility is included at the cost of 80x the current bet.
I’m not sure that I like the idea of getting in the bath with a bunch of sharks personally… if you’re feeling a little more adventurous than I am, go ahead and try our free demo slot of Shark Wash – it’s available to play below.
| Provider | Relax Gaming |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 4 |
| Paylines | 1,024 |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.10 - 200 |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 5,000x |
| Bonus Buy | Yes |
| RTP | 96.06% |
| Our Rating | 7.6 |
Shark Wash Slot Casino Bonuses
Shark Wash Slot Free Play
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Shark Wash Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
I assume Relax figured there are already enough traditional shark-themed games out there with titles such as Shark Frenzy, Razor Shark, and Six Wild Sharks. I guess the conversation went something along the lines of: “Pah! That’s just sharks being sharks! Do you know what would be more interesting? Sharks getting a bubble bath!” … who knows, maybe they were drunk? Whatever the story, Shark Wash is a nice-looking machine, and whilst the theme is obviously silly, it certainly is fun!
The paytable is headed up by four high-paying shark symbols – the red guy with the huge gold chain is the most generous of the bunch, paying 15x the total bet for a full payway of five of a kind. Behind him sits a more business-like shark – he’s carrying a clipboard to ensure that he looks important and offers a return of 7x for all five symbols. The green guy carrying a basket of soap is worth 3.5x for a complete payway, whilst the blue shark completes the line-up with returns of 2.5x for a five of a kind combination. As for the low pays, those are represented by the four playing card suits, and all share equal returns of 1.2x for all five symbols.
Shark Wash permits bets between €0.10 and €200.00 per spin in free-play mode. That’s a wide range, and whilst the lower section is filled with plenty of intermediate bets, the north end has huge jumps of up to €25.00 between permitted wagers. I very much doubt that too many players will be troubled by this, though – does anybody really play at more than €50.00 per round?
Base Game & Modifiers
The base game doesn’t hold too many surprises but does use an enlarged reel set with five columns of four rows each. This creates a total of 1,024 payways, and you’ll need to hit at least three matching symbols on adjacent reels starting from the left to score a win. There is one special feature of note that can really help you with this.
Countdown Wild Feature
The wild symbols in Shark Wash are sticky and have a counter that starts at a random point between one and five, then decreases by one each time it is involved in a winning combination. When the counter attached to the wild reaches zero, it will be removed from play. Additionally, the starting value of each wild symbol is always stored in the wild meter shown to the left of the playfield.
Shark Wash Slot Bonus Features
Bonus scatter symbols are included on all five of the games’ reels, but only three are needed to trigger a bonus round. A minimum three scatter trigger will award seven free spins, increasing to 10 or 15 spins for four or five scatters, respectively.
Free Spins
In this mode, the countdown wild symbols present during the base game have their counters removed and are instead persistent for the entirety of the feature! This makes wilds extremely valuable during the free spins. Additionally you can win extra spins whilst the feature is active – one spin for every bonus scatter that lands on the reels.
Bonus Buy
Sticky wild features are a personal favourite of mine, so I was pleased to spot that Relax had included a bonus buy facility in Shark Wash! The price of using this feature seems reasonable, too – just 80x the current bet will get you at least three scatters during the next spin and potentially even four or five!
Pros
- Well-presented game with a fun-but-silly theme.
- Countdown wilds help to spice up the base game.
- The sticky wilds bonus round has the potential to be hugely lucrative!
Cons
- It doesn’t seem fair to enforce a jackpot cap of 5,000x in a game with the features this one offers.
Final Thoughts
This should be a no-brainer – it’s a great-looking slot with a generous bonus round – but the 5,000x jackpot cap is nowhere near enough for a 1,024-payway game with sticky wild symbols. You can be sure that plenty of players are going to run into that limit during the next few months, and whilst I assume RTP factors in that possibility, it still feels hugely unfair.
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