Fruit Farm
We always get told that we need to eat our five a day, and while the majority of us do fall short of the mark, it’s the thought that counts. A good old fashioned piece of fruit can be exactly what you need to start the day, or perhaps as a side order for your lunch. Hell, if you’re really craving a good banana or apple, maybe you should have a smoothie with everything under the sun in it as a pick-me-up? We’re just throwing some ideas out there. All of this fruit has to come from somewhere, and in the Novomatic slot we’re going to review today, the focus is on the Fruit Farm.
Screenshots
Graphics
Sound
Entertainment
Bonus rounds
It may sound like a silly slot to you, but sometimes, you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Game Details
Anyone who has ever worked on a farm before will enjoy the small intricacies and stereotypes behind the design of this slot, but even those who have never stepped foot on a farm can also appreciate it. The setting is pretty simple as we gaze upon a bright & colourful shed on a bright summer day, with a lovely farmer sticking with us for the duration of the game to the left of the board.
They don’t move away from the status quo with a 5×3 reel layout, and as you take in that fresh countryside air, you’ll be happy in the knowledge that the reels don’t really detract from the overall ambience of the slot.
There are 10 fixed paylines on offer for punters who decide to have a go at Fruit Farm, all of which are displayed on either side of the board.
RTP & Payouts
There are some really important elements that run throughout pretty much every single slot in existence, and one of them is the RTP. The return to player is always a good tool to use if you want to get a good idea of the success you may or may not have on any given slot site. Fruit Farm is no different, and while there have been differing reports, the consensus appears to be that the RTP for this Novomatic offering is 92.07%. When you match that up against some of its competitors FF doesn’t really come out looking all too strong, and with medium volatility, it really does struggle to stand out.
The minimum stake for the slot comes in at 0.10 with the maximum being a fairly conservative 50, but as you wait for winnings, it can be pretty easy to burn through the cash you’re putting down quite quickly. You can secure 9,000x your initial stake if you’re lucky, but it really does feel as if there are more than a few inconsistencies in play.
Symbols
The design is as simple as it comes for this slot, and that really is okay. There’s nothing wrong with a game that has a fairly basic idea and carries it out in a successful way, and that’s what we’ve got with Fruit Farm. It almost feels like a slot machine at times, but when it kicks up into the bonus features, it does feel as if the overall tempo rises – and that’s what it needs to be taken a little bit more seriously.
There is no room for messing around with the playcards in this slot, either, because instead, we dive headfirst into the sort of theming that we’d expect to see from a game of this nature. In terms of the actual fruit you’ll be able to see some apples, grapes, strawberries, cherries and plums as symbols. With the actual animals, you’ll get some pigs, sheep, cows and chickens, as well as the occasional tractor thrown in there for good measure.
Bonus Game & Jackpot
Every single slot should, at the very least, attempt to have some kind of story or heart to it – and if they’re lacking that, then the next step in the process simply has to be for them to mix it up with a handful of bonus features. Fruit Farm takes the first step towards thrilling fans outside of the base game, but in our view, they don’t really expand on it in a way that is going to keep people coming back for more – although what they do have is quite cool.
The highest value symbol in the actual game is the farmer, who is the wild for Fruit Farm, and who is capable of replacing himself for any and all other symbols in the slot outside of the scatter. The scatter, in this case, is the aforementioned red tractor, which actually comes into play during the game’s one and only bonus feature.
That feature is the Free Games bonus. If you want to unlock it, then you must first secure three or more tractor symbols that pop up on any of the reels. You will then be awarded 15 free spins with a 3x multiplier, and during the actual feature itself, three more scatters will give you another 15 free spins – with a possible total of 30.
The jackpot isn’t progressive, and while you’d think FF would benefit from that, there’s still a whole lot of money on the table if you look hard enough.
Mobile Compatibility
It might be a bit old school, but FF is still available and compatible with iOS and Android devices. Sure, you’ll experience some lag from time to time, but that’s kind of risk you’ll have to take.
Verdict
While this slot is far more smooth than it has any right to be, Fruit Farm falls into the ‘fun’ category as opposed to being viewed as an elite slot. Novomatic is well aware of that reputation, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with being positioned in that light.
FF has high potential winnings around every corner despite the low RTP, the animation is predictable but entertaining, and the bonus feature they do have takes the slot to a much higher status in terms of its playability.