Play Bob Marlin Goes Deep

Bob Marlin seems perfectly happy letting the fish do most of the complicated work. Yggdrasil starts Bob Marlin Goes Deep on a 5x4 grid with 1,024 ways, then lets Bonus symbols add rows until the reels reach 5x7 and 16,807 ways. Collectible fish appear in those added rows and can unlock separate Collection Bonus Spins, while three Bonus symbols activate the regular version. There isn't a fisherman collecting cash values here, which already makes Bob's trip rather different from the usual fishing expedition. 

Bob spends the game standing beside the reels turning a large crank, apparently because buttons haven't reached this particular boat yet. Bright blue water fills the background, with coral and marine life visible beneath the surface. Fishing reels, tackle boxes and bait tins make up the stronger regular symbols, so the theme stays firmly aboard the boat even before the collectible fish appear. 

The presentation is brighter and less frantic than many fishing themed online slots. Reel expansion provides the most noticeable visual change, since the grid grows downwards whenever Bonus symbols land. Bob remains animated alongside the action throughout, though the fish themselves become much more important once the collection meters start filling. 

The card ranks sit at the lower end of the paytable before canned bait, fishing lures, reels and tackle boxes increase the potential payouts. Four Super High Paying fish symbols sit above them, although those fish only appear during their matching Collection Bonus Spins. 

• The boat Bonus symbol can appear on the first, third and fifth reels. Every Bonus symbol adds one extra row to the grid, with three Bonus symbols expanding the reels fully and activating 10 Regular Bonus Spins. 
• Blue, green, purple and orange Collectible Fish can appear only within the three expanded rows during the base game. Collecting five fish of one colour awards five matching Collection Bonus Spins. 
• Bob Marlin Goes Deep doesn't use a Wild symbol, so regular potential combinations must be formed from matching paying symbols. 

Expanding Reels 

The base grid begins at 5x4, but every Bonus symbol adds one row beneath the reels. A single Bonus symbol therefore creates a 5x5 layout, while further symbols can extend the grid until all five reels reach seven positions high. 

The expansion increases the number of potential ways from 1,024 to as many as 16,807. Reel height returns to the standard setup when the next base spin begins, so each expansion belongs only to the current spin. 

Regular Bonus Spins 

Three Bonus symbols activate 10 Regular Bonus Spins on the fully expanded 5x7 grid. The enlarged layout remains in place throughout the feature rather than shrinking between spins. 

Bonus symbols and Collectible Fish aren't available during this round. The main advantage therefore comes from retaining the maximum grid size and the corresponding 16,807 ways for every spin. 

Collectible Fish 

Collectible Fish appear only in the extra three rows created through reel expansion. Four separate colour collections are tracked, and each one requires five matching fish. 

Completing a collection awards five Collection Bonus Spins for that colour. If several collections finish at the same time, the corresponding rounds are played separately. When a regular bonus trigger and a completed fish collection occur together, the regular round takes place first. 

Collection Bonus Spins 

Each Collection Bonus Spins round uses the fully expanded 5x7 grid. The main difference comes from the Super High Paying symbols, which only appear in this feature and correspond to the colour of the completed fish collection. 

The round uses the average stake from the spins that contributed towards that completed collection. Collectible Fish and Bonus symbols don't appear once the feature is underway.

Bob Marlin Goes Deep begins with five reels and four rows, producing 1,024 ways to form potential combinations. Matching symbols need to appear across at least three consecutive reels from the left, although the Super High Paying fish can produce potential wins from two matching symbols. 

Multiple matching symbols on the same reel increase the number of ways attached to a combination. Reel expansion has a direct effect on that system because every additional row creates more symbol positions. With all three extra rows active, the grid reaches 5x7 and 16,807 possible ways. 

Fishing is hardly an underused slot theme in online casinos, so Bob has plenty of company out on the water. 

• Big Bass Trophy Catch: The seaside setting stays familiar, although Fisherman Wilds and Money symbols replace Bob Marlin's expanding reels and fish collections. 
• Kraken's Catch: Another aquatic setting takes us below the surface, with fish values and collection mechanics providing a much busier interpretation of the theme. 
• Big Bass Return to the Races: The horses move the scenery away from the sea, but the familiar fisherman and fish related collection mechanics keep one foot firmly in the same family. 

Bob Marlin Goes Deep is unusually restrained for a modern fishing slot. We rather like that the game avoids another fisherman Wild chasing cash tagged fish across the reels, but the replacement idea doesn't always move with much urgency. An expanded grid can appear, disappear again and leave us feeling that Bob cranked the reels for very little reason. 

The collections are more interesting because progress survives between spins. Reaching five fish eventually opens a separate round where stronger symbols become available, giving those added rows a purpose beyond simply creating more ways. 

We would've liked one more mechanic during Regular Bonus Spins. A permanently expanded grid is useful, but by itself there's not much to watch develop. Bob has brought a very large tackle box. Some extra equipment wouldn't have hurt.