Playing Boom Pirates - First Impressions
I started my session on Boom Pirates expecting a standard grid, but the 5x6 layout immediately felt substantial. Foxium has done a decent job with the visuals; it’s not just another generic sea adventure. The atmosphere is lively without being annoying, which matters when you’re grinding through a few hundred spins. It feels polished, and the initial base game spins move at a good pace.
Game Mechanics and Expanding Reels
The defining moment in Boom Pirates occurs when the pirate ship fires cannonballs to expand the grid. It shifts from a default 5x6 layout to a massive 9x6 board, unlocking up to 10,077,696 ways to win. It effectively breaks the monotony of base gameplay, as you are constantly waiting for that explosion to open up the board for better connections.
Boom Pirates Symbols and Paytable
The paytable can be quite demanding as you need long chains of symbols to see proper returns. Captain Mary is the highest paying symbol, awarding 25x your stake if you manage to land nine on a payline. The male pirate holding a bomb follows closely, paying out 20x for the same combination, while the parrot offers 15x.
Lower down the order, you have the cannon and barrel symbols, paying 10x and 7.5x respectively for nine matches. The traditional card suits make up the low-value fodder, giving you just 5x. It is a steep requirement, so you really need those expanded reels to hit the top combinations.
Symbol Payouts
| Symbol | Payout |
|---|---|
 | 9 → x25 |
| 8 → x12.5 | |
| 7 → x10 | |
| 6 → x7.5 | |
| 5 → x5 | |
| 4 → x2.5 | |
| 3 → x1.5 | |
 | 9 → x20 |
| 8 → x10 | |
| 7 → x7.5 | |
| 6 → x5 | |
| 5 → x3 | |
| 4 → x2 | |
| 3 → x1.2 | |
 | 9 → x15 |
| 8 → x7.5 | |
| 7 → x5 | |
| 6 → x3.5 | |
| 5 → x2 | |
| 4 → x1.5 | |
| 3 → x1 | |
 | 9 → x10 |
| 8 → x5 | |
| 7 → x3 | |
| 6 → x2 | |
| 5 → x1.5 | |
| 4 → x1 | |
| 3 → x0.8 | |
 | 9 → x7.5 |
| 8 → x4 | |
| 7 → x2.5 | |
| 6 → x1.5 | |
| 5 → x1.2 | |
| 4 → x0.8 | |
| 3 → x0.6 | |
 | 9 → x5 |
| 8 → x2.5 | |
| 7 → x1.5 | |
| 6 → x1.2 | |
| 5 → x1 | |
| 4 → x0.7 | |
| 3 → x0.5 | |
 | 9 → x5 |
| 8 → x2.5 | |
| 7 → x1.5 | |
| 6 → x1.2 | |
| 5 → x1 | |
| 4 → x0.7 | |
| 3 → x0.5 | |
 | 9 → x5 |
| 8 → x2.5 | |
| 7 → x1.5 | |
| 6 → x1.2 | |
| 5 → x1 | |
| 4 → x0.7 | |
| 3 → x0.5 | |
 | 9 → x5 |
| 8 → x2.5 | |
| 7 → x1.5 | |
| 6 → x1.2 | |
| 5 → x1 | |
| 4 → x0.7 | |
| 3 → x0.5 | |
 | 9 → x5 |
| 8 → x2.5 | |
| 7 → x1.5 | |
| 6 → x1.2 | |
| 5 → x1 | |
| 4 → x0.7 | |
| 3 → x0.5 | |
 | Scatter |
 | Scatter |
Foxify and Bonus Features
One button that caught my eye during testing was the Foxify toggle. It increases your total bet by 50% but boosts your chances of triggering free spins by the same amount. I played with this active for a while; while it drains the balance faster, the increased frequency of feature teasers was noticeable compared to standard play.
If you lack patience, there is an option on some versions to buy the free spins directly for 100x your stake. The bonus round aggressively uses the expanded grid mechanics. This is where the volatility really shines, although triggering it organically without the buy requires some serious persistence.
The free spins feature is where the game truly opens up. The grid expansion tends to trigger more often here, capitalizing on those millions of winning ways. It feels much more volatile than the base game, and the anticipation of a fully unlocked 9x6 grid kept me glued to the screen.
RTP, Volatility and Win Potential
Mathematically, Boom Pirates sits in a strange middle ground. The RTP hovers around 96.07% to 96.19%, which is fairly standard. It is considered medium-to-high volatility, meaning you might endure dry spells. However, the max win sits at 3,800x your stake, which I found a bit modest given the game boasts over 10 million ways to win.
Final Thoughts on Boom Pirates
After a solid session, I think Boom Pirates is worth a punt for the expanding reel mechanic alone. It offers a distinct gameplay loop that separates it from standard 5x3 grids. While the max win might put off players chasing life-changing jackpots, the visual flair of the cannonballs opening up the board keeps the entertainment value high.
In-Game Screenshots
Boom Pirates FAQ
Boom Pirates — Comparison
| Game | RTP | Volatility | Max Win | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96.19% | High | x3800 | ||
| 96.26% | Average | x2000 | 5 | |
| 96.40% | Average | x5000 | 6 | |
| 96.31% | Average | x10000 | 6 | |
| 96.5% | Average | x570 | 6 | |
| 96.1% | Average | x1000 | 6 | |
| 96.03% | High | x1000 | 5 | |
| High | x5000 | |||
| 96.5% | High | x5000 | 8 | |
| 96.51% | Low | x2833 | 6 | |
| 95.29% | Average | x2400 | 7 | |
| 96.37% | Average | x1333 | 7 | |
| 96.20% | Average | x2500 | 9.5 | |
| 96.12% | High | x25000 | ||
| 92.03% | Average | x500 | ||
| 96.22% | High | x25000 | ||
| 96.12% | High | x10000 | ||
| 96.12% | High | x2.219 | ||
| 96.15% | High | x25000 | ||
| 96.19% | High | x10000 | ||
| 96.27% | High | x5000 | ||
| 96.18% | High | x1000 | ||
| 96.12% | High | x2219 | ||
| 96.03% | Average | x400 | ||
| 96.02% | Average | x2500 | ||
| 96.12% | High | x5000 | ||
| 96.12% | High | x5000 | ||
| 96.06% | Average | x2000 | ||
| 96.20% | High | x22640 | 7 |
