Diamond Queen, developed and produced by IGT as both a land-based and instant-play online Video Slots machine, features 5 reels and 20 playable paylines. The betting range is 0.01 to 10 per payline bet, and wagers can be made in Pounds, Euros or US Dollars.
The theoretical RTP is 92.97% to 96.08%, and the top Jackpot in the regular game is 1,000 credits per line bet, or 20,000 credits if all paylines are active. For busy players who want to cram in as much action as possible, the Auto Spin feature allows the reels to keep turning automatically as they carry on with other things, while the Free Play mode allows the game to be played or no deposit. This gives players a chance to get comfortable and build confidence before they stake any real money.
Game Layout and Design
Diamond Queen has the atmosphere of a fairy tale or Arthurian legend, compete with ornately worked reels and magical-sounding background music. The standard playing card symbols of J, Q, K and A are the lower-value icons on the reels, while a Wizard, Apprentice, Sceptre, Tiara and the game logo make up the higher-value regular reel symbols.
Winning combinations are accompanied by impressive animations, and players can choose the resolution they most prefer for these and other game features to function well. The Best mode shows off the visuals at their finest, but the online slots in NZ game’s performance may suffer depending on what machine it’s being played on. The High setting is the default but is lower-quality than the Best mode, while the Medium setting is lower than the High. Graphics are most degraded in the Low mode, but this does ensure smooth animations and gameplay on slower devices.
Special Features and Bonus Games
The Diamond Queen herself is the game’s Wild Symbol, able to substitute for any regular reel symbol and make up winning combinations. In the base game, the Wild Symbol does not appear on Reel 1. The Mystical Diamond Bonus Scatter Symbol is the only icon that the Queen can’t stand in for, and appears on Reels 2 to 4 only.
Scatter wins are awarded when the symbols appear in the centre of Reels 2, 3 or 4 on any activated paylines, and any 2 will double the payout. When 3 appear the Mystical Diamond Free Spins Bonus Round is triggered. Here, like many of the Bonus Rounds in IGT’s Video Slots games, wins are guaranteed thanks to the game’s special features. The Round introduces Stacked Wilds, so that the entire second reel is Wild for the first spin and then locked, followed by the third reel in the second spin and the fourth reel in the third. Extra Spin symbols on the first reel trigger additional free spins with the Stacked Wilds that are currently locked, and up to 20 of these additional free turns can be earned. When the Bonus Round is finished, players are returned to the Diamond Queen base game and their Free Spin takings are added to the win total.