LIKED
There are pioneers who travel to discover new lands, new sea routes or new trading venues. Then there are also pioneers who search the cold icy lands for whatever need to be found - to search out new possible sites for their research centres, to map out new unexplored areas, to find new routes, whatever. Polar explorers often face daunting challenges that could decide whether they make it or don't, because there isn't anyone else out there who could help them in times of need. They are often faced with loneliness and total seclusion from any civilisation for many months or years, and that makes these explorers really tough people indeed. So, if you wanna play this Polar Pioneers game, then be prepared to be tough to face the challenges ahead.
The Explorer is the Wild symbol, 5 of which pays 15,000x the line bet, and substitutes for other symbols except for the Scatter symbol. Nope, it doesn't double any win, it doesn't become stacked, and it doesn't expand either. It is a dumb Wild symbol. The Huskies is the Scatter symbol, 5 of which pays 125x the total bet amount, slightly more than the usual. Getting 3 or more of them triggers 10 free spins with all wins doubled. More free spins can be retriggered. Honestly speaking, 10 free spins with a 2x multiplier is only half the usual provision, so this is not good at all. The other symbols in the game pay from 2500x the line bet (Ship) down to 125x the line bet for 5 of each kind. An average paytable.
In the base game, whenever 2 Scatters appear anywhere on the reels, one respin is awarded to try and get that third Scatter. Most times it won't come, but once in awhile, it does, and thereby awards the Free Spins game. This respin is not triggerable during the free spins.
DISLIKED
Having an average paytable doesn't make any difference to the game play of Polar Pioneers. I gave this game a fairly long play, hoping something good would finally come, but it doesn't happen at all. The Free Spins games are hard to get, the payouts from the Free Spins games were low, from 10x to 33x my bet amount, with nothing higher than that. After a few thousand spins done playing this game, I still couldn't get any single decent payout above that 33x bet amount. That was totally disappointing, and certainly not worth playing anymore for me.