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10 January 2024 
Nice Catch 2 DoubleMax Slot Review
Time, once again, to bait up, grab a hot flask, and make for the briney as we embark on yet another angling adventure in the hope of reeling in some tasty prizes.
Whether or not the industry needed another fishing slot to chuck onto the bulging pile is up for debate, but Swedish software house Yggdrasil Gaming certainly thought so, as they’ve gone and crafted a follow-up to Nice Catch DoubleMax, a game released in May 2023 relying on the studio’s own proprietary DoubleMax mechanic to provide the bulk of the thrills.
DoubleMax is again the star of the show in the sequel Nice Catch 2 DoubleMax, which, refreshingly, bears some notable differences from its predecessor while managing to maintain the core DNA of the original.
New for round 2 is a Hold & Win bonus round and an expanded game panel, while a Diverwoman makes an appearance for the first time. How does it fare against its predecessor? Cast your line and get stuck into a modern-day ‘frantic fishing frenzy’ courtesy of our detailed review.
Nice Catch 2 DoubleMax Base Game and Features
The game’s creator has swapped an idyllic beach setting for an equally agreeable but far more remote location, right out in the deep blue sea where colourful ocean life abounds among aquatic vegetation painted in pleasant pastel tones. A pretty sight, all in all.
Eagle-eyed players may notice an extra reel that’s been wedged onto the gaming matrix, meaning a rather unconventional 6×3 Setup is where the action takes place requiring wins to form from reel 1 onwards. Reassuringly, multipliers atop each reel are back and remain responsible for much of the base game potential.
Governed by a highly volatile game engine, 729 Win Ways are supplied for payout calculations, with the paytable consisting of regular card suits – clubs, diamonds, spades, and hearts, joined by an oxygen tank, flippers, a camera, and goggles as the premiums. Reeling in a 6OAK win is worth up to 16 times the stake, while Fish Money symbols fetch rewards equal to 2x your bet at most.
Features time, and first up are aforementioned Fish symbols capable of landing in stacked form on any reel. With multiplier values maxing out at 100x, instant wins are guaranteed should a fish symbol plus a Fisherman symbol on reel 5 appear simultaneously.
The DoubleMax feature is unlocked if you manage to catch Fish symbols on consecutive reels beginning at the leftmost reel. With no ceiling on how high it can reach, the DoubleMax Multiplier applies to all wins on the triggering spin.
Hold & Spin Bonus
Landing a Chest symbol and Diverwoman together in a spin is your ticket to the Hold & Spin bonus round that sees players begin with 3 Refilling Lives.
Catch a Diverwoman, who can only appear on the last reel, or a Chest symbol to reset your lives back to 3, with the Chest symbol remaining locked in place for the remainder of the feature. The Diverwoman doubles the multiplier and to unlock a reel’s multiplier you must fill all positions on that reel with symbols.
Nice Catch 2 DoubleMax Free Spins
8, 11, 14, or 20 Free Spins are yours for landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 Scatters, respectively. During the round, one extra spin is earned for every Fisherman or Diverwoman that shows up, but best of all, the DoubleMax multipliers situated above each reel see their values doubled throughout the round. It’s also possible to bring the Hold & Win round into play, discussed in more detail below.
Free Spins Gamble
Feeling lucky? Take a punt at increasing your Free Spins tally by enabling the Gamble feature, where you can win up to 20 Free Spins. Lose, and you’ll head back to the base game empty-handed.
Bonus Buy
Non-UK players can gain instant access to Free Spins by shelling out the equivalent of 100x the wager, guaranteeing 3+ scatters, while for the far loftier price tag of 500 times your stake, 20 Free Spins are granted.
Nice Catch 2 DoubleMax: Our Verdict
Kudos to Yggdrasil for resisting the urge to simply plaster over a new outer shell onto this pleasantly surprising sequel while adding a few novel touches. A new outer shell it does possess, granted, but Nice Catch 2 DoubleMax also comes with a handful of appreciated upgrades to set it apart from its predecessor, all the while successfully delivering the same high level of entertainment as before.
Hold & Win bonus rounds are perennially popular in the online casino world and the one found in this game performs perfectly competently, with the added benefit of doubled multiplier values spelling significant payouts should Lady Luck be on your side.
The introduction of the Diverwoman is a nice touch, too, possessing new powers showcased in both the base game and Hold & Spin bonus feature. We also get an extra reel providing further space for symbols to land, and land they did with a fair rate of frequency during our test run. Not quite frequent enough to get anywhere near the slot’s advertised 10,000x max win, but often enough to deliver a steady flow of wins and provide a nice pace to proceedings.
Nice Catch 2 DoubleMax is a neatly packed creation sure to satisfy fans of the genre as well as those drawn to hold & win games. Breaking with convention by pairing DoubleMax with a hold & win round while bolting on a couple of other nifty extras, it’s by no means your run-of-the-mill fishing-themed slot and can be considered one of the more unique to have graced the industry in recent times.
Welcome Bonus
