By Betsoft
RTP 96.49%
Min bet $0.25
Max bet $125
Max Win bet x 6640
Popularity Low
Min bet $0.25
Max bet $125
Max Win bet x 6640
Gamble Feature Cascading reels, Non standard reels, Freespins, Wilds, Max. win
Layout 5x3
Devices Desktop, Mobile
Configurable Winlines No
Volatility Medium
Progressive Jackpot No
Betsoft’s one of a kind game called Birds! gives the term birdwatching a whole new meaning. People who find pleasure in this pastime do it for a chance to catch a glimpse of a rare bird. Those who play Birds! the online slot do it for a chance to land fine feathered friends of the same kind in exchange for cash prizes.
Birds! has a maximum payout potential of up to 830,000 coins or 6,640x your bet. Maybe this amount isn’t stupendous, but the point here is that the winning outcomes come about in a gameplay that is fun and rather unique.
Precisely, the payout system is cascading wins which cause birds of a matching kind to fly away and leave space for a new set of birds to fly in. Each ‘spin’ or ‘flight’ sends one set of 15 birds away and brings along a new set on the electric cables representing a reel set of 3×5.
I enjoyed playing the game as much as I could. It did take some time before I got bored with it. I think it was a combination of the sweet graphic design, the soundtrack and the specifications. Birds! has a theoretical RTP of 96.49% and medium volatility that can make winning outcomes swing between low and medium for the most part.
The premise may sound cheesy but the cool graphic design takes care that it actually isn’t. The game has lots of animation and each bird has its own unique personality. At the start, I mostly distinguished them by colour but with time I’d catch myself hearing a blurb, “oh – there come the purple birdies”. I hope this isn’t a tell-tale sign of me losing some marbles, but who cares anyway.
Come to think of it, even though Birds! is a bit dated seen from this point in time, it can feel refreshing nevertheless, amidst the plethora of ‘serious’ themes out there. So if anyone is up for a cheer, the hooting, warbling and chirping can amount to a fun-loving soundtrack.
For starters, Birds! comes with a Wild symbol that can substitute for any of the other ten species of birds. Sadly, this is the only ‘extra’ symbol, but that doesn’t mean the game is all plucked feathers.
The words above translate into ‘Free Spins’ and that’s exactly what you’ll get if Birds! treats you to four or more concurrent winning outcomes. Four flights in a row trigger 8 free spins, five flights trigger 12 free spins and six flights trigger 20 free spins.
The game leaves room for the probability of getting seven winning outcomes in a row which awards 14 or more flights plus the number of triggering flights – something which I never got to see.
This may be the only extra feature but if the Birds! serve you well, you may get to see one or more retriggering events. This is where the maximum payout potential comes to roost.
Typical for Betsoft games from the previous decade is the Double Up option which is a game of Heads or Tails. Each coin flip can result in the value of your winning outcome getting doubled. One tip from me is that I never put to the stake winning outcomes that I consider bigger than the usual. On the other hand, petty payouts are fit to gamble for a chance to catch the game in a giving frenzy that can last for three or four good coin flips.
One of the highlights of Bids! is that the gameplay isn’t constrained by paylines. Three or more matching birds need to be adjacent to one another or form a horizontal or vertical row for a payout.
Considering the payouts are expressed in credits, knowing how much you are getting from your winning outcome just by watching the birds can be tricky. You need to wait for the winning ‘flights’ to be over and then scope out the figure at the bottom of the screen.
Nevertheless, each bird that is part of a winning outcome adds to the tally its value. So, if there are three pink birds, the win expressed in credits is 9 and this figure is multiplied by the coin value and divided by the total bet.
The payouts are as follows:
The paytable’s structure doesn’t mean much seen in this light, but I can say that you can gain your bet back starting with three green birds.
Bonus type: No Deposit, Low Wagering, Free Play, Sign Up, Free Money, Welcome Bonus, Registration
Min Deposit: No Deposit
Bonus type: Coupon, Code, Welcome Bonus, Registration, Sign Up, Deposit Bonus, First Deposit Bonus
Min Deposit: $10
Wagering: 60x
Conclusion
I really enjoyed playing Birds! but it ran its course. I think that I would have liked to consider playing again had there been one or two minigames for bonus features. Be as it may, at times Birds! can arrange for a surprise. Those successive ‘flights’ can result in winning combinations that are decent and the Wild symbol does well to connect bigger clusters – that is, when you catch a glimpse of it in the company of matching symbols.
Overall, I do recommend the game. It may not be around for too long, so if you get a chance, try it.
