Description
As its name suggests, this is an updated version of the popular Irish Eyes slot. It looks amazing, with HD graphics and some superbly jaunty sound effects ready to get you in the mood for the craic!
Set in a fantastical woodland, Irish Eyes 2 from NextGen Gaming has 25 Paylines across five reels and three rows. Meanwhile, there’s an ever-popular free spins bonus feature in which you can earn up to 25 free whirls. What’s not to love?
As you’d expect, it’s a celebration of all things Emerald Isle-related. And it’s a good-looking affair. The cartoon-style imagery is deceptively simple – set sharply against the white reels, surrounded by a gold Celtic-style pattern.
Shrubbery in the forest sways gently, and you can make out a rainbow in the distance. Oh, and don’t be surprised if a butterfly flutters prettily past now and again.
How to play
Not only is this game simple to get your head around, but you also don’t need to have played the original to enjoy it. Nor do you have to be a hugely experienced slot player – there are per-spin stakes here to suit all budgets.
Coin sizes range from 5p to £10, and you can play from 50p a spin up to £100. So choose to play between 1 and 25 lines, and let the fun begin!
Irish stereotypes abound in the symbols, which include a shamrock (up to 400 coins), a large green hat (up to 750 coins), leprechaun’s pipe plus a lucky heart-shaped gold ring (up to a whopping 1,500 coins).
You’ll also find the playing-card symbols here from Ace to nine. As ever, these are the lower-paying values.
Irish Eyes 2 special features
Special symbols
The Wild is a flame-haired woman who replaces all icons bar the Scatter. Even if you find one of her you get a payout, albeit just one coin. Unsurprisingly, the rewards are greater the more Wilds you land, and you can get up to 5,000 coins for five in a row.
As for the Scatter, that’s the pot of gold coins, and it yields from two to 100x total stake, depending on the number displayed. It also activates the bonus feature, as described below.
Free spins
Players can earn free spins by landing three, four or five Scatter emblems anywhere on the reels. Doing this wins you:
- 10 free spins by landing three Scatter symbols
- 15 free spins by landing four Scatter symbols
- 20 free spins by landing five Scatter symbols
You can win more free spins during the round when you again land three of the relevant icons, and all wins are trebled.
Gamble feature
Gamble every win by hitting the clubs/hearts button below the reels. Double or quadruple the amount by guessing the colour or suit of the next card correctly, with a limit of five correct consecutive answers.
Return to Player (RTP)
This hovers at a little over 95% in Irish Eyes 2.
Verdict
One reviewer described the features on this game as ‘underwhelming’. Another said it was ‘creatively lacking’, despite being an improvement on the original.
But Irish Eyes 2 offers a tried-and-tested theme. After all, there’s no shortage of Irish-themed slots out there (Irish Riches, for example). So if it’s one you enjoy, you’ll feel right at home. If not, you may find more entertaining options elsewhere.
But we reckon this should be fun and straightforward to play, with some great payouts and bonuses. And we know it’s a cliché, but may you enjoy the luck of the Irish with it!
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