Buckle up. We’re going on a trip to the Far East! Yes, again. But really, we can never get enough of Asian-themed slots, and judging from one of their latest video slots, it seems that Pragmatic Play are on the same page.
The scene you’ll find in Master Chen’s Fortune video slot is a familiar one. Prepare for lots of golden symbols contrasting with a rich red background, which you can enjoy to the tune of somewhat catchy Oriental music. As is expected of a Pragmatic Play slot, the graphics are of high quality and really immerse you into the scene.
Lately, Pragmatic Play have also become quite bold with their game themes and mechanisms. The Mexican-themed Chilli Heat slot comes to mind, which introduces us to a grand fiesta of stacked wild symbols, money piñatas, and respins on the reels. We wouldn’t place Master Chen’s Fortune in the same category. There isn’t anything particularly daring about an Asian theme that we’ve seen over and over in online casino games, nor do the simple game mechanics stand out. But this makes us look forward to testing out how this familiar theme has been reworked, and to see how Pragmatic Play keep the gameplay exciting without lots of over-the-top game features.
Master Chen’s Fortune is a straightforward 5-reel, 9-payline video slot game with an RTP of 96.48%. It’s a low-volatility game, so expect small and frequent payouts. The minimum bet starts at just 0.09 per spin and you can go up to a max bet of 45.00, which means that it’s a slot that can appeal to all budgets. It’s also attractive to different lifestyles, being a fully mobile-optimized game that you can play on the go on your iPhone or Android device. We were pleased to see that you can win from left to right as well as from right to left. This should let you pocket more wins – although do keep in mind that five-of-a-kind wins are paid only once in a single direction.
As you spin the reels, you’ll see the usual low-paying card symbols mixed in with Asian icons we’ve all come to know and love, including golden money trees. The scatter symbol is a golden coin, and hitting five on the reels will get you 100 times your stake. Keep your fingers crossed that you’ll land some waving kitties on the reels, as these represent the highest-paying symbol in this slot. And with five kitties being the equivalent of 555.5 times your stake, it’s no wonder we’re such big fans of these symbols.
Of even more importance than the kitties is Master Chen himself, who visibly beams at you as you happily press the spin button. Master Chen is a wild symbol and can only appear on reels 2,3, or 4. Whenever the wild symbol appears, it doesn’t trigger a bonus game, but all winning combinations that contain at least one wild are multiplied by 2x. This means that if you play for real money and land four waving kitties and a wild, you’ll be getting 1,111 your stake.
This is the main feature of Master Chen’s Fortune, as there are no bonus games here. We’re not complaining about the lack of extra features. We’ve seen such complicated game mechanisms being introduced over the past few years, and sometimes we just yearn for simpler times when slot games could be figured out in five minutes instead of five hours. We love the fact that with this game, you can just sit back and enjoy the gameplay without having to think of bonus rounds and extra features.
If, on the other hand, you’re looking for games with the same theme but with a bit more oomph, there are plenty to check out. Pragmatic Play themselves have the popular Cashien’s Gold, which has a similar feel to Master Chen’s Fortune in terms of design, theme, and symbols. However, this slot also includes bonus games, such as a jackpot bonus game made out of four jackpots. The jackpot bonus game can be randomly triggered when a wild appears on the screen. Alternatively, you can opt for Game Art’s Magic Dragon, which offers players 243 ways to win at every spin, plus a higher volatility rate that can lead to a bigger cashout.
In a market saturated with complex video slots, Master Chen’s Fortune by Pragmatic Play stands out as a simple online slot which delivers solid fun and easy gameplay. It might not be a top favorite among slot players looking for innovative game features, but for the rest of the players who love straightforward Asian-themed slots, it’s definitely worth a try. If you’re not too convinced, you can always play for free first. But judging from what we’ve seen, it’s a slot that can give you good wins with its 2-way payout, and its starting bet size won’t even put a dent in your wallet.
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