Pandastic Adventure: Slot Overview
The recent influx of panda-themed slot games in the online casino world has been noteworthy. Over a period of approximately six months, players have seen a variety of panda-centric slot games from different developers, such as Slotmill’s “Cash Pandas,” Pragmatic Play’s “Fat Panda,” and Hacksaw Gaming’s “Eye of the Panda.” Adding to this trend, Play’n GO, a veteran slot game developer, has introduced “Pandastic Adventure,” a game that appeals particularly to players with a preference for Asian-themed slots and those who enjoy the ‘hold ‘n win’ style of gameplay. While the game’s hold ‘n win feature may not be groundbreaking, it offers the potential for substantial wins, with rewards of over 5,000 times the stake.
“Pandastic Adventure” starts with a brief but engaging intro video, setting the scene in a traditional Asian setting. The game’s grid is located within a tiled pagoda-like structure, surrounded by bamboo. Interestingly, the game is set against a winter backdrop, which is an unusual choice for a panda-themed game, as pandas are not typically associated with snowy environments. This surprising element adds a unique twist to the game’s theme. Once past the initial surprise of the wintry setting, the game settles into a more conventional design within the Asian slot genre. Despite not being heavily laden with creative innovations, “Pandastic Adventure” maintains an appealing aesthetic and sound quality, fitting comfortably within the broader category of Asian-themed slots.
In “Pandastic Adventure,” players can adjust their stakes by using the plus or minus buttons located beneath the reels. The betting range is quite broad, allowing for wagers from 10 cents to $/€100 per spin. The game is structured around a 5-reel, 3-row grid, featuring 15 symbols and 20 paylines to assess winning combinations. The math model driving the game is of medium-high volatility, offering a gameplay experience with a decent mix of risk and reward. Players can expect a default Return to Player (RTP) rate of around 96.2%, which is in line with industry standards for online slots.
The game’s design cleverly incorporates bamboo into its visual theme. The lower-value symbols, represented by the card ranks 10 through Ace, are styled with bamboo elements. Bamboo also features in the game’s first high-value symbol, followed by other Asian-themed symbols like a golden armband, a traditional hat, and a panda. In terms of payouts, forming a winning combination with five low-value symbols yields 1.5 to 2 times the stake. However, if players land lines of five matching high-value symbols, the rewards increase significantly, offering 5 to 30 times the stake.
Additionally, wild symbols play a crucial role in “Pandastic Adventure.” These wilds can appear on all reels and substitute for all symbols except scatters. They are not just functional but also lucrative, as a winning line composed of five wilds pays out 30 times the bet. This feature adds an extra layer of excitement to the gameplay, giving players the opportunity for bigger wins.
Pandastic Adventure: Slot Features
“Pandastic Adventure,” despite being set against the backdrop of populous China, offers a modest selection of features. The primary attraction is the ‘Journey to the Temple Free Spins’, which potentially leads to the ‘Temple Treasure Bonus’, a ‘hold ‘n win’ round where players can win cash and bonus prizes.
Journey to the Temple Free Spins In the base game, landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols triggers a reward of 3x, 5x, or 15x the bet, respectively, along with 8 free spins. During these free spins, each additional scatter symbol awards one extra free spin. Moreover, when wild symbols appear during this feature, they contribute 8x the bet towards the bonus prizes. Collecting 8 wilds during the free spins activates the ‘Temple Treasure Bonus’. Any extra wilds collected after reaching this threshold continue to add to the bonus prizes, although no additional Temple Treasure Bonus rounds are triggered.
Temple Treasure Bonus The ‘Temple Treasure Bonus’ starts with 3 respins. In this round, gold flower symbols appear, offering cash prizes ranging from 2x to 10x the bet, or various bonus prizes. The bonus prizes include Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand, with starting values of 50x, 100x, 1,000x, and 5,000x the bet, respectively. When a gold flower symbol lands, it locks in place and resets the respin count back to 3. This bonus feature concludes either when no more respins are left or when all positions on the reels are filled with symbols. Upon returning to the base game, any increased bonus prize values are reset to their initial amounts.
This structure provides a balanced gameplay experience, with the excitement of potentially substantial wins in the bonus rounds, while maintaining a straightforward approach suitable for various types of players.