Fire Opals Slot Machine

Author: GamblingSites.org | Last Updated: December 2023

Developed by IGT, Fire Opals is a 5 reel, 720 ways slot machine involving
magical opals that come from a volcanic region.

An opal is a solid non crystal or mineraloid form of silicon dioxide that’s
found in volcanic rock and mines. Many opals are filled with an array of colors,
giving them a beautiful appearance.

Their elegant appearance is why some cultures believe that opals bring good
luck and even have magical powers. In his 1907 book Precious Stones for Curative
Wear, William Thomas Fernie wrote about how opals can allegedly make a person
invisible when held inside a fresh bay leaf.

This makes it understandable why the Fire Opal slot paints these mineraloids in
a mysterious way. And we like how this game revolves around a precious gem
beyond diamonds-something that’s seen far too often in the gaming world.

But does Fire Opals have more to offer than just a creative theme?

Find out as we cover this game’s atmosphere, music, animations, pay table,
graphics, special features, betting options, and rules. We’ll also compare this
slot to a few other IGT games that deal with precious stones.

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Fire Opals Slot Machines Overview

Atmosphere / Background

The background is dark and filled with mist. But through the mist, you can
see a volcano in the distance, and steps in the lower right hand corner that
lead to an unknown destination.

The area behind the reels is dark red, with a light red shimmer coming off
the reels.

Together, the color combination isn’t the most pleasing that we’ve seen in
slots. And we could do without all of the mist, allowing more of the tropical
elements to be seen.

On the other hand, the mist and colors do a good job of portraying the
magical undertone behind Fire Opals.

Music and Sound Effects

When you spin the reels, you’ll hear a beat that’s reminiscent of islands and
ancient cultures. The music is a big reason why we mentioned that the atmosphere
should have more tropical elements.

This game also features bird sounds, which only furthers our opinion that the
mist needs to go, and green trees and vegetation need to enter the equation.

Most of the sound effects for winning payouts are the generic variety that
you’ll find in many online and land based slot machines. The good news is that music
plays frequently enough that you’ll forget about the cliche payout sounds.

Animations

Fire Opals is an older slot machine that was adapted for online casinos. This
means that you won’t get to see any incredible animations during payouts.

Instead, you’ll merely see winning symbols flash while a red box outlines
them. The one different animations involves fire opals changing to indicate that
you’ve triggered the bonus round.

Fire Opals Pay Table and Graphics

Payouts and symbols for Fire Opals are as follows:

• Wild Icon

Appearing only on reels 2, 3, and 4, the wild icon
substitutes for all other symbols except the fire opals to form winning
payouts.

• Scatter Icon

The scatter icon pays when it lands 3 or more times
anywhere on the reels. You’ll receive a payout worth 3x for 3 symbols, 20x
for 4 symbols, or 100x for 5 symbols your triggering bet.

• Fire Opals Icon

This is the highest paying symbol, delivering 2,000
coins for 5 symbols, 150 coins for 4, and 50 for 3.

• Woman

Dressed like a tribal princess and carrying a tray of flaming
opals, the woman pays 500 coins for 5 symbols, 75 for 4, and 25 for 3.

• Volcano

Featuring steam and lava running down its side, the volcano
pays 300 coins for 5 symbols, 50 for 4, and 20 for 3.

• Tropical Flower

The flower offers 125 coins for 5 symbols, 30 for 4,
and 15 for 3.

• Tropical Insect

The insect pays 100 coins for 5 symbols, 25 for 4, and
10 for 3.

• K, Q, J

These three letters pay the same, delivering 100 coins for 5
symbols, 20 for 4, and 5 for 3. We have no idea why this game doesn’t start
with A as the first letter, like nearly every other slot machine does.

• Fire Opal

5 fire opals in any position will trigger free spins. This
seems like a lot of symbols to trigger the bonus, but we got the bonus three
times during our session.

Symbol Graphics

Being a dated game, Fire Opals doesn’t have the greatest graphics.

In fact, we’re not even sure what kind of insect is featured in the tropical
insect symbol. The volcano also has a rough appearance, looking like it was
colored by a grade school student.

But this isn’t to say that all of the symbol graphics are bad. The opals,
woman, and icon graphics all look good for an older slot machine.

Fire Opals Slot Bonus Features

Fire opals doesn’t have a lot of extra features, but you can at least trigger
free spins and take advantage of 720 ways to win. Let’s continue discussing both
of these features in detail in the next section.

Free Spins

When you land 5 fire opals anywhere on the reels, all of the symbols will
begin flashing the words Bonus Triggered. A tranquil beat starts playing to
further suggest that the bonus has been triggered.

When you click spin, you’ll be taken to new reels that are set high above the
clouds. The mist disappears and you’ll instead see clouds beneath you and a tall
volcano in the distance.

You receive 10 free spins, which can be retriggered by landing 5 blue opals
anywhere on the reels.

These free spins don’t offer any extra embellishments, like expanding or
sticky wilds. They’re just basic free games that give you a chance to win extra
credits.

