Ice Lobster Slot

In 1979, America’s alt-pop group, the B-52, released a song called Rock Lobster. Those who know it are likely to be where I am right now, singing the song with the change of lyrics and using Ice Lobster instead. It’s perhaps sad to know that this is where the game peaks, with its title.

Anyway, I’m sad to say that it is true, and in my review of the Ice Lobster casino game by Pragmatic Play, I will detail everything about the gameplay, the features, and the software. It will very quickly become apparent that this is one of the most generic games made by the developer. They seemingly have a soft spot for all things aquatic and are tied to fishing, but this has them going around in circles. 

Ice Lobster is far from rocking. If you have played any of the Big Bass slots by Pragmatic Play before, then Ice Lobster is about to become very familiar. The design for Ice Lobster sets the slot encased in iced columns under the sea. The background to this game sees several lobsters and fish doing what they do, with bubbles floating up from the coral floor. It’s crisp and very blue, and there is animation to it. 

The slot layout provides a classic 3-row and 5-reel game with 20 paylines. Unlike many slot games, Ice Lobster allows its players to win across multiple paylines should more than one arrangement land from a single spin. Normally, its “highest win pays out.”

The symbols that can appear on the reels are a fisherman, a fishing tackle, a lifebuoy ring, a fishing rod, and a fishing net. These are the higher valued symbols, and interestingly, not crab cage, given it's about catching lobsters. The weaker symbols are made up of A, K, Q, J, and 10. The Wild symbol is a golden fish lure, and the money symbols are the various lobsters that come with highlighted values. 

The slot is very simple to play, as is any casino game. When you find Ice Lobster inside your casino online, load the game and begin by setting the betting cost. With Ice Lobster, bets per spin start at $0.20, and prices rise to $240 per spin, which is the maximum bet. When you have set this betting limit, you can begin the game by selecting the spin button.

To formulate a win, you need three or more of the same symbols to land within any of the 20 paylines. The patterns for these paylines are found inside the game’s paytable. Select the information button, and the paytable will reveal the payline patterns, the symbol values, and the game rules. It will also cover details on how to play.

Ice Lobster is about 99% automated, like all casino slot machines. You only need to press the spin button, and what follows is purely down to luck or fate.

Ice Lobster comes with one main special feature, and this is the Free Spins bonus. To launch the bonus round, you need to land the bonus scatter symbols, which are the lobster and anchor. If you land three of the symbols, you will receive eight bonus free spins. Four symbols return 12 free spins, and all five scatter symbols give you 15 free spins.

This round of play is the only time the game’s money symbols come into play. They will contain various values that are multipliers of your wager. At their lowest, prizes will be 0.5x your bet, but at their highest, the cash symbols will be 1,000x your bet. You will receive one free spin if you land a scatter symbol during play.

When the game begins, the positions where the scatter symbols are become highlighted as cages. Should any money symbols land in these spots during the free spins, then the values are multiplied by two. Should six symbols be triggered by this double reward, then after, the multiplier increases to x3.

Ice Lobster does come with a Bonus Buy slots feature, which means you can ignore the base game and buy your way into the bonus round. The cost is 100 times the amount you are wagering per spin, so it is both costly and risky. 

Ice Lobster is a game with qualities and features that, unfortunately, I have seen thousands of times before. Was I excited to play this game? No. Ice Lobster is the very epitome of what is wrong and lazy about gaming software developers. Yes, the design and look of the game are all very glossy and new, but the mechanics are all the same. It’s all too easy for them to just keep coming up with new designs, but the substance of gameplay is often a challenge to create, it would seem. 

I loaded Ice Lobster at my favorite online casino, played with my spins set at $2, and played 50 spins in its autoplay mode. My first spin landed a Superb Win of $100, which was five fishing rods. Six spins later, I got a Mega Win of $60. I notice that the Wild symbol lands a lot of the time, like a weird amount. Halfway through my spins, the wins dry up, but my balance is healthy. As my spins came to an end, several chances to land the bonus came up, and surely enough, with four spins left, I landed three scatters to activate the free spins round. I won $63.20 in total.

Well, I didn’t expect that. I have to say, while the game offers absolutely no entertainment, my experience was financially positive. I cashed out $145.80, and, yeah, I might have to try this game again.

The maximum amount you can win is 5,000x your wager. The max bet playable is $240, which makes the jackpot $1,200,000! The RTP of this slot is 96.53%, which is average but surprisingly good considering the jackpot value. The volatility, however, is not a surprise, as Ice Lobster comes with a high program setting.  This means winning can be hard, which makes my experience an anomaly.

I think my experience was a total one-off. There is luck in the world, and then there is just stupid luck, which I experienced. This game does nothing, but it did all the right things in the end. Let me just say this: if you want a game with some substance, then it’s not this one. If, however, you just want a simple game without the frills and the features, then this game is for you. 

I would also, therefore, recommend that you play the following slots:

• Big Bass: Secrets of the Golden Lake by Pragmatic Play
• Wild Wild Bass 2 by Stakelogic
• Ugliest Catch by NoLimit City

These games are available to play in their demos, and Casinos.com can also guide you to the best casinos online to play them all for real money.