Great 88 is an Oriental-themed slot machine from Betsoft featuring a gentle Chinese theme and a range of intriguing symbols, such as Chinese dragons, green frogs and wooden flutes. The game is named after the number 8, which is a lucky number in Chinese culture. In the background are cherry blossom trees set against a dark blue starry sky with a lantern-lit temple to the left, and a lake with lily pads to the front. Popular Slot Machine Features. Each review gives a snapshot of six popular features that online slots often have. With simple highlighted icons, you can see if the slot being reviewed has these features. Free Spins: Spins that cost nothing and carry no risk. Bonus Round: Interactive bonus games, Mega-Spin Wheels, or free spin rounds.
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Are you looking for Chinese mythology in slots? It gets no better than Great Guardians by Konami. The game brings ancient Chinese beasts (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise) to life in a classic five reeled slot. It also houses standard features, including wild and scatter symbols, free spins, multipliers and bonus rounds. The Great Guardians video slot is among Konami’s most desirable titles and draws more crowds. However, not all experiences will be the same, so it is essential to take your time and find the best. Here’s more about how the game works, its bonus features and best places to play if you are in the US.
How The Game Works
Great Guardians is themed after Asian mythology and boasts symbolism that reflects the storyline. Upon launch, you will encounter five reels, three rows and 30 fixed paylines. The DENOM button allows you to choose one of nine different coin denominations from 0.01 to 5.00, while the bet size is 0.45 to 90.00 credits per spin. To start the game, pick your paylines, place a bet and spin the reels. There are various paying symbols and you need three of a kind to get to the paytable.
Players will be on the look of premium symbols like the turtle & snake, tiger, phoenix bird and dragon. Five stylized casino royals A, K, Q, J and 10 appear on the bottom of the paytable, but players are still glad they increase the number of winning symbols present. Another special feature is the wild, which is represented by a combination of the four beats. The wild can appear at any time with the power to turn other symbols to whichever you need for a winning combination. However, they cannot substitute the scatter, another special feature reserved for triggering your bonus round.
Landing three, four, or five black tortoise or white tiger symbols will pay 10, 20, or 40 credits, respectively, while the vermillion bird is worth 60 credits for five of a kind. The green dragon is also higher on the paytable, offering 50 for five symbols. Multipliers are randomly activated in the base game, rare in most slots as they tend to be reserved for the free spin rounds. In Great Guardians, you can get multipliers of up to 125x your bet.
How The Bonus Features Work
The scatter symbol is responsible for the free spins bonus on Great Guardians. It is represented by the black, swirly “Ying and Yang” symbol and landing three activates the feature. Three, four, or five scatter symbols reward 10, 12, or 25 free spins. However, if you manage to land six or more scatters, the game will offer 100 bonus spins, which is among the highest you will encounter playing Konami slots. Unfortunately, the wild doesn’t appear during your free spins. Instead, mystery multipliers will appear on each spin, maximizing your potential of a big win. The highest multiplier pays 125x your bet.
The Action Stacked feature is another highlight and can increase your potential win. During this randomly triggered feature, adjacent cards are replaced before or after the start of a game. This may lead to the same symbol filling your reels for more winning combinations. More scatters may appear during the free spins round, triggering more spins. However, unlike most Konami Asian-themed slots, you won’t be able to retrigger the feature more than twice. Fortunately, the likelihood of striking a bonus feature averages above 33%, which means you will get into the bonus rounds more often.
Where To Play This Game in the US
Playing Great Guardians has always been great as physical slots. The online slot machine is no different and many of the top online casinos feature the title among their best. However, while Konami is an exceptional developer, not all casinos can guarantee a desirable slot gambling experience. It is essential to make sure you are playing in the rights places. If you live in states where online gambling and slots are legal, such as NV, WV, PA and NJ, there are regulatory bodies to help you identify licensed casinos. The most important aspect of reviewing is presence of a valid gambling license to avoid joining scam sites.
You should also review the reputation among the gambling community to identify licensed, top-rated casinos. Next, examine their security measures, player data protection, technical support, payment methods and promotions. Choosing the right casino is the single most crucial part of playing online slots, so you should focus on finