Sails of Fortune (Relax Gaming) Slot Review

Sails of Fortune: Slot Overview

Sails of Fortune is a pirate-themed video slot developed by Relax Gaming and released on May 19, 2021. The game immerses players in the adventurous world of fortune-seeking pirates chasing treasures guided by mysterious maps, set against the backdrop of high-seas escapades and hidden island riches. It features a dynamic grid with 5 reels and variable rows starting at 3 and expanding up to 6, enabling up to 7776 payways from an initial 243. This high-volatility slot emphasizes innovative mechanics like respins and expanding symbols over traditional wilds, appealing to experienced players who enjoy prolonged sessions with potential for substantial payouts. With a hit frequency of 23.80%, it suits risk-tolerant enthusiasts of exploration-themed games seeking explosive wins up to 36,383x the stake, supported by features such as mystery symbols and free spins.

Design and Graphics

Sails of Fortune delivers a polished pirate aesthetic with high-quality visuals optimized for both desktop and mobile play. The reels are framed on a weathered pirate ship deck, overlooking a vast, wavy ocean under a clear sky in the base game, evoking a sense of nautical adventure. Transitions to the Treasure Hunt Free Spins relocate the action to a misty, foreboding island shrouded in fog, featuring a ominous skull-shaped cave in the distance, enhancing the treasure-hunting tension. Animations are smooth and thematic: winning combinations trigger subtle explosions of coins and map unfurlings, while respins feature dramatic symbol shifts and leftward movements.

Sails of Fortune slot – base game

Symbols are richly detailed to fit the theme. Low-paying icons are classic card suits—clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts—rendered in metallic, treasure-like finishes, paying 1x the bet for five of a kind. Medium-paying symbols include fish bones (skewered realistically), a corked message-in-a-bottle (1.5x for five), and a barbed harpoon (3x). High-paying premiums depict a fierce female pirate (5x) and a grizzled male pirate captain (8x, with wins starting from just two adjacent symbols). Special symbols stand out: the Mystery Map is a tattered parchment with a bold red question mark, the golden Scatter key gleams invitingly labeled “Scatter,” and Treasure Chests appear brimming with gold in free spins.

The soundtrack complements the visuals with jaunty pirate shanties featuring flute, accordion, and fiddle melodies, punctuated by tense swells during features and triumphant swells on big wins. Overall, the design is immersive and cohesive, with crisp 2D graphics, fluid animations, and responsive UI elements like bet selectors and autoplay options, ensuring an engaging experience across devices without compromising quality.

Gameplay Mechanics

Core gameplay revolves around a 5-reel setup with 3 rows initially, expanding dynamically to 6 rows during features for up to 7776 payways. Wins form by landing 3+ matching symbols on adjacent reels from the leftmost reel, with no fixed paylines—instead, the all-ways system evaluates every possible combination. Notably absent are wild symbols; their role is supplanted by the innovative Mystery Map mechanic, which drives much of the action.

Players select bets from a €0.10 minimum to €30 maximum per spin, accommodating casual and high-roller budgets. Spins autoplay up to 1,000 times with customizable loss/win limits. The base game flows predictably: spin to land symbols, trigger wins that remove and replace via tumbles (implied by row expansion potential), and activate Mystery Map Respin on map landings. The male pirate’s 2-of-a-kind wins add low-end excitement, while the 23.80% hit frequency ensures moderate base game pacing amid high volatility.

The Mystery Map Respin is central: landing one or more maps triggers instant respins, continuing as long as maps remain visible. Each respin shifts all maps one position left, and post-respin, they reveal identical symbols (randomly chosen from paying icons), potentially creating massive clusters. Respins end only when all maps exit the grid leftward. This creates chain reactions, especially as rows can grow, boosting payways from 243 to 7776. The UI clearly displays current payways, bet amount, and balance, with intuitive controls for quick spins.

Bonus Features

Sails of Fortune packs potent bonuses centered on the Mystery Map, elevating base mechanics into high-reward spectacles.

The Mystery Map Respin activates on any map landing in the base game, granting respins that persist while maps stay on-screen. Maps shift left per respin, revealing matching symbols afterward, fostering cascading wins across expanding rows.

Sails of Fortune slot – free spins

Landing 3+ Scatter keys triggers Treasure Hunt Free Spins: 8 spins for 3 scatters, +1 per additional (up to potential for more via upgrades). Here, maps upgrade to Expanding Mystery Maps, covering entire reels (initially 3 positions, upgradable to 6). They behave like base respins—shifting left, revealing symbols—but span full columns for cluster dominance. Treasure chests land exclusively on reel 5; collecting 3 upgrades expansion (adds 1 position per 3 chests, max 6 symbols/rows), awards +1 free spin per upgrade, and escalates payways to 7776. Unlimited respins within free spins prolong sessions dramatically.

The Bonus Buy option skips to free spins for 70x the bet, guaranteeing 3+ scatters and boosting RTP to 96.65%. No other modifiers like multipliers appear, keeping focus on map-driven volatility.

These interplay seamlessly: base respins build tension, free spins amplify via expansions, creating paths to the 36,383x max win through sustained, grid-filling revelations.

Betting Options and Payouts

Betting flexibility spans €0.10 to €30 per spin, with 20 levels for precise wagering. The default RTP stands at an above-average 96.17%, rising to 96.65% via Bonus Buy. High volatility means infrequent but potent hits, aligned with the 23.80% hit frequency. Maximum payout caps at an extraordinary 36,383x the stake, though probability details are unavailable. Bonus round entry relies on scatters or buy-in, with no stated frequency.

Sails of Fortune slot – bonus buy

Payouts scale linearly with bet size, emphasizing premiums and mystery clusters. Expansions and respins enable rapid scaling, but dry spells are expected due to volatility.

Conclusion

Sails of Fortune excels in its innovative Mystery Map mechanics, delivering thrilling respins and expansions that compensate for the lack of wilds, particularly in Treasure Hunt Free Spins where upgrades propel payways to 7776 and chase the staggering 36,383x max win. Strengths include thematic immersion, mobile optimization, and Bonus Buy accessibility, fostering extended play with high-reward potential. Weaknesses encompass relatively low starting free spins (8) and high volatility’s inherent dry spells, potentially frustrating conservative players despite solid 96.17% RTP. Players can test the slot risk-free using the built-in demo available on this page. Overall, it’s a standout for volatility chasers craving map-fueled pirate plunder, balancing familiarity with fresh twists.