Hold&Win, a firm that is actively trying to control or at least corner the market on streak respins, has released yet another game today. iSoftBet, more than any other software developer, has shown a marked preference for the hold ‘n win style of gaming. A growing interest that borders on obsession may be too intense for the word “penchant.” With any of these shotgun methods of video game development, some games will be fantastic while others will be painfully ordinary. Rising Samurai Hold & Win, an Eastern-themed slot with expanding reels, free spins, and yep, a streak respin extra feature, is on the less-than-amazing side of the spectrum.
Fans of Asian culture are likely to like Rising Samurai Hold & Win’s aesthetics. The background of this iSoftBet image is aflame with a blaze of red, orange, and yellow, suggesting that the scene takes place at either sunrise or sunset in Japan. A fully armored Samurai warrior stands behind the gaming grid, bouncing up and down rhythmically like a video game character when they aren’t breaking skulls. If you’re worried about motion sickness, you can easily ignore his heavy breathing and continue with the presentation.
A total of 3,087 possible outcomes may be attained by playing this game, which is played on a 5-reel game panel set in a 3-4-4-4-3 arrangement. The theoretical return value is 95.98%, with a rating of 6 out of 10 indicating medium volatility and approximately one in four spins being a winner (25.8%). With the data provided by Rising Samurai, players may plan accordingly: on average, they should anticipate to activate the Hold & Win feature every 246 spins, and the free spins feature every 347 spins.
While you wait, standard wins are triggered by getting at least three identical symbols in any position on adjacent reels (left to right, beginning with reel 1). The low-paying symbols are the 10 through ace card ranks and are worth 0.75 to 3 times the wager, while the high-paying symbols are four pretty basic warriors in various stances. With the increasing number of ways and the addition of a multiplier or two, a win for a full line of five premiums can pay out anywhere from four to twelve and a half times your wager. The ninja star wild appears on reels 2, 3, or 4 and can substitute for any other normal paying symbol.
Features of the Rising Samurai Hold ‘n’ Win Slot
Free spins and hold ‘n wins are combined with a Katana Modifier to give players even more chances to win in Rising Samurai Hold & Win. If the Rising Samurai dude pops up above the reels during a real-money play, you may get a winning spin, the respins bonus, or several free games.
A New Samurai Dawn
When this occurs, 3 free spins are granted, and as long as any additional coin symbols appear, the number of spins will remain at 3. Each coin has a value between one and ten times the wager, or a Mini, Major, Maxi, or Grand reward worth 25, 50, 100, or 250 times the wager. Samurai Booster Coins, a particular type of coin that does not remain in place, are also possible. The Arrow Booster Coins are a type of extra-row multiplier that can appear on Reels 2, 3, and 4. All rewards at the conclusion of the feature are doubled by the win multiplier, which starts at 1, when you use ‘X’ Booster Coins. Once a player has gathered three of a certain Coin Booster, no more of that Booster kind will appear during gameplay.
No Risk Turns
When 3, 4, or 5 free spins symbols appear on the reels, the second bonus game begins and you receive 10, 12, or 15 free games, respectively. Even in free games, the Samurai Booster can appear, increasing the number of rows on reels 2, 3, and 4 to a maximum of 3, and the win multiplier to a maximum of 4. As a last note, bonus spins cannot be re-awarded.
The Samurai Rising: A Slotting Success
We think Rising Samurai is passable if you’re in the mood for some virtual Zen. To be honest, though, it failed to move us. Maybe it wouldn’t be so horrible if so many similar games were not being churned out by iSoftBet. But it seems like every other week there’s a new one added to the stack; although variety is great, attempting to cover every base may leave you spread thin, and the old quality vs quantity debate still has some merit.
Rising Samurai is not of particularly bad quality. Players interested in this part of the world will appreciate the picturesque scenery, which conjures up an idealized image of medieval Japan. The functionalities work adequately enough for their intended purposes. However, they are really simplistic. During re-spins, you can get an extra chance at landing coin symbols and a multiplier, and you can also get up to nine more landing spots. Both may be accessed during bonus spins, increasing the overall potential, which is likely far more than many people’s expectations, ours included. Despite the relatively modest jackpot coin symbols, players may win as much as 16,215 times their initial wager in Rising Samurai. These kinds of figures place Rising Samurai on par with or above some of iSoftBet’s most popular games. This demonstrates the efficacy of expanding reels, multipliers, and a high number of pay ways.
Providing you have a passion for all things Asian and/or streak respin, the correct individual should be able to get some amusement out of you. We didn’t think so, and our test drive of Rising Samurai (despite its excellent victory total) was more akin to eating raw ramen than wagyu meat.