Noah's Ark Slot: Get Onboard Or Take Your Chances In The Flood?

So the Old Testament tells it, the animals came two by two and the ark was tossed about on the waves for 40 days and 40 nights before coming to rest on the top of Mount Ararat.

That’s how the legend of Noah’s Ark goes, and now this famous biblical story has its own slot game by IGT that highlights key elements from the story in a fun and unique way.

Will the Noah’s Ark slot survive strong and intact, or will it sink without a trace? Let’s take a closer look and find out.

Overview: Noah’s Ark

It is fair to say that IGT decided to approach this slot very much with a cartoon style in mind. All the animals (lions, hippos, elephants, turtles and doves) are somewhat jolly and stare out from a porthole on the erstwhile ark.

This is a 5×3 slot at its core and it has up to 30 paylines playable in each spin. Spins can cost from $0.01 up to a maximum of $300 per spin, depending on how many paylines and the size of coins you have in play on each spin.

This makes it affordable for players of all bankrolls.

Who will the Noah’s Ark slot appeal to?

With a free spins feature, bonuses, autoplay and a very familiar feel, this game will appeal to the vast majority of players who appreciate NJ online slots.

A jackpot of 2,500 coins is also likely to pull in a few of the higher rollers who could make some serious cash if they play for the higher wagers on each spin.

There are also some nice new touches in this slot too, such as the double symbol feature (which we’ll explain more below).

Features like this will certainly help the slot appeal to players who enjoy something a little different than the norm.

Gameplay: Noah’s Ark

The first things to note about Noah’s Ark are the visuals and sounds. The slot is presented in a cartoon style with the animals all rather cute. The visuals are simple and the backdrop of the ark provides a simple and easy-to-follow setting to the game.

The sounds are simplistic and generic, rather than linked to any on-screen symbol or action. That’s a little disappointing, although you do hear some different sound effects when you land one of the higher symbol wins involving some of the inhabitants of the ark.

The low symbols are the four playing card lows from jack through to ace, with the animals being the high symbols.

There’s quite a difference in terms of payout between them: Low symbol payouts tend to be less than your bet, but payouts involving higher animal symbols are often in excess of your bet.

It’s a good balance and works well in the base game.

The biggest and most unusual feature of this slot is that on some symbols there are two animals shown (they came into the ark two by two, so it makes sense). These are “double” symbols and when you land them it counts as two symbols on that payline instead of one.

This can increase the value of payouts in the base game and also plays a part in opening up the free spins rounds.

Other than the high and low options, there are two other symbols on the reel. The Noah’s Ark wild is the ark itself and this can substitute for any high or low symbol (bar the scatter) to create a winning payline. Multiple wilds can facilitate some of the bigger base game wins on a particular spin.

The dove is the in-game scatter, but unlike other slots, free spins are accessed differently. Some dove scatters have one dove, some have two.

To enter free spins, you need to land at least five doves on the screen in a single spin (for five free spins) or six doves on the screen (for 10 free spins). Smaller number of doves offer cash payouts and don’t trigger free spins.

This does tend to make hitting free spins somewhat more difficult than on other slots, but when you do hit free spins they are generally rewarding. During free spins you access a different set of reels, and there’s no multiplier or re-triggering feature available during the free spins round.

Where to play the Noah’s Ark slot in New Jersey

If you think you’d like to hop aboard the ark, you’ll have a number of legal NJ online gambling sites to choose from. Tropicana online casino and sister site Virgin Casino both have the game on offer, as does Golden Nugget.

Betfair NJ and Caesars online casino also have the game for Garden State players.

Special features: Noah’s Ark

Double symbols

A nice feature of the game is the double symbol feature, which sees more than one animal symbol occupying the same spot on the reels.

This increases the number of symbols in a payline when hit and means that you can increase the size of your payouts considerably in both the base game and free spins rounds when these features are landed.

Dove scatter

Land five or six doves (using the double symbol feature) to open up the free spins bonus rounds. Five doves gives you five free spins, six gives you ten.

Free spins

Once you have triggered free spins using the dove scatter, the reels change and a new set of animals appear on the reels. They all offer different payout levels depending on the payline hit. There’s no re-triggering of free spins here and no multiplier available.

What works?

Free spins bonus

It isn’t easy to hit the free spins bonus, but it is worth persevering: You can earn some fantastic wins in this section.

Hitting five or six doves unlocks five or 10 free spins, and it is well worth trying to do so.

Good payouts in base game

Although the low symbol payouts are generally small, those for the higher symbols, especially paylines incorporating double symbols and/or wilds, offer good value. There are also good payouts when you land scatters.

Double symbols

When triggering paylines in the base game, free spins can add extra value to a win. This is an agreeable touch and certainly helps lift Noah’s Ark above the usual slot offering.

What doesn’t?

Dove scatter

It can be frustrating to hit three scatters and not trigger the free spins round, as you need at least five or six doves to do so. This makes hitting free spins a tough task at times.

Sound effects

The sounds are somewhat generic and seem to have been selected from a sound pool with little-to-no thought as to the context of the game or its content. That’s a bit disappointing, but there are some effects that brighten things up when you hit a winning payline or trigger a bonus feature.

Small jackpot

A 2,500-coin jackpot isn’t going to make a big difference to most players, even those playing at higher levels.

The scores

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Graphics and soundtrack: 2/5

The graphics and soundtrack are basic and perhaps a tad too simplistic. Things do improve when you hit a winning payline or feature, but there’s nothing going to get you too excited here.

Originality and creativity: 3/5

There may be nothing groundbreaking about the graphics or sound, but the addition of double symbols, the different ways to access free spins, and the additional reels for the free spins round mean that Noah’s Ark is not without a good degree of innovation.

Play value: 4/5

Low symbol wins are offset by generally good value high symbol wins and a very rewarding free spins round.

This is a solid medium variance slot that rewards players handsomely if they can spin with the tide.

Jackpot potential: 1/5

The jackpot isn’t huge at 2,500 coins, but when played at the higher stake levels this can represent a significant win. Lower stakes players are not going to win life-changing sums of money on this one.

Repeat play: 3.5/5

Although not blessed with the greatest presentation, there’s enough meat on the bones of the slot to keep you coming back for more. A solid base game and a fabulously rewarding free spins round will have you loading up the slot for another crack at the jackpot.

Total score: 13.5/25

Noah’s Ark will definitely have you coming back for more. A solid and enjoyable base game, a rewarding free spins round, and split double symbols add extra levels of spice to the game.

But it does have its frustrating side and triggering free spins is sometimes tough. That said, Noah’s Ark comfortably keeps its head above water and is well worth a closer look.

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