720 Ways

Called MultiWay Xtra by IGT, the 720 ways format gives you numerous
opportunities to create payouts on any spin. Symbols only have to be in adjacent
reels to form wins, rather than in pay lines.

You can also form payouts from left to right and right to left; this
contrasts most slots, which only see wins created from left to right.

The only drawback to the 720 ways format is that it doesn’t look as clean as
standard 5 reel setups. Instead, you get an uneven 3 4 5 4 3 setup, which isn’t
as aesthetically pleasing.

Betting Options

Although this is a 720 ways slot, it plays like a 50 pay line game because
you must make a fixed bet of 50 coins.

The version we played features a $1 minimum coin size, making for an
expensive $50 total bet.

We’ve seen this with other IGT slot machines that are adapted for online
play, and hopefully you can find a cheaper version to play.

Other Options

Click the auto spin button in the lower right hand corner to keep the reels
automatically spinning for 10 50 turns.

Another option is the ability to set the graphics quality at low, medium,
high, or best. This option is handy if you have a slow running PC or smartphone
and want the game to play smoother.

Win Frequency

Fire Opals’ win frequency is below average for a 720 ways slot machine.

We went through cold streaks that lasted 5 10 spins without a payout.
Assuming this plays like a 50 pay line slot, as the betting options portray,
this is too long to go without winning.

We were surprised with the frequency of the bonus round, though, which came
up 3 times in our session.

Return to Player RTP

RTP for Fire Opals is 94.92%, which is below average for an online slot.

This doesn’t surprise us, given that many of IGT’s other online adaptations
are also set at 94.92% RTP. But in an age when many internet slot machines offer
96% payback or higher, this doesn’t make Fire Opals a very attractive game.

Game Rules

Fire Opals plays differently that most slot machines due to the 720 ways
aspect. Here are the main rules that you should be aware of:

• MultiWay Xtra pays for the same symbol in any position in adjacent
  reels.
• MultiWay Xtra pays left to right, and right to left. Payouts are
  multiplied by the coin value (i.e. 10 coins x $5).
• Only the highest paying prize for a specific symbol is awarded per turn.
  In other words, you can’t get a 5 symbol and 2 symbol payout with the same
  symbol.

Comparison to Other Gem Themed Slot Machines

Fire Opals is far from the only gem themed slot that IGT has made over the
years. Here’s a look at how it compares to two of IGT’s most popular slot
machines in Da Vinci Diamonds and Diamond Queen.

Da Vinci Diamonds

This 5 reel, 20 pay line slot is one of the most successful games in IGT
history.

It revolves around the famed 15th century inventor Leonardo Da Vinci, who’s
credited with painting the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, inventing the
helicopter, and creating the world’s first tank.

Like Fire Opals, Da Vinci Diamonds is an older game that doesn’t offer an
incredible background or symbol graphics. In fact, the all black background
gives this game a worse atmosphere than Fire Opals.

But what we love about Da Vinci Diamonds is that it features three of his
greatest paintings: Mona Lisa, Portrait of a Musician, and Lady with an Ermine.

As for features, you can trigger free spins and earn 3 extra spins every time
that you land another bonus symbol.

Overall, the best thing about this game is that Leonardo’s paintings appear
as symbols. The biggest downsides are the all black background and use of cliche
gems like diamonds and rubies.

Diamond Queen

Released in 2012, Diamond Queen is a newer slot machine than Fire Opals and
Da Vinci Diamonds.

This makes it little surprise that Diamond Queen’s graphics and atmosphere
are far better. You see a misty forest in the background, while the symbols are
presented in 3D graphics.

Symbols in this 20 pay line game include the Diamond Queen (wild), wizard,
bonus scroll, boy, diamond scepter, and a diamond tiara.

If you land 3 or more bonus scrolls anywhere on the reels, you trigger 3 free
spins with stacked wilds appear in reels 2, 3, and 4.

Diamond Queen is a good game for anybody who likes the Pixar movie Frozen,
given that the graphics look similar. But the theme isn’t as original as Fire
Opals given that Diamond Queen is mainly a fairytale slot.

Conclusion

This classic 5 reel slot machine has a theme that’s more original than any
other gem themed slot machine we’ve played.

This game takes off on certain cultures’ beliefs that opals have special
powers and bring good luck to the holder. The theme is supported by tropical
music, volcanoes, and an island woman.

Another likeable aspect to this game is the 720 ways format. Negating pay
lines and giving you the ability to form wins anyway, 720 ways makes every spin
more exciting.

Downsides to this slot include limited bonus features, subpar graphics, and
low win frequency / RTP.

Most of the symbols are detailed enough that you know what they are, but the
fact that the insect is barely identifiable doesn’t bode well for this game.

The low win frequency and 94.92% RTP make it feel like wins are too far and
few in between. If you can’t find a version of Fire Opals with cheaper than a $1
coin size, then avoid this game.

But if you can, then we suggest giving Fire Opals a shot due to its original theme
and tropical music.