Great Blue (Playtech) – Review & Demo Play

Great Blue - Game Review

I have spun Great Blue since its early days. Five reels and 25 paylines, marine symbols mixed with card icons. Orca wild stands in for everything bar the scatter and doubles any win it helps. The seashell pearl scatter can set off a free spins bonus with chunky multipliers. RTP sits at 96.03%, stake range starts at 0.25 up to 37.50. It is a high variance slot that can run cold, then chuck out a session saver when the feature lands.

Symbols and Paytable in Great Blue

The orca wild is the star in Great Blue. Any line win it touches pays double, and five wilds can deliver the slot’s headline prize worth 10,000. High pays are proper sea life. Shark and turtle start from 2x for two of a kind and climb to 750x for five. Angel fish pays from 20x for three up to 400x for five. Sea horse and starfish produce 15x for three and rise to 250x for five.

Low pays keep the reels ticking. A and K go from 10x for three to 150x for five. Tens, J and Q pay 5x for three up to 100x for five, while 9 pays from 2x for two to 100x for five. The seashell with a pearl is the scatter. Hit three or more to reach the Sea Shells Bonus, where the free spins and multipliers can stack up and change your balance in a hurry.

Great Blue Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	Wild
	5	x800
	4	x200
	3	x20
	2	x0.8
	Scatter
	5	x40
	4	x1.6
	3	x0.4
	2	x0.16
	5	x60
	4	x10
	3	x2
	2	x0.16
	5	x60
	4	x10
	3	x2
	2	x0.16
	5	x20
	4	x6
	3	x1.2
	5	x20
	4	x6
	3	x1.2
	5	x32
	4	x8
	3	x1.6
	5	x12
	4	x4
	3	x0.8
	5	x12
	4	x4
	3	x0.8
	5	x8
	4	x2
	3	x0.4
	5	x8
	4	x2
	3	x0.4
	5	x8
	4	x2
	3	x0.4
	5	x8
	4	x2
	3	x0.4
	2	x0.16

Bonus Features in Great Blue

Three or more pearl scatters trigger the Sea Shells Bonus. You start with 8 free spins and a 2x multiplier. On the pick screen, choose two of five shells to add extra spins and a bigger multiplier. The top setup reaches 33 free spins with a 15x multiplier, and wins with the orca wild still get doubled before any feature multiplier applies, which is how the slot throws out eye catching totals.

Hitting the bonus is not frequent, so I tend to pace bets. The auto spin menu offers 10, 25, 50 or 99 spins, and there is a handy setting to keep spinning until the feature lands. That is convenient, but I still watch the stake size and balance. When the round does land, shells can turn a flat session around fast, though the base game can still keep you afloat with those doubling wild hits.

In some sessions I use the Gamble feature to press small wins. It is a simple card colour pick on a side screen. Guess right and the chosen amount doubles, guess wrong and you lose that stake. You can take the money and return to the reels at any time. I use it sparingly after modest line hits rather than after big features, which suits a high variance slot where preservation between bonuses matters.

RTP and Volatility in Great Blue

RTP in Great Blue sits at 96.03%, which is fine for a classic Playtech slot. Variance is high. In practice that means long quiet stretches, then sudden spikes when wilds and multipliers meet. Five wilds on a line carry a 10,000 top award, and any win that includes a wild is doubled. During my sessions the orca showed up often enough to keep lines ticking, but the real hit rate shift arrives once the Sea Shells Bonus is active.

How to Play Great Blue

How I play Great Blue is simple. I set the active lines and bet per line, or hit Max Bet if I want the lot. The Info button brings up paytable pages and feature rules, which I check before I spin. Auto spin lets me choose 10, 25, 50 or 99 rounds, with an option to carry on until the bonus appears. I toggle that on when hunting the feature and off when I am line grinding.

My Verdict on Great Blue

I keep coming back to this one. It looks a bit dated, yet the gameplay still hits the right notes. The orca wild doing double duty, the shell picks, and the chance to stack a 15x multiplier make Great Blue a fine high risk, high reward choice. It can be a grind between bonuses, so I keep stakes sensible and let the auto spin roll. When the feature lines up, it reminds me why this slot stuck around.