Introduction to Inks & Pints
Inks & Pints is a casino slot from Peter & Sons that takes us to a rather untidy pub where leprechauns, tattoos and pints all appear to be about equally important. It must be admitted that the leprechaun theme isn't exactly a new one these days, since the little green creatures have likely already appeared in more slots than could possibly fill a huge pot of gold. That said, Peter & Sons has put in some effort to give this game a slightly different touch by combining the well-known Irish character with the atmosphere of a traditional pub and an ink-and-tattoo style. The outcome is a game that has a more vibrant appearance and is rougher in its edges than the typical St. Patrick's Day slot. Let’s dive straight into this game.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Inks & Pints is a video slot from Peter & Sons with a basic setup of 5 reels, 3 rows, and 10 paylines. The Min.bet is 0.1, and the Max.bet is 100. The game’s default RTP is 96.73%, but you can also find versions of 94.0% and 91.0%. The max win is 10,000x the bet, and the probability of scoring it is 1 in 18,069,505. The game has mid-high volatility, and the hit frequency is 19.13%
The game takes place in a setting that resembles a bustling traditional pub, featuring wooden furnishings, bottles, hanging decorations and a warm, slightly dirty air. The reels are positioned in the centre of the screen, and they have a big green frame. The surrounding pub scenery contributes to the theme without being too distracting. Wins are achieved by matching symbols along one of the 10 paylines, starting on the leftmost or rightmost reel. You can play Inks & Pints on mobile phones, notepads and desktop computers.
The lower-paying symbols in Inks & Pints are diamonds, clubs, hearts, and spades. Five matching symbols pay 2x the bet. The higher-paying symbols are Bogwater Bottles, Gold Coins, and Leprechaun, with payouts ranging from 5x to 10x the bet. There are also two special Scatter Symbols: the Bonus Wheel Scatter and the Free Spins Scatter. Wild Symbols can substitute for all regular symbols, but they cannot replace either of the Scatter Symbols.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Inks & Pints?
You can win up to 10,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Inks & Pints?
The features are Expanding Wild, Bonus Wheel Game, Free Spins, Golden Bet, and Feature Buy.
Expanding Wild
Wilds may appear on reels 2, 3 and 4, with at most one Wild showing on each of those reels. If a Wild does appear, it expands to take up the whole reel and then remains in place. In the base game, an expanding Wild also causes a re-spin, which gives the reels another opportunity to form a winning combination. Up to 3 Wilds can appear during the re-spin.
Bonus Wheel Game
The Bonus Wheel Game is started by landing three Bonus Wheel Scatters on reels 2, 3 and 4. It is a four-level wheel consisting of concentric circles, the first three levels having six sections each and the last level having three.
The first level has multipliers of 1x, 2x, 3x and 4x. The second provides 5x, 6x, 7x and 8x, while the third has 10x, 12x, 15x and 20x. The wheel begins on the outer level, and each multiplier is multiplied by the amount of the current bet; the wheel then spins again after each multiplier.
The situation becomes more interesting when the wheel comes to rest on an UP section, since this advances the game to the next level. Even though the session has ended, you still get a random multiplier from the level that is currently being played.
The fourth and final level functions differently. It has neither UP nor END sections; instead, it has three symbols with different prize ranges. Bogwater pays out between 30x and 100x; the Pension Fund offers between 120x and 200x; and Finn Clovercoil's prizes range from 250x to 10,000x the bet.
Free Spins
You trigger a random number of 7, 9, 12, 15, or 20 Free Spins by landing 3 Free Spins Scatter Symbols on the grid. You cannot win more spins once the feature starts.
Wilds have the possibility of appearing on any reel during the Free Spins. They spread out to cover the whole reel and stay sticky for the remainder of the feature. However, they don’t cause a respin like in the main game.
Golden Bet
You can increase the chances of triggering the Free Spins and landing Wild Symbols by activating the Golden Bet, which increases your base bet by 50%.
Feature Buy
You can buy Free Spins at 75x the bet, which will give you a random number of 7, 9, 12, 15 or 20 spins. You can also purchase the Bonus Wheel Game for 75x the bet.
Final Thoughts on Inks & Pints
The Inks & Pints slot probably leaves the first impression down to how much patience you still have for leprechauns, since we've come across them more than enough over the years, and the theme is now dangerously near the point of requiring its own retirement fund. Fortunately, Peter & Sons has at least made an attempt to do things differently here. The pub atmosphere, the tattoo-inspired design and the rather unusual characters give it a personality that a more ordinary green-and-gold Irish slot would have lacked. The typical Peter & Sons’ design, which reminds us of the Minecraft graphics, also helps give the game a somewhat unique touch.
The gameplay is rather simple, yet there are sufficient features to keep the action going. The expanding Wilds are useful in the base game, especially when a couple of them begin to stay around and cause re-spins. The Free Spins feature is also solid, mainly since the Wilds remain sticky throughout the whole round.
There's also the Bonus Wheel, which was certainly the aspect we focused on most when playing the demo. It begins in a fairly modest way, but the prize levels rise quickly, and the chance of reaching the fourth level adds a certain amount of excitement. Of course, hitting the 10,000x prize is just as unlikely as coming across a leprechaun who actually wants to pay for the next round, with the probability of 1 in over 18 million.
At the end, Inks & Pints is a rather ordinary offering from Peter & Sons, and it’s far from as good as some other games, such as Dig It or Animafia.
Inks & Pints from Peter & Sons is an enjoyable enough slot with a handful of features to keep things interesting. It’s not likely to become the new ruler of the slot scene, but it does offer a satisfactory number of spins for those who want to have a pint with their leprechaun.
