Boom Pirates (Foxium): Overview

Foxium, in case you’re unfamiliar, is one of several independent studios brought in by Microgaming as part of an ongoing initiative where Microgaming provides the platform and expertise, while partner studios concentrate on producing exclusive content. Although most of these newcomers excel at visual presentation, a less complimentary pattern has been their struggle to grasp what truly makes a strong slot. That said, a number of them are gradually improving and starting to come into their own as capable slot developers. In fact, with the launch of Boom Pirates, Foxium makes a major step up.

For reasons we can only guess at, Boom Pirates ended up being delayed by almost a year. From the outset, it’s clear this is a fairly ambitious project for a small studio, and since it introduces a new mechanic called Wonderways™, there may well have been legal matters to resolve, as we’ve seen elsewhere. Built on a standard layout of 5-reels, 4-rows and 1024 ways to win, it rides the Megaways wave by scaling up to an eye-watering 10,077,696 ways to win in fully extended mode. You’ll also find several distinctive features that take advantage of this, including the Boom Pirate feature that can randomly add extra rows and reels, plus Mary’s Swashbuckling Attack, which can unexpectedly convert a losing spin into a five of a kind win. So if you’re in the mood for some high-seas mischief, you can hop aboard from just 0.10 up to €30 per spin on any device.

The pirate theme never really loses its appeal. It’s a popular setting that taps into our love of adventure, mystery, and travel—and Boom Pirates serves up a bit of all three. Taking place on a tropical island framed by captivating blues, Foxium delivers a genuinely inviting atmosphere. Naturally, a classic pirate tune plays in the background to help set the looting mood. On the wooden reels you’ll see 10 to A royals, along with 5 higher-value picture symbols: gunpowder barrels, canons, vibrant parrots, a tattooed pirate named Ben, and Captain Mary. She’s the top payer, awarding 25 times your stake for a nine of a kind hit. And no, there aren’t any wild symbols here.

Boom Pirates (Foxium): Features

The first choice you’ll make before setting sail is whether to enable the Foxify™ feature. Turning it on boosts your chances of triggering the free spins, but it also raises your current bet by 50%. If you’d rather avoid waiting for the bonus entirely, you can select the Buy Feature via the gift button, which will set you back 100 times your stake.

Before diving into the free spins, there are a couple of base game twists to cover. To start, the Boom Pirates feature can randomly appear on any spin. When it hits, you’ll hear a pirate shout “boooooom pirates” as the conveniently positioned ship begins blasting cannon balls at the reels. This can push the reel setup up to 10,077,696 pay ways for that spin. Also triggered at random, Mary may swing in on a rope after a non-winning spin and grant a five of a kind win—this is called Mary’s Swashbuckling Attack.

Although the base game can reach the maximum pay ways, the Free Spins feature adds a few extra perks. It triggers when you land the 3 scatter symbols that spell YO-HO-HO on reels 1, 3, and 5 at the same time, awarding 10 free spins (or you can purchase the feature instead). During the bonus, extra tiles (paylines) can be randomly switched on across the full 6×9 grid when struck by the pirate ship’s bombardment (the ship is more active in free spins). Once activated, these tiles (paylines) stay active until the round ends.

Boom Pirates (Foxium): Verdict

So, did Boom Pirates justify the lengthy delay? Yes, it did. It’s clearly enjoyable, it looks great, and it delivers enough suspense and excitement to keep things lively. That said, very few games are without drawbacks, and Boom Pirates has a handful too—even if they won’t bother everyone.

Despite being such an “open” game with millions of potential paylines, it can feel oddly restrictive for the player. The first demo we tested showed a max win of 5000x which, even at that level, might be viewed as modest for a title trying to sit alongside Megaways-style games. Providing up to 10 million ways to win while limiting the game to 3,800x doesn’t really add up. There are other constraints as well, including the absence of wilds and the requirement to land scatters on fixed reels, almost as if it were a simple 9 payline slot.

All things considered, Boom Pirates is a superb slot, and if its limitations don’t irritate you, there’s a strong chance you’ll have a great time with it. The backdrop is outstanding, there are a few humorous touches that can raise a smile, and it can even deliver pleasantly extended play sessions. Even with its shortcomings, it’s still a definite yes from us.