The Australian Outback is a tough place filled with dangerous animals. And this harsh area was popularized by the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee, starring Paul Hogan. Rival Gaming's Diamonds Downunder slots takes off on this concept by following a rugged diamond hunter through the Australian wilderness.
The movie that this slot emulates is a classic, but does Diamonds Downunder measure up to Crocodile Dundee? Find out as we look at its symbols, atmosphere, betting options, special features, and offer our final thoughts.
Symbols and Theme
Diamonds Downunder opens with an introduction where you see the diamond hunter looking at a treasure map. Complete with crocodile teeth on his hat and a sleeveless jackpot, this guy looks like the second coming of Hogan's Mick Dundee character. After viewing the map, the man drives through the Outback and stops at a diamond mine.
You're then taken to the reels, where you'll see bits of the Australian Outback behind the reels, including tall grass, sand, mountains, and tribal artwork lining the reels. You'll also hear a nature-like tune playing that perfectly fits the game's theme.
Symbols include: a pickaxe (wild), treasure map (bonus), aborigine tribesman (free spins), diamond hunter, diamonds, boomerang, Komodo dragon, crocodile, kangaroo, koala bear, beer, and a kangaroo crossing sign.
The pickaxe substitutes for all symbols except the treasure map and tribesman to form winning payouts. It also pays the most when forming wins by itself, offering 5,000 coins for a 5-symbol combination. The diamond hunter pays the second most, delivering 500 coins for 5 symbols.
The graphics on these icons range from good to below-average. For example, the diamond hunter, crocodile, kangaroo, beer can, and boomerang all look nice. But the diamonds, koala bear, tribesman are nothing special.
Betting Options
You can put 1-5 coins on each line, adjust your coin size from $0.01 to $1.00, and play 1-15 paylines. This makes the smallest wager worth one cent, and the max bet worth $75.00.
When playing for real money, you can autospin the reels with your selected betting options.
Diamonds Downunder Slots Special Features and Bonuses
When you land 3 or more aborigine tribesmen on the reels, you'll get 10 free spins (3 symbols), 20 spins (4 symbols), or 100 spins (5 symbols). All wins during three games come with a 3x multiplier.
If you get 3 or more treasure maps on the reels, you get to play a fun bonus game. This involves selecting spots in the diamond mine to dig for treasure and earn bonus credits. The second-screen bonus is yet another thing to love about this slot.
Final Thoughts on Diamonds Downunder Slots
Crocodile Dundee was a box-office smash, turning a mere $8.8 million budget into $328 million in movie tickets. Diamonds Downunder may not be quite as classic as the film it's based on, but this 5-reel slot is definitely worth playing for fans of the movie.
We like both the introduction video and atmosphere, which does a good job of making you feel like you've entered a cartoon version of the Outback. We also like most of the symbols because they reflect the dangers and exotic animals found in Australia's roughest parts. One more good aspect to this game is the diamond-hunting bonus round and free spins.
The lone complaint we have is that some of the symbol graphics lack detail. But this is a small imperfection in what's otherwise a really fun slot.
