Broadsiders

Broadsiders Review

Broadsiders slot takes you on a swashbuckling pirate adventure somewhere in the Carrebian, with a unique hexagonal 4-5-6-7-6-5-4 treasure island grid at the center of attention. It’s surrounded by shark-infested waters, and the pirate ship is anchored up for some cannon-blasting action to unearth the buried treasures. You can dig up multipliers as well as different multiplier upgrades, but let’s cover the basics first.

You start by choosing your bet level between €0.2 and €100 per spin, catering to both risk-averse players and high rollers. Winning combinations are formed when 5 to 25+ matching symbols land in a cluster anywhere on the grid, and clusters connect both horizontally and/or vertically. The regular pay symbols are all gems of different shapes and colors, awarding 25x to 150x for 25+ in a cluster. On the low end, the same symbols pay 0.2x to 2.5x for 5 in a cluster.

In addition to pay symbols, you will also benefit from cannon symbols that blast away pay symbols in different patterns and activate both extra and bonus positions. This expands the grid, increasing your cluster-winning chances while also serving as wild symbols. The cannon symbols are present as long as the cascading sequence lasts, or until they misfire and explode in random patterns. This removes symbols to keep your winning streak going.

When cannon blasts hit special galleon symbols on the bonus positions, multipliers are activated and potentially upgraded via treasure chest symbols. These can boost your payouts up to the 15,000x win cap (which increases to 30,000x with an ante bet active or via the bonus buy feature). Activated extra and bonus positions remain active for the duration of the bonus round, with more frequent cannons landing. Broadsiders slot boasts an RTP of 96.62 %, well above average, but be mindful of the high volatility.

Broadsiders Features

There are plenty of features to cover in Broadsiders, including cannon modifiers removing symbols, activating extra positions, and triggering multiplier boosts. Let’s dive in!

Cluster Pays and Cascading Reels

Thanks to the Cluster Pays win system, winning combinations can form anywhere on the grid. All winning symbols are removed via the Cascading mechanic, with existing and new symbols dropping down to fill the gaps. This process repeats indefinitely as long as new winning combinations are formed.

Cannon Modifiers

Different types of Cannon symbols can land on any given spin, firing in unique ways to activate up to 17 extra regular positions. In addition, the cannons can activate up to 24 bonus positions that award different modifiers. We will get into the modifiers in the next segment, and simply focus on the cannon types here.

Cannons serve as Wild symbols as long as they are present on the grid, and each present cannon refires one time per cascade until it misfires. When a misfire occurs, the cannon wild is removed, and a random number of surrounding symbols is also exploded. This triggers the cascading mechanic, and below is an overview of the different cannons you can land:

• Simple Cannon - fires in a single direction.
• Multi Cannon - fires in 2 to 6 directions.
• Buckshot Cannon - fires in one direction but affects up to 3 symbol lines.
• Siege Cannon - fires a curved arc that affects the first layer of locked positions.
• Bombardier Cannon - fires in a random direction to explode a circle of symbols.
• Ricochet Cannon - fires a single shot that bounces around to hit random positions.
• Berserker Cannon - fires multiple shots in different random directions.

Win Multipliers and Multiplier Upgrades

The outermost positions are the bonus positions, revealing Galleon and Treasure Chest symbols at random times and positions in each corner of the grid. When a cannon fires and hits a Galleon symbol, a random multiplier is revealed to boost the current win. Multiple multipliers are added together, and hitting treasure chests reveals one of the following modifier upgrades:

• +X - adds its value to all present multipliers.
• Double Bubble - doubles all present multipliers.
• Poop Deck - increases all multipliers randomly.
• Top Deck - increases all multipliers to equal the highest value present.

Broadsiders Free Spins Bonus

The Bonus Round triggers when you land 3, 4, 5, or 6 pirate skull scatter symbols in view, awarding 8, 12, 16, or 20 free spins, respectively. The feature plays out similarly to the base game, but with the important difference that activated extra positions and bonus positions do not reset between spins.

Broadsiders Double Max, Game Enhancers, and Bonus Buy (not UK)

If you are eligible and choose to activate either Enhancers or the Bonus Buy feature, you will automatically benefit from the Double Max feature. This feature doubles the game’s max win from 15,000x to 30,000x your stake. Below is an overview of the available Enhancers and Bonus Buy options found via the ‘M’ button down to the left:

• Enhancer 1 (96.69 % RTP) - pay 2x your stake to increase your bonus round chances by 5x.
• Enhancer 2 (96.61 % RTP) - pay 8x your stake to increase your bonus round chances by 10x.
• Bonus Buy 1 (96.58 % RTP) - pay 100x your stake to get at least 8 free spins.
• Bonus Buy 2 (96.52 % RTP) - pay 500x your stake to get 8+ free spins with a guaranteed berserker cannon from the start.

Theme & Graphics

Broadsiders slot definitely stands out with its hexagonal grid and cheerful pirates theme. The honeycomb structure even extends to the water surrounding the grid, and you’ll see sharks and schools of fish swimming around. With a pirate ship up to the left and a Kraken creature down to the right, you are caught in the middle of this cannon-blasting bonanza. The Drunken Sailor-inspired soundtrack adds to the swashbuckling vibe, and the grid is filled with gleaming gems and exciting cannon symbols.

Pros and Cons of Broadsiders

Our Verdict

Broadsiders is admittedly the first slot I’ve tried, and I have to say that it gave me a taste for more. I will definitely be checking out even more of their portfolio to see if this was a one-off, but judging from what I’ve tried thus far, that’s hardly the case. Instead of fumbling their way onto the iGaming scene, or copycatting other popular providers, this slot seems confident with a clear vision from the very first release.

That being said, don’t expect slots like Broadsiders all the time from this provider, as they usually stick to more regular grid formations. The easy-go-lucky atmosphere seems to be a hallmark of their games, and I thoroughly enjoyed the lighthearted vibe Broadsiders slot gives off without breaking a sweat. The soundtrack is a perfect match that amplifies this pleasant carefreeness. However, don’t get too comfortable either, as this buccaneer adventure is of the daring kind.

The game is highly volatile, and you should expect plenty of dead spins or smaller wins before anything exciting happens. Most of the time, excitement comes in the form of the different cannon modifiers, blasting to expand the grid, prolong cascading sequences, and provide multipliers and multiplier upgrades. It’s a system that works remarkably well when things go your way, but navigating the high seas of this game can be rough at times.

The Double Max feature incentivizes bonus buys and enhancers, but even ineligible players will probably be satisfied with the default max win of 15,000x the stake. While nothing extra is added in the bonus round except persistently activated extra and bonus positions, it’s my experience that you’ll see a lot more cannon-blasting action. Overall, Broadsiders is a joyride of a pirate slot game, but it should be treated with respect due to its explosively volatile nature.