Down The Drain

Remember Finding Nemo and Shrek and classics like that? Sure you do, but you remember Flushed Away? I did wonder when I saw the title of this new WGS Technology slot, if this was a slot about the film.

However, upon loading up the game for the first time, it was evident that this is not the case. This is about leaky pipes, plumbing and whatnot and I think it is a very imaginative subject for a slot game. It's not the first time we've seen plumbers and plumbing become part of the gaming industry, Super Mario after all, was a plumber, but it is the first I have seen for a little while.

So how does this 5x3 reel slot with 243 Ways to Win shape up? Does it spring a leak and let everyone down? Or is this one plumber who is on the job and delivers what is asked on time and for the right price? Let's take a closer look and find out.

Overview

• Game: Down The Drain
• Developer: WGS Technology
• Reels: 5x3
• Pay Lines: 243 Ways to Win
• Minimum Bet: 0.40
• Maximum Bet: 200.00
• Jackpot: 1,000x
• Free Spins Bonus: Yes
• Other Bonuses: Yes
• Progressive: No
• Volatility: Medium

Where can I play the Down the Drain slot?

If you want to put your plumbing skills to the test on the Down The Drain slot, then there are two places you should head in order to try things out and that is Miami Club Casino and Red Stag Casino as both are offering similar great value deals on the new slot.

At Red Stag Casino, you need to be a new member of the site and then enter the code ROYALFLUSH into the code box. This will give you a chance to play through 73 Free Spins on the Down the Drain slot, which comes with a 40x wagering requirement and a maximum cash out value of $150.

Then, once this initial bonus is complete, you can then take a deposit bonus of 300% (of up to $600) and a further 123 Free Spins on the same slot using the code CASHFLOW. Your qualifying deposit needs to be $10 or more for this bonus and you have until the 15^th December to claim the bonus, otherwise you can claim the standard bonus after this time.

Red Stag Casino Offer

• 73 Free Spins on Down the Drain
• Code: ROYALFLUSH
• No deposit required
• Wagering requirement: 40x
• Max cashout $150
• December 5 - 15, 2019
• New players only - signup page

• 300% up to $600 + 123 Spins on Down the Drain
• Code: CASHFLOW
• Min. deposit: $10
• Wagering requirement: 40x
• No max cashout
• December 5 - 15, 2019
• New players only - signup page

Restrictions at Red Stag Casino: Sorry but residents of Canada, Israel, Moldova, Panama, United Kingdom, are not accepted at Red Stag Casino.

At Miami Club Casino, you can claim 25 Free Spins on the Down the Drain slot with the code LEAK25 and those free spins come with a 40% wagering deposit and a maximum cash out of $150. This is then followed by a 200% Matched Deposit Bonus of up to $100, plus a further 50 spins on the Down the Drain slot when you make a deposit of $25 or more using the code PLUMB200.

While the first part of this offer expires on the 15^th December, the second part of the offer including the Matched Deposit bonus is ongoing, so you do have more time to access this bonus.

Miami Club Casino Offer

• 25 Free Spins on Down the Drain
• Code: LEAK25
• No deposit required
• Wagering requirement: 40x
• Max cashout $150
• December 5 - 15, 2019
• New players only - signup page

• 200% up to $100 + 50 Spins on Down the Drain
• Code: PLUMB200
• Min. deposit: $25
• Wagering requirement: 40x
• No max cashout
• Ongoing offer (no time limit)
• New players only - signup page

Restrictions at Miami Club Casino: Sorry but residents of Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Moldova, Netherlands, Panama, United Kingdom, are not accepted at Miami Club Casino.

Presentation

The presentation of the Down the Drain slot is nice enough, but it does lack a bit of the 'wow' factor. The graphics are cartoon styled and they do have a nice humorous element to them, the builders bum Scatter being my favorite. However, I feel that the rest of the game is not as dynamic. Animations are barely used and the base game just sits there with little to keep the player interested. The music is a cheery tune but it is more muzak than a soundtrack and I just feel that the game doesn't go out, grab you and make you want to play it.

What's on the reels?

There are a number of different symbols on the reels in the Down the Drain slot. The lower value are the six playing card symbols, with the 9 and 10 being the lowest value through the Queen and Jack to the Ace and King.

The higher value symbols on the reels include the monkey wrenches, the plungers, a shower head, a toilet and a tap with water pouring out of the end of it. These offer a range of wins, with the latter two symbols being worth a lot more with five of the tap symbols giving you the 1,000 coin jackpot win any way across the reels.

