Easily one of the most popular releases in Microgaming’s entire slot catalog, Ariana takes players on an epic adventure to an aquatic world where a beautiful mermaid princess dwells. This ocean-themed game from 2015 gives you 25 fixed paylines to play on for the chance to walk away with a top prize of 60,000 units of currency.
It has two extra features that deserve special attention, starting with the expanding symbols in the base game that are capable of generating enormous wins. The developers have also thrown a round of free spins into the mix to spice things up and give players something to look forward to.
| Ariana Slot Summary | |
 Game Provider: Microgaming |
Release Date: 2015 |
| Game Type: Video Slot |
Theme(s): Water world |
| Reels: 5 |
Wild Symbols: Yes |
| Rows: 3 |
Scatters: Yes |
| Paylines: 25 fixed lines |
Free Spins: Yes |
| Payout/RTP: 95.48% |
Bonus Game: No |
| Volatility Level: Medium |
Progressive Jackpot: No |
| Min Bet: 0.25 |
Autoplay: Yes |
| Max Bet: 250 |
Max Win: 60000x |
Ariana Theme
Ariana is an ocean-themed video slot that ensures a captivating and compelling gaming experience with its nicely rendered visuals. It leads players on a pursuit of massive treasures hidden deep in the fathoms of the vast ocean. This beautifully designed game opens to an idyllic scene of the ocean floor with crystal clear waters, a coral reef, and shoals of fish swimming around. The lovely Ariana herself appears in her full glory as a stacked symbol on all reels. The other high-value symbols are equally detailed and crisp, allowing players to completely immerse themselves in their fantastic aquatic adventure.
How Ariana Compares to Other Slot Games
Ariana is one of many marine-themed slots inspired by the fabled aquatic creatures with the upper bodies of humans and tails of fish. It has a medium volatility and a theoretical return of 95.48%, which is slightly below the average you can expect from other similar games. One example is Mermaid’s Diamond by Play’n GO whose payback rate averages 96.50% in the long term.
This Play’n GO release outperforms Ariana in yet another respect, as it gives you 720 winning ways on each spin. Rather than using standard paylines, Mermaid’s Diamond awards payouts for adjacent symbol combinations forming in both directions, from left to right and right to left. By comparison, players must land at least three symbols from left to right on a payline to win in Ariana.
More Slots from the Ariana Progressive Jackpot Network
- Mermaids Millions by Microgaming
- Enchanted Mermaid by NextGen
- Atlantean Treasures
- Secrets of Atlantis by NetEnt
- Immortal Romance
- 3 Mermaids by Tom Horn Gaming
Ariana Symbols and Payouts
This medium-volatility slot supports bets as small as $0.25 per spin and can load in any desktop or mobile browser of your choice. Rather than scouring the seabed for shells, players are on a hunt for monetary prizes ranging from 0.12 times to 100 times their wagers. All matching symbols pay from left to right except the scattered starfish which awards payouts in any position.
The starfish is the tastiest catch in Ariana, with maximum prizes amounting to 100 times the bet for five of a kind. Another benefit of this symbol is that it pays even money for as few as two matches. The Ariana wild is the second-best payer here offering a top prize of 10 times the stake, followed by the mermaid, the sea dragon, the treasure chest, and the coral reef, all of which can stack on the first reel only. A, K, Q, J, and 10 are used for the low-value combinations.
| Ariana Slot Winning Combinations and Payouts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbols | 2 Matches | 3 Matches | 4 Matches | 5 Matches |
 Starfish |
x1 | x2 | x10 | x100 |
 Ariana Wild |
– | x2 | x3 | x10 |
 Mermaid |
– | x1.20 | x2.40 | x8 |
 Sea Dragon |
– | x1 | x2 | x7 |
 Treasure Chest |
– | x0.80 | x1.60 | x6 |
 Coral Reef |
– | x0.60 | x1.20 | x5 |
 Ace |
– | x0.28 | x0.80 | x2.40 |
 King |
– | x0.24 | x0.60 | x2 |
 Queen |
– | x0.20 | x0.48 | x1.60 |
 Jack |
– | x0.16 | x0.40 | x1.20 |
 10 |
– | x0.12 | x0.32 | x1 |
Bonus Features Overview
Ariana offers two features of special interest, including free spins that commence whenever at least three scatters hit the reels simultaneously. This popular Microgaming release also benefits from stacked and expanding symbols that further improve your chances of landing nice wins. Let’s have a closer look at these extra features.
Wild and Scatter Symbols
Two special symbols are incorporated into this popular Microgaming slot, starting with the scattered starfish. It triggers the free spins round in Ariana and pays for as few as two alike symbols in any position. All scattered wins are multiplied by the total amount wagered on the winning spin. The second symbol of interest is the wild, represented by the game’s logo. It substitutes for all icons except the scatter, helping you create more matching combinations.
Expanding and Stacked Symbols
Ariana comes with an exciting twist since all regular high-value symbols can expand to give you more winning combos. During the main game, any full symbol stack on the first reel causes other matching high-value icons to expand on the remaining reels. The treasure chest, sea dragon, and coral reef can stack on the first reel only, while the mermaid can stack on all five reels. Players should keep in mind that identical icons only expand when they are part of a winning combination.
Free Spins
Those of you who decide to give the five reels of Ariana a whirl can anticipate a thrilling round of 15 free spins triggered by three, four, or five scatters. The feature can be reactivated with the same triggering combination. More importantly, all full symbol stacks occurring on the first reel will cause both the identical high-value icons and the wilds on reels 2 to 5 to expand. The wilds can also stack on the first reel during free spins.
Pros & Cons of Ariana
- The visuals and sounds are quite soothing.
- Minimum bets are low enough to accommodate casual players and novices.
- The expanding symbols can be very rewarding.
- The payouts in the base game are far from impressive.
- The release lacks a bonus round.
- The theoretical return is slightly below average.
Ariana Online Slot FAQs
Does Ariana support the Autoplay functionality?
In general, Ariana supports this functionality but its availability depends on your location and the Microgaming-powered casino you have registered with. The feature enables you to play a preselected number of consecutive rounds (between 10 and 100) automatically without hitting the spin button.
Is Ariana worth playing for real money?
It is up to you to decide as it all comes down to individual preferences. If you are fascinated by mermaids and ocean-themed slots, you should most definitely give this release a try. Ariana is available for free play, giving you the opportunity to test it without spending any money.
What is the hit rate in Ariana?
Despite its mediocre theoretical return, Ariana boasts a decent enough hit rate of approximately 39% in the base game. You can anticipate wins to occur roughly once every two to three spins on average.