Game Review: Da Vinci Diamonds by IGT As slot machines become more colorful and interactive, there’s still a niche for a machine with a slightly more classic feel. The Da Vinci Diamonds slot machine stays away from flashier designs in favor of a stark, slick look. It only adds a little bit of a shine. The pink diamond will not be capable of replacing them. Their payouts will be inferior only to that of the logo. With the logo, the maximum, for 5 logos, is 5,000. The Mona Lisa will award maximum 1,000, the Musician maximum 500, and the Lady with the Ermine maximum 300. Play Da Vinci Diamonds Slot Machine Gratis for Free Online Spins.
As everyone knows the first arcade games always involved destruction. From Asteroids through to Space Invaders there was a definite theme of blowing things up and killing enemies who were in turn intent on your own annihilation. However, this all changed when the first two player arcade game was developed, which of course was the famous groundbreaking game of Pong, created by Atari in 1972. This game was in fact a copy of a game from the Magnavox Odyssey, one of the world’s first ever video consoles, which introduced players to a game of ‘Electronic Ping Pong’ which could be played on small rotational paddles.
The First Brick Breaking Games
Once Pong had become a worldwide success Atari began to ask if there was a way to create the same gaming sensation with a one player game. As a result Breakout was created in 1976, a game where the player controlled a similar cursor to that in Pong, but would have to bounce a ball off a wall of different coloured bricks. Once each brick had been hit it would be destroyed, revealing more bricks behind it for the player to hit. When the player had destroyed all the bricks they’d either win the game or move up a level.
This game evolved into such games as Super-Breakout, the first successor to the original that allowed more game modes, and Breakout 2000, a game created for the ill-fated Jaguar console, that allowed the player to play the original game of Breakout in 3D. The 2D version probably reached it’s zenith with the amazing Arkanoid cabinet that came out sometime around 1986, allowing the player to control a paddle trying to make it’s escape from a dying star-ship. Over the years Arkanoid is perhaps the version of this game that’s both best remembered and has best endured, still providing players with a credible gaming experience.
Tetris Breaks Onto The Scene
We’d have to wait until 1984 however until we encountered the king of block breaking games, Tetris to appear. The game was created by Russian scientist and mathematician, Alexey Pajitnov, who created it whilst working for the Soviet Government. The game, which takes its name from the ‘four unit’ blocks (tetrominoes) and Tennis, the sport that Pajitnov loosely based the game upon. Tetris involved players making a solid line with no gaps or breaks across a pit which various blocks would drop into. On successful completion of a line, the game would erase the line from the game allowing more space for more blocks to drop into. On completion of a number of lines the game would go up levels and increase in speed. This was the first game that utilised the construction of combinations of blocks in order to destroy them and erase them from the game. Tetris was released to massive acclaim from the public, however the game’s creator, Pajitnov was never really successfully remunerated for his work in financial terms as the game was so generic many companies managed to steal the idea from him and market it. The Soviet government however always argued that any proceeds for Pajitnov work should belong to them as they employed him at the time of the game’s creation.
Tetris started a massive explosion in the number of block based puzzle games on the market. Games like Konami’s Plotting and Atari’s Klax both involved the collection of similar types of blocks in order to remove them from a grid. However, it was Sega’s Columns, created in 1989 by Jay Geertsen that formed the basis for the exploding symbol slot games that are so well loved today, as well as games like Bejewelled, which are growing in popularity with a new generation of mobile smart-phone gamers. Columns required the player to drop small rods made up of three jewels into a pit in a similar fashion to Tetris. Similar blocks would need to be made to line up across these small rods in order for the player to form combinations. Then, when the player did create a combination, the similar jewels would explode. The difference between this game and Tetris was that Columns used a kind of gravity to pull down jewels that were previously above the exploded jewels into the empty spaces. This would then allow new combinations to form, which was the exciting new development behind the success of Columns.
Games now have moved on from the 2D masterpieces that we loved so much during the 1980s and 1990s to complex, immersive environments that could almost represent the real world. However, many of the evolutionary steps created by the boom in computer gaming haven’t been forgotten, instead they’re making their way onto gambling games like Da Vinci Diamonds.
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Game Review: Da Vinci Diamonds by IGT
As slot machines become more colorful and interactive, there’s still a niche for a machine with a slightly more classic feel.
The Da Vinci Diamonds slot machine stays away from flashier designs in favor of a stark, slick look. It only adds a little bit of a shine to a relatively simple game with the featured tumbling reels.
The rows of gems and artwork collapse and give players an extra chance to win. The loaded free spins are also enticing, but remember that all that glitters is not gold.
While the graphics aren’t disappointing, it’s a mixed bag. The gems and logo symbol have a nice textured, painted look to them, and the use of classic artwork adds a nice touch of class to the reels.
The animation for the tumbling reels also works well. Watching the rows collapse and fill back up is satisfying.
Unfortunately, the background is just a flat black setting, and the reels are framed in a simple picture frame. It leaves the game feeling a little barren and boring.
Similarly, the lack of sound drains a little of the excitement from the game. Da Vinci Diamonds slots don’t use any background music, and the sound effects are very limited.
The gameplay is only accompanied by the repeating clinks of the symbols locking into place, the occasional crunch of gems under the tumbling reels and the little tune that signals a winning payline.
The bonus free spin round actually uses a little background classical music, which is fine but it only makes the quiet of the main game more noticeable.
When Was Da Vinci Diamonds Slot Machine Created The First
Compare Game Features – Paylines – RTP
Software | Konami |
Type of Slot | Video Slot |
Paylines | 20 |
Reels | 5 |
Min. Bet | 20 credits |
Max. Bet | 1000 credits |
Max. RTP | 94.94% |
Max. Jackpot | 5,000x Bet |
Features | Scatters, Bonus Rounds, Free Spins |
Free Play | Yes |
Main Features on Da Vinci Diamonds Slot Game
Da Vinci Diamonds uses five reels and three rows with 20 paylines. Players are forced to bet on all 20 paylines. There is no additional feature fee, but there are also no scatter wins available in the main game. In the main game, all symbols require at least a three-of-a-kind, left-to-right match on a payline to trigger.
Wild spaces can appear on the second, third and fourth reels. While any wilds are nice for helping out with small wins, the lack of wild spaces in the first reel means that starting a payline is still tricky.
The one prominent feature in the main game is the use of tumblingreels. On any spin, winning combinations disappear after being paid. The rows above the empty spaces drop down to fill the gaps and potentially create new sets.
The best part is that any empty spaces with nothing above them pull in completely new symbols to fill the gaps. This can occasionally let players chain several wins together, turning a small win into a little jackpot.
As players might guess, the tumbling reels are really the heart of the game. The paytable is fairly generous. The only below-break-even payout is for sets of three gems.
Any set of three pieces of art or four gems pays to break even or above, but actual wins can be a little rare. The lack of first reel wilds starts to be very noticeable as the game goes on, and seemingly loaded boards don’t pay out because of bad luck at the start of the payline.
When Was Da Vinci Diamonds Slot Machine Created Made
Players will tend to go through dry spells while they either wait for a good set of chain wins, a lucky set of five or the bonus game.
The Free Spins Bonus Round
Da Vinci Diamonds does offer a particularly nice free spin bonus round. While playing the core game, bonus symbols can appear on the first, second and third reels. Getting a set of three on one payline rewards the player with six free spins. The unique aspect is that Da Vinci Diamonds uses a special set of symbols and a new pay table for the free spin round.
During this bonus round, the three artwork symbols are scatter-based. Simply having at least three on the board will trigger a win. While they don’t pay very much, it’s a big deal because the reels will still tumble during the free spins.
Unless it’s a very unlucky pull, most free games will at least see a small scatter payout, which then disappears and completely mixes the board.
When Was Da Vinci Diamonds Slot Machine Created The Original
Chaining-together wins is fairly likely, meaning that each free spin actually feels like several as the board keeps shifting and changing until it finally settles.
It is also possible to win more free spins during this bonus round. Bonus symbols can appear in any reel during the free spins, and during this mode, they will also pay on a scatter. Just showing up is enough by getting a set of at least three rewards and a number of free spins.
Three bonus symbols can grant two, three or four extra spins. Four bonus symbols can give four, six, eight or 10 spins, and five bonus symbols can award six, eight, 10, 12 or 15 spins. Lucky players can potentially get 300 free spins before being forced out of the bonus round.
An Imperfect Gem
Da Vinci Diamonds is a somewhat disappointing game. It’s not bad; it just doesn’t have much of a real hook. Basically, it’s a one-trick pony.
The tumbling reels feature is fun and satisfying, especially during the bonus round, but there’s not much else to love. The graphics and sound design are basic and don’t do much to hold the player’s attention. Also, as the game drags on the 94.94% RTP starts to hurt a little, too.
It’s a slightly high premium to pay just to enjoy watching the chain combos form. Anyone interested should still give it a try, but there’s not enough there to recommend it for a longer session.