For those who may be unfamiliar, mahjong is a tile-based game of strategy, luck, and skill that originated in China before spreading to other parts of the world. Considering how old Chinese culture is, it might be a surprise to know mahjong was developed in the 19th century, so while it is old, it's not as ancient as some may have supposed. Adding to its collection of Asian-themed slots, developer Pragmatic Play has decided to use the popular game of mahjong, and not for the first time, to create Mahjong Wins - a game full of tradition, tumbles, Gold symbols, tumble multipliers, and free spins with greater than base game multipliers.
You know how there were (or still are?) internet cafes where gamers would pay to play games like Counter Strike over the net? Maybe there are (or were) mahjong cafes where participants converge to enjoy a game or two. If so, it's not hard to imagine them having an atmosphere something like Mahjong Wins, which has a strong Asian feel to it. This is a game with floating dragons, a tasteful circular patterned background, and a soothing Chinese-sounding backing track. It's also got voice-over commentary at times too, but since it sounds like it's in Chinese, it is hard to make out what the lady is saying. In the middle of the screen is a grid covered in mahjong tile-like symbols, and the whole production is very professionally polished.
>Bet selection is surprisingly limited for a Pragmatic Play slot. Stakes begin at 20 p/c per spin and rise to $/€24. Yes, that is twenty-four, not a typo of two hundred and forty. The math model is recognisably Pragmatic Play, though, with a 5 out of 5 for volatility and a solid 96.48% return to player. Providing 1,024 ways to win, Mahjong Wins is played on a 5-reel, 4-row gaming board.
Since the pay symbols are made up of mahjong tiles, it is going to be difficult to describe them, so let's not even try. Suffice it to say, there are 8 regular paying symbols worth 0.5 to 5 times the bet for a 5-matching symbol winning combination. When winning combinations hit, they are removed from the gaming grid by the tumble feature. Empty spaces are filled by symbols dropping down from above, and a tumble sequence continues until no new win hits on the board. Helping create winning ways is Mahjong Wins' wild symbol. Possible on reels 2, 3, and 4, wilds substitute for all symbols except the scatter.
>Working hand in hand with Mahjong Wins' tumble feature is a rising win multiplier feature, available in both the base game and in the free spins round. The other extra to be aware of is Gold symbols.
At random on any spin, regular pay symbols marked in gold may land on reels 2, 3, and 4. When winning combinations are formed with gold symbols, the gold symbols transform into wilds for the next tumble.
Running along the top of the reels is a group of multiplier values. In the base game, the win multiplier starts at x1 and, after consecutive tumbles, increases to x2, x3, and x5, where it will stay for any following tumbles. The win multiplier resets at the end of a tumble sequence.
Landing at least 3 scatter symbols awards 12 free spins. In free spins, the multiplier starts at x2 and increases following consecutive tumbles to x4, x6, and x10, where it will stay for the following tumbles. The multiplier resets to x2 for the start of the next free spin. Hitting at least 3 scatter symbols during the round triggers an extra 10 free spins.
>While it won't be everyone's cup of green tea, as far as mahjong-themed online slots go, it's hard to visualise a slicker production than Mahjong Wins. It looks the business, sounds the business, and plays as smoothly as you like it. If it feels familiar, that might be because you've played another Pragmatic Play mahjong slot called Mahjong Panda, of which Mahjong Wins is more or less a reskin, having the same features, stats, and gameplay. Naturally, it all sort of hinges on how you feel about mahjong, the tile game, but even players not familiar with it who are looking around for a strongly Asian-themed game would do well to put Mahjong Wins through its paces to see what it can do.
What it does is deliver a set of good features all rolled together into one spot. Most features are linked to the other in some way, so you've got tumbles bouncing off gold symbols, creating wilds, increasing the win multiplier, and chugging along till no more wins appear. Get lucky and trigger free spins where the multiplier values are doubled to a not-inconsiderable maximum of x10, which might come in useful on a grid with 1,024 ways to win. Each feature fits nicely with the other, the pay symbols are delightful-looking mahjong tiles, and the game provides a satisfyingly Chinese-infused atmosphere. The icing on the mooncake is winning potential held in check by a 5,000x the bet win cap.
Just to reiterate, for anyone looking for a mahjong-themed slot to try, and there are quite a few on the market such as Mahjong 88 by Play'n GO, then it makes sense to give Mahjong Wins a whirl. It doesn't do anything that Mahjong Panda didn't already do, other than being held in a different location, one without pandas, but goes about performing its job in a professionally enjoyable manner.
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