Da Vinci Diamonds Slot Review
Da Vinci Diamonds is a classic slot game from IGT, the same studio that gave the world Cleopatra. This 20-payline, gem-themed slot blends base game features and free spins with a renaissance style—it’s unique, and it’s fun, but it was also developed back in 2012. So, how does this slot hold up against newer titles?
Da Vinci Diamonds Slot—The Gameplay
Although there is a general renaissance/Da Vinci theme to this slot, it leans more toward the retro/classic style. The only thing that brings out the artistic theme is the inclusion of paintings as main symbols, including the Mona Lisa, Da Vinci’s most-famous painting and the game’s biggest symbol after the logo.
Some decade-old slots have stood the test of time. Starburst is a prime example. Launched in the same year as Da Vinci Diamonds, it opts for a simple theme and doesn’t overcomplicate things. Da Vinci Diamonds doesn’t hold up as well.
The backdrop is black, the grid design is relatively straightforward, and while it introduces a Tumbling Reels feature into the base game, it feels a little clunkier than modern iterations like Sumo Supreme Megaways.
The audio is simple, opting more for a retro fruit style than any kind of Renaissance-inspired tune, but it’s not too bad. The only issue is the ringing sound that follows a payout. If it’s a big payout, it goes on for a very long time and is akin to someone running their fingernails down a blackboard.
Still, Tumbling Reels always improves the slot gaming experience. The potential of turning one spin into a chain reaction of wins keeps this game interesting, even if the free spins feature doesn’t land. If those free spins do hit, things get really interesting, and you’ll start to welcome those previously annoying screeches!
Da Vinci Diamonds Features
Tumbling Reels, also known as Cascading Reels, is a massively popular feature these days and can be found on countless Megaways slots. But this feature goes way back. Da Vinci Diamonds uses a version of it, and this 2012 release wasn’t even the first, as Gonzo’s Quest got there a couple of years earlier.
Still, it’s good to see a “modern” feature on a slot that’s well over a decade old. Most players will be familiar with it, butif you’re new to online slots, it’s pretty simple:
- The game starts with an empty grid
- The symbols fall into place
- Winning symbols (connections of three or more) disappear
- New symbols fall into the empty spaces
- If there are more wins, the process repeats
If three of the bonus symbols land, you’ll get six free spins. Tumbling Reels remain active during this feature, and the standard symbols get a boost. Three or four of the logo symbols now award twice as much, portrait symbols trigger scatter pays, and if you get more of the bonus symbols, you can trigger as many as 15 free spins.
It’s not the biggest or most action-packed feature, but the presence of Tumbling Reels means it’s far from a standard bonus. It’s always exciting when you trigger a free spins feature on a Tumbling/Cascading Reels title, and Da Vinci Diamonds is no exception.
Takeaway
At a basic level, the Da Vinci Diamonds slot hits all the right notes. There are four different ways to win 500x or more in the base game alone; it includes free spins that can be re-triggered, and there are Tumbling Reels active on every spin. In that way, it’s a lot like the aforementioned Starburst, as it nails the basics and doesn’tbother with all the bells and whistles seen in modern slot games.
However, it feels very clunky. It lacks the polish of other Tumbling Reels slots. It also has an RTP of 94.94%, which is a good percentage or two lower than some of the industry’s biggest retro-themed games.
The issue is not that it’s an old slot. After all, Gonzo’s Quest is older, and games like Mega Moolah, which is still very popular, were created several years before Da Vinci Diamonds. The issue is that it didn’t really have much star power back then, and while it has gone down as a classic in the annals of slot history, it’s not quite on the same level as the other online slot games mentioned in this review.
Does that mean you should ignore it? Not at all. It’ll be a fun game for fans of vintage slots and Tumbling Reels, as well as those who like to chase big symbol payouts without all the usual features, rules, and gimmicks getting in the way.
