Deco Diamonds
A good and obvious place to start with any slot is its name. We all know what diamonds are, but what about Déco?
Short for Arts Décoratifs, Déco is a style that can be seen in such diverse things as architecture, product design and visual arts that originated in Paris in the 1910s and became widely adopted in Europe and the USA in the 1920s and 1930s. Its popularity ‘ran out of steam’ towards the start of the First World War as people tired of the excesses it was associated with and embraced the style of modernism, instead. But it had a good run !
The reason for its inclusion in the name of this slot made as a joint partnership between industry veterans Microgaming and up-and-coming Swedish software providers Just for the Win? Simple.
The colours, typography, symbols and styling of the game all conform to the Art Déco theme and style, meaning it’s as retro as it is pleasing on the eye. So now you know.
If the football fans out there are disappointed that it’s not a reference to the Brazilian-born playmaker Deco (a nickname, not his actual name) who went on to play for Portugal at international level in addition to the likes of FC Porto, Barcelona and Chelsea at club level, we’re sorry. Great player though he was, this isn’t about him!
The basics
So that’s the Deco part covered, and we’ll come to the Diamonds in due course, but let’s start by talking about stakes.
As is the case with slots that cater to all sorts of budgets, from the low-stakes fun-loving recreational fan to the deep-pocketed risk-loving high-roller, your stake per spin can vary massively and it’s completely up to you as to what you want it to be. At the lowest end of the budget scale is the 10p per spin option with the highest being a big, heart-stopping 25GBP per spin. In total there are 22 different stakes you can play for.
A warning to the more inexperienced player, though.
This is a highly volatile slot which means that you’re unlikely to be securing small but frequent wins every few spins that leave your account balance ‘as it was’ once you decide to call it a day after playing it for half an hour or so.
It’s more likely that your bank will either take a considerable hit or that it goes completely the other way and that at the end of your session you may have doubled or trebled your investment. We’re not saying you will. Rather that this is a risky game where extreme outcomes are always on the cards. So, bear that in mind.
Some good, friendly advice is to start playing it for small stakes, so you completely understand the mechanics and unique features of the game and see what sort of swings you may be about to witness while playing. Once you’ve got your head around all that, then you may wish to slightly increase your stake per spin.
Reels, paylines and symbols
There’s plenty about this slot that has ‘classic’ written all over it, starting with the 5x3 reel set-up. On each spin there are nine active paylines which means you can win in nine different ways on any given spin.
Next up in terms of classic things about this slot are the lower-paying symbols. Rather than the somewhat dull and unimaginative playing card symbols that so many other slots have, here we have fruit symbols, just like in the one-armed bandits and pub fruit machines of yesteryear.
From lowest to highest of these we have: cherries, apricots, lemons and watermelons. In each case, you’ll need three in a row from left to right to secure a payout. Next up in the hierarchy of symbols are bells and then the diamond-encrusted Seven symbol. Get five of those on the reels and 50x your bet is coming your way.
And the highest-paying symbol of all is what for the time being we’re calling the ‘regular’ diamond. Regular because this is a normal symbol rather than a Wild, which the other two diamond symbols are.
But there’s nothing particularly regular about getting five of those: this time, it’s 100x your stake that you’re about to bank. There’s another good thing about this regular Diamond symbol; rather than needing three of them for a payout, as you normally would, you only need two.
Deco Diamond Wild symbols
Diamonds aren’t just a girl’s best friend. They’re also you’re the best friend of any player having a few spins on Deco Diamonds. And here’s why.
Deco Diamonds symbol
No prizes for guessing that the Deco Diamonds symbol is the star of the show, just as housewives’ favourite US singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is the star of his own show.
If two, three or four of them make an appearance anywhere on the reels, the reels they appeared on stay locked in place and a re-spin is coming your way, meaning that the other reels spin while those don’t move.
Deco Diamonds Re-Spin feature
If you had two Deco Diamonds to begin with and you fail to get a third on the Re-Spin, then that’s your lot for this feature. But if you get an additional Deco Diamond on your first re-spin, you’ll have an extra re-spin and if it happens again, you’ll have yet another.
Once your re-spins are over, the Deco Diamond symbol will transform into a regular Wild at the end of them, so the presence of two of them should always see you walk away with something decent.
But the presence of three, four or even five Wilds on the reels after the re-spin is almost guaranteed to give you some payouts as sparkling as something you’d find at Tiffany’s.
And there’s a further reason why three or more Deco Diamonds on the reels spell excellent news for you: getting them activates the Bonus Wheel.
Bonus Wheel Feature
The number of Deco Diamonds you have is your total based on the number that activated the re-spins, plus any others you picked up during the re-spin(s).
Three Deco Diamonds and you’re about to play at Silver Level, four and rather like the elite athlete at the Olympic Games, you’re going for Gold. Five and…you guessed it: you’re playing at Diamond Level.
Here are the different prizes you can get at each level, each one a multiplier of your stake:
Silver Wheel: x5, x8, x18, x58 or x80
Gold Wheel: x8, x18, x58, x98 or x588
Diamond Wheel: x18, x58, x98, x588 or x1000
The Bonus Wheel resembles that of the classic (another appearance of something classic) gameshow Wheel of Feature. One of two things will happen when it stops spinning. The first is that it will land on a multiplier, your win is worked out, the round comes to an end, and you’re paid out.
But if you started at either Silver or Gold Level, there’s a better result than that. Landing on the Level Up segment means you do just that and get another spin at a higher level, where as we know, the prizes are even better.
Final Thoughts and similar games at 32Red
There’s lots to like about this slot. It boasts a great design, caters to all budgets and hits the sweet spot when it comes to complexity: there are two cool bonus features to keep you as engaged as when watching the classic (last mention if it) James Bond movie ‘Diamonds are Forever’ but you’ll never feel overwhelmed, as can happen on other slightly over-the-top slots. Another slot we recommend at 32Red featuring diamonds is Nine Blazing Diamonds, while if Slingo games are more your thing you can chance your hand at Da Vinci Diamonds Slingo. Finally, there’s another version of the very slot we’ve just been discussing called Deco Diamonds Deluxe.
Gambling can be addictive. Play responsibly.