Wild features

The plumber is the Wild symbol and this symbol doesn't act as a standard symbol in that it has a payout value attached to it. Instead, it serves only as a replacement symbol, replacing any of the standard symbols outlined above to try and help you land a better value win. The more Wilds you land on the reels, the more chance you have of one of those big value base game wins.

Free Spins features

The main Free Spin bonus of the Down the Drain game is activated when you land the three builders bum Scatter symbols on the first, third and fifth reels on the same spin. This will award you 8 Free Spins initially, although during the bonus game, any time you land an additional Scatter on the reels you will receive an additional Free Spin added to your total.

Other than that there are no special other additions to the Free Spins round and they play pretty much at the same rate and on the same reels as the base game.

There is another bonus available on the slot which is the Respin feature. The Respin symbol is on the third reel only and any time that you land it on that reel, you will receive one free Respin which can of course see you land a win, or maybe even an additional win if you landed a win with the Respin symbol on the first spin.

Other bonus features

The other main feature of the slot is the Pipe Fitter Bonus game, which is a simple but enjoyable game where you have to select which tools you want to use for the job of connecting the pipes together to fix the lead. If you select the right tools for the job and can stop the leak by using them by connecting the pipes, then you will win the cash prize available in the bonus.

This is a simple, puzzle-type game which offers a mix of prizes but which links in superbly with the overall theme of the game.

Best feature of the Down the Drain slot

There's essentially three main bonus features on the Down the Drain slot and I think of them, it is unsurprisingly the Free Spins bonus that offers the best value in the long term. The Wild can be useful for those key base game wins, the Respin bonus is a little hit and miss to be truthful, but we have had more consistent returns when we have triggered the Free Spins bonus.

What does the Down the Drain slot lack?

I think if there's one thing that the game lacks, it is a bit of a sense of dynamism. The slot is very safe and steady, by that I mean, for all the fun cartoon graphics, the game just doesn't seem to come alive when you click the reels and it is all rather reserved. I'd have liked to have seen animation used more, leaks springing out of the pipes around the outside of the reels and little additions like that as it would have enhanced the game a great deal.

Conclusion

Down the Drain is a decent enough slot, it has some nice touches and some good bonus features, but it all feels a little safe from WGS. The presentation I feel is a little lacking in terms of its ambition. The plumber blinking isn't the most exciting animation they could have had in the game. However, in terms of playing a standard mid-variance slot that offers a good mix of wins, this is not a bad game at all, it just isn't quite as exciting as it could have been.

Ratings

• Presentation: 12 / 20 - The presentation on the Down the Drain slot is OK, but it isn't the greatest that you will ever see. There's nothing inherently wrong with the graphics or the approach, it is just that the slot lacks the dynamism and animations that you get with some other games that really grab you and make you want to play the game. This is a game that doesn't do that and it is a pity as there was real potential to do that with how the game is set up.
• Game-play: 15 / 20 - If the presentation disappointed, then it is a more positive picture with the game-play as the Down the Drain slot is one that is fun to play. It is a more low to medium variance slot played at the lower amounts but I feel overall it just scrapes medium variance, which means a nice mix of wins in the base game, but not too many of those very low value wins. Overall, the balance of the slot is just about bang on the money.
• Bonus Features: 15 / 20 - Part of the appeal of the Down the Drain slot is that it does have a trio of decent bonus features. The Wild is useful for some of the bigger wins in the base game and in Free Spins, the Respin bonus is also a nice touch although its value is hit and miss but the best is the Free Spins bonus which tends to offer a far better chance for players to land a decent sized win.
• Entertainment Factor: 13 / 20 - There's enough in the Down the Drain slot to keep most slot players happy. The lack of dynamism means that the game doesn't grab your attention like some other slots, but there is enough quality in the remaining content to keep you happily playing the slot for a good while. However the lack of a big jackpot does mean it will have limited appeal to the big jackpot hunters.
• Play Value: 13 / 20 - As a more medium variance slot, you can get a real mix of wins when playing the Down the Drain slot. You don't have to wait too long in between wins, but the value of them does vary drastically. The more Wilds you can land, the better value wins tend to be, but they do tend to be a bit hit and miss on the reels at times. Overall, this is a decent mid-level variance slot, not the worst by any means but also not up there with the very best.
• Overall 68 / 100 - Down the Drain is a decent slot game from WGS Technology with a few nice touches, but it does smack to me of being a very safe option for them. There's no attempt to offer players something new and innovative and while I like the subject matter, I feel WGS could have done a lot more with it in terms of presentation, in order to make the slot more appealing to players on the most basic level.

Good Luck!

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