Mermaid’s Love is a great slot for reel spinners who enjoy mythology and romance. This Leap Gaming title recounts the story of a mermaid princess who falls head over heels for a human man. If this sounds familiar, it is probably because Leap Gaming’s designers borrowed heavily from the classic fairy tale by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.
However, you should not dismiss the game for lack of originality. Mermaid’s Love takes players to the depths of the ocean, where they will find a host of theme-related, high-paying icons in the form of treasure-filled chests, sunken galleons, tritons, pearl oysters, lionfish, seahorses, and other marine creatures.
The slot offers 25 paylines spread across 3 rows and 5 reels. The game has a below-average theoretical return to player (RTP) of 95.20%, but it compensates with beautiful graphics and a respectable selection of extra features, including expanding wilds and free spins.
| Mermaid’s Love Slot Summary | |
|---|---|
| Software Provider | Leap Gaming |
| Payline Number | 25 fixed win lines |
| RTP | 95.20% |
| Min Bet | $0.25 |
| Max Bet | $250 |
| Wild Symbol | Mermaid Princess |
| Scatter Symbol | Treasure Chest |
| Bonus Features | Free Spins, Expanding Wilds |
| Jackpot | 250x the line bet |
Symbols and Winning Combinations of Mermaid’s Love Slot
First things first, Mermaid’s Love offers 10 selectable betting levels, allowing players to wager up to ten coins per spin. Because the 25 paylines are fixed, they are active on every spin. Coin denominations range from $0.01 to $1.00, resulting in total wagers of $0.25 to $250 per round.
The artistry of Leap Gaming’s designers is nothing short of impressive. Mermaid’s Love immerses players in a beautifully animated marine world inhabited by merfolk. The action unfolds in a cavern that closely resembles the one depicted in Disney’s adaptation of the classic fairy tale. The five reels are transparent and packed with theme-related symbols. Shoals of fish swim gracefully in the background.
To earn a payout, players must land three or more matching icons from left to right on a payline. The high-paying symbols include the mermaid’s love interest (possibly a sailor rather than a prince in this version of the tale), a triton, a sunken galleon, and a statue.
The maximum payout awards 250x the line bet for five sailor symbols. The next best payer is the triton, which awards 150x the line bet for five of a kind. The galleon and the statue pay 100x and 75x the line stake, respectively, for five matches.
It is refreshing to see that the developers at Leap Gaming have shown originality by ditching the standard card initials normally used for low-paying symbols. Instead, they have created icons featuring aquatic creatures such as seahorses, lionfish, conch shells, starfish, gentle dolphins, and pearl oysters. These symbols pay between 13x and 3x the line bet.
Bonus Features of Mermaid’s Love Slot
During this oceanic adventure, players encounter several special symbols and features, beginning with the wild substitution symbol. Naturally, the mermaid princess serves as the wild.
Each time the mermaid’s lovely face appears on the grid in the base game, her symbol expands to cover the entire reel. The animated mermaid flips her fin playfully whenever she helps create a winning combination.
Like all wilds, it substitutes for every icon except scatters. The only downside is that the mermaid appears only on specific reels, namely reels 2, 3, and 4. The wild mermaid is also present in the free spins round, where she can appear on reels 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Leap Gaming has also included a scatter symbol in the form of a sunken treasure chest overflowing with gemstones and gold. Its sole function is to activate the free spins feature.
The treasure chests appear only on reels 1, 3, and 5. When all three land simultaneously, they award 10 free spins, with an expanded wild mermaid added to the first reel. The positions of the scatters are irrelevant; they simply must appear on the same spin to trigger the feature.
Verdict
Despite the absence of a dedicated bonus game, Mermaid’s Love is an excellent slot, especially on a smartphone, where its stunning animations truly come to life. The game runs smoothly on all major operating systems, including Windows, iOS, and Android. It offers several rewarding features, but it is the outstanding animation and design that will keep players coming back.