There’s something to be said for games that are simple, to the point, and have loads of charm. It’s nice to see a high production value affair from time to time, and there’s certainly something to be said for spectacle, but at times we just want to relax, spin, and win some money online while keeping cool in the heat. This is a game made for us to play between the bigger budget affairs, and in some ways, can even compete with them! Certainly not in the graphics and related areas, but in others that are no less vital and no less valuable to your bottom line.
This game has a very cool sensibility to it that we promise not to pun on after this line. It features a very clean style, decent winnings, and is familiar and accessible for people that want to focus on winning money online more than figuring things out. The minimalistic look is a perfect fit for any season, and if you happen to love the cold, this one is certain to warm your heart! We don’t consider that one a pun, by the way, so we’re leaving that one in.
Microgaming did a wonderful job with this one. It takes something as glamorous as jewelry and combines it with some tight mechanics that makes it all go by very fast and make money even faster. If you’re looking for a low key good time that’s big on winnings and lite on figuring out how to play it, this makes for a game that’s easy to get into, and in the same way, easy to get out of should you want to go about your day after. It’s a good one to dip into from time to time during your day for that reason, and we give it a lite recommendation.
The Main Theme Tying the Game Together
This game is about two things that tend not to go together but probably should: being really, really cold, and sparkling things that are worth a whole bunch of money. They added in some playing cards proving nobody is perfect, but everything else about this one does a decent job of tying things together in a coherent way. It’s somewhat of a classic slot in that sense, doing little to distract you from playing for long periods of time, and moving along quickly enough that it never feels boring.
Things We Liked the Most
We didn’t think we’d like the way this one looked based on the screenshots — which we imagine most people reading this would agree with — but it really grew on us the longer we played it. It has a nice charm with how simple it is and how fast things go by that’s perfect. The art style is somewhat similar to things like Bejeweled, so maybe there’s something to be said for keeping it simple on that front!
We also enjoyed the special features. They’re not complex or involved like they can be elsewhere, instead being fast and simple like everything else. Respins and the super spin feature in particular are standouts here, as is the symbol storage system. That one’s pretty intuitive once you get going with it, and makes things a little less stale than they otherwise would have been if they’re been more reserved with how this one plays.
Accessible coin amounts are also nice, being as little as a penny and going up from there based on your funding.
Things We Didn’t Much Care For
We don’t like the use of the suits of cards for sure, which given the simple art style, seems somewhat inexcusable. How much would it have taken to make some more gems? Even just changing the color on some of them. Those aren’t hard to make and it’s mostly sparkles anyway, so it cheapens the experience just a bit.
We also wish there was a progressive jackpot, which tends to be our favorite part of any slot going experience. These keep us hooked and interested, and always feeling like we can win with just one more spin, which this game lacks as a hook by leaving that one out.
The Overall Presentation in the Game
This is a tight, minimalistic looking game with a sleek sense of style. It’s all streamlined and nice in that sense, as well as pretty decent looking in other ways, such as the UI. The color scheme is also a perfect mix of cool and warm tones that compliment each other as well as they always have.
How the Core Gameplay of This One Holds Up
It’s simple, to the point, and we can’t fault them for that. The special features we mentioned above are stand outs that are authentically innovative, and we can’t think of much to fault here, aside from the lack of compelling progressive jackpots.
Our Experience When We Played It
Sitting down expecting to spin a handful of times, we got hooked into it for a good hour, keeping our bets small and hoping for the Symbol Storage feature to pop up to get some more mileage out of that rather than betting more, which it did. That’s our winning strategy, but yours may be different!
Our Verdict on Whether or Not Icy Gems Slots is Worth Your Time
We played Icy Gems Slots a bunch, and overall, we feel that it’s a nice low key game that doesn’t try too hard but does what it intended to well and works in that way. For winter fans or people that love all things sparkly, the art style works well, and the special features really are new and innovative in the genre. Microgaming has a nice diversion here that you can pop into throughout the day, but if you’re looking for something meatier, you’ll unfortunately be left wanting.
