Scruffy Duck Slot Review
There is definitely no shortage of animal-themed slot games out there. As you are reading this, a few might already be coming to mind. However, this has to be the first one inspired solely by ducks.
Scruffy Duck is a video slot developed by NetEnt which offers a 5×3 reel set and 25 fixed paylines. This slot is no ugly duckling fairytale, instead, it is centered on a modern-day duck family consisting of a home-making mother, corporate world father, and a whole string of hatchlings.
On a different note, the storyline is definitely not the most exciting feature about this slot. Scruff Duck features five different types of free spins, four different wild symbols, and stacked wilds. Each feature is better than the last. If you are looking for unique gameplay and features, give Scruffy Duck a try.
How to Play Scruffy Duck Slot?
Scruffy Duck features 5 reels and 3 rows. The slot is played on 25 fixed bet lines, 1 to 10 bet levels, and different coin values. In addition to this, both the bet level and coin values can be set using sliders.
All winning combinations and payouts are made according to the paytable, so be sure to check that out. Wins are awarded if winning symbol combinations appear from left to right on adjacent reels. If multiple wins take place simultaneously on different bet lines then all winnings are added. The highest payouts are given for combinations consisting of ducks. Lower payouts are given for winning combinations that contain the playing card symbols A, K, J, and Q.
Scruffy Duck acts as the wild and transforms into a handsome swan when he expands. The expanding wild feature is activated whenever the wild forms part of a matching symbol combination. When the wild covers the entire reel it could lead to even more winning symbol combinations.
Scruffy Duck also features stacked symbols in both the free spins round and in the base game. Stacked symbols cover either only part of or an entire reel. Any part of a stacked duck can form part of a winning symbol combination.
Additional Game Features
Scruffy Duck has two additional features namely an Expanding Wild and Free Spins. The free spins feature is probably the most exciting feature in this game and you will see why in just a minute.
The expanding wild symbol (represented by a swan) can appear in both the base game and the Free Spins round. It can substitute all symbols except for the free spins symbol. As the name suggests, an expanding wild expands to cover an entire reel. Expanding wilds can appear on any reel, except for the duration of Colossal Wild where it can only appear on reels 1 and 5.
The free spins round is triggered when three free spin symbols (a red ribbon with the words Free Spins on it) land anywhere on reels 3-5 during the main game. Now onto the most exciting part. The free spins round have five features: symbol removal, colossal wild, multiplier feature, random wild, and a double feature.
At the start of the free spins round, you must select a duck. Each duck represents one of the above features. And each feature has an assigned number of free spins: the multiplier has 15 spins, the symbol removal has 12 spins, the colossal wild has 10 spins, random wilds have 8 spins, and the double feature comes with 6 spins. You should also note that free spins cannot be retriggered.
Game Design
Forget the ugly duckling and meet Scruffy Duck, a cartoon duck from the pond. The design of the slot is very playful as each of the characters looks like they have stepped off the pages of a fairytale book. In addition to this, the animations are crisp and the colours are bright.
The highest paying symbols are the various ducks. The wilds are represented by swans of different sizes. There are no clear borders between the reels as everything seems to take place in the pond. The reels are set in a pond surrounded by frogs and lotus flowers.
While the most popular symbol or character is the duck, no two ducks look alike. Each brings their own unique personality to the game and some come across as playful while others seem to be there for formality’s sake. Other symbols include card values hatching out of eggshells.
What we can say is that NetEnt did a great job in keeping to the theme. They somehow managed to put a more modern spin on a genre that has already been adapted so many times before. Little details such as the dad’s mobile device and the boom box add to the modern feel of the slot. Scruffy Duck is definitely one for the modern millennial slot player.
Scruffy Duck Slot Review Summary
It is so easy to think that a certain theme has been done too many times before and there could not possibly be any more to it. However, NetEnt has proven that if gone about it the right way an old theme could be made unique and exciting.
One of the features that contribute to the excitement of Scruffy Duck is its various additional features. The playful slot immediately turns into a game to be reckoned with. Furthermore, this slot has so many features and wilds and free spins that they could be hard to keep track of, but they are also what makes everything so entertaining. The features are just so unexpected yet so welcome. So if you are looking for a slot out of the ordinary, Scruffy Duck might just be for you. Take it for a spin and see for yourself.
