Dorks of the Deep

Dorks of the Deep Game Overview

Do you want to swim your way through the deep blue sea while chasing huge wins? And at the same time crack a smile or two? It might sound impossible, but Hacksaw Gaming grabbed the chance to create such a slot game—Dorks of the Deep. The name says a lot, but we’ll tell you even more. We’re used to exploring creative gaming solutions from Hacksaw Gaming, and while this release might not be as out there as Dork Unit from 2022, it still ranks rather high. We’ll go through all the key features, like symbols, graphics, bonuses, animations, and more—bear with us and you’ll get the gist of this slot in a few minutes. 

Pros

• Engaging bonus features
• Medium volatility
• Above-average RTP

Cons

• No jackpot

Dorks of the Deep Video Review

If you want a visual overview of the gameplay, watch our in-depth video review of Dorks of the Deep and see the game in action.

Dorks of the Deep Game Review

We didn’t expect anything ordinary from Hacksaw Gaming, so quirky characters were a must. That’s our first impression of the game, but we were surprised that the interface is very simple. This might be a good thing for beginner players as it makes the gameplay more appealing and easier to navigate. Some of the characters look similar to Disney’s The Little Mermaid but we’re not saying they’re a copy/paste version. There’s plenty to talk about, so let’s check out the gameplay, theme, and other features of the game in this review.

Theme

As the name suggests, you’ll get to explore the depths of the ocean and all its dorky creatures. The more you play, the deeper you go, and the darker it gets. The whole theme is very soothing, but it still keeps surprising you with its charming characters. The whole vibe is kind of mysterious and filled with adventures, allowing you to explore different concepts in the form of bonus rounds. Overall, this slot stands out thanks to its humorous approach and a deep blue theme that we didn’t see in other slot games.

Graphics, Sounds and Animations

The graphics are quite playful, which is something we enjoy when it comes to online slot games. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously, which makes the approach lighthearted as opposed to many other games with a similar dark theme. The symbols are also highly detailed, like what can be found in popular underwater themed slots such as Mermaid Millions.

The music and sound effects add to the entire scenario, making you feel like you’re diving deep into an ocean with bubbles popping out. It makes you feel the presence of water around you, as if you were getting submerged deep under the ocean along with all the creatures. It definitely creates a calming effect that goes well with everything that’s going on, creating somewhat of a balance.

Like we mentioned, the characters look familiar, but the animations are where it gets interesting. You have the King of the Sea with a “mom” tattoo, a red-haired mermaid, and a few animals, including turtles, octopuses, fish, and more. There are also the classic card symbols (10, J, Q, K, and A), which don’t really feel like they belong. But hey, to each its own.

We especially appreciated it when the Treasure Chest expanded into a Wild Reel and the expanded reel covered an entire reel and showed one character. The animations and sound effects during this scenario are absolutely thrilling.

RTP, Payout and Volatility

The game has a variable RTP to accommodate different online casinos and regulatory requirements, depending on where it’s released. This slot’s RTP can vary—88.19%, 91.21%, 94.22%, and 96.20%. The game has medium volatility, striking a balance in regards to win frequency. You can expect smaller wins and bigger payouts mixed occasionally. There’s a max win of 10,000x your bet, and no progressive jackpot. With features like Expanding Wild Reels, Multipliers, and Free Spins, you’re sure to contribute to a bigger payout whenever possible. Both casual players and high rollers can count on a balanced gaming experience that make Dorks of the Deep worth a spin.

Gameplay

If you’re scrolling online casinos for immersive gameplay, Dorks of the Deep will do you justice. Although a relatively simple gameplay, its added features and premise can definitely take you for a ride. The slot includes 10 standard symbols, which help generate winning combinations:

Symbol	3x	4x	5x
10	0.40	0.80	1.60
J	0.60	1.00	2.00
Q	0.60	1.00	2.00
K	0.60	1.00	2.00
A	0.80	1.40	3.00
Orange Puffer Fish	1.00	2.00	4.00
Blue Shark	1.20	2.40	6.00
Green Turtle	1.40	3.00	8.00
Mermaid	2.00	6.00	10.00
Ocean King	4.00	10.00	20.00

There are 14 paylines available that start from the leftmost reel on a 5×4 grid. The win comes when matching symbols appear on adjacent reels along the paylines, left to right. There’s also the Trident Tips symbol, which serves as the slot’s wild, paying 20x of the bet. It also substitutes for all the symbols in the paytable, creating big wins.

Features

Not many people have dived deep down into the ocean to find out what hides in there. However, Dorks of the Deep features different bonuses and wild reels with multipliers that made me wonder what else the game has to offer.

Expanding Wild Reels

A Treasure Chest will expand into a Wild Reel every time it lands as part of the winning combination. When that happens, the wilds will expand to cover the entire reel and one of these characters—Octopus, Mermaid, or Ocean King, will appear along with its multiplier values that go as follows:

• Octopus: 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x 9x
• Mermaid: 10x, 15x, 20x
• Ocean King: 25x, 50x, 100x, and 200x

The character that lands on the reels will have its multiplier spun across the entire Wild Reel and have an impact on any winning combinations that are part of it. In the case of more than one Wild Reel appearing as part of the same winning combination, the multipliers are added together and then applied to the win. Note that Treasure Chest symbols can land on any reel, but one symbol can land on a reel at a time.

Deep Blue Bonus

To activate the Deep Blue Bonus, it needs to hit 3 FS scatter symbols at the same time in the base game. Once that happens, you’ll get 10 free spins. This bonus follows the mechanics of the base game with the addition that a Treasure Chest symbol always expands and becomes a Wild Reel.

The expanded Wild Reels reveal 0-3 lives and are sticky in the next spin as long as they have lives remaining. One life disappears at the start of every spin. Also, at the beginning of every spin, the sticky wild reels will receive a new random multiplier from any of the three-character tiers.

The Last Chance feature activates if at least one Wild Reel has one or more lives remaining on the last free spin. It awards free respins, keeping the bonus active until no Wild Reels have any life left.

During this feature, additional Treasure Chest symbols can appear on the grid to turn into new expanded Wild Reels, not dependent on whether or not there are lives. If any lives get unveiled, their number will never go over the number of lives of any existing Wild Reels. If that happens, you’ll get either 2 or 4 additional free spins if you land 2 FS or 3 FS symbols.

Down Under Bonus

To trigger this bonus, you need to land 4 FS scatters at the same time in the base game. This awards 10 free spins. Although it sounds similar to the previous feature, this one has the mechanics of the Deep Blue Bonus. A sticky Wild Reels will not receive a multiplier from a lower character tier than what was initially revealed. Landing 2 and 3 FS scatter symbols awards +2 and +4 free spins, respectively.

Hidden Treasures Bonus

To activate this bonus, you need to land 5 FS scatters at the same time in the base game. Like the Down Under Bonus, this feature also awards 10 free spins. You’re also guaranteed to always have two active expanded Wild Reels on the grid until the bonus round ends. Landing the 2 and 3 FS scatter symbols awards the same benefits as the previous features.

Bonus Buy

There’s also the option to purchase game features by clicking the BUY BONUS button at the bottom left side of the screen. As soon as you activate it, each spin costs a certain amount until you deactivate it. Keep in mind this section once you play for real money. Here’s what you can expect:

• Deep Blue (Free Spins) – 100x your bet
• Down Under (High Volatility Free Spins) – 200x your bet
• Hidden Treasure (Mystery Feature) – 300x your bet
• Bonus Hunt Feature Spins – 3x your bet per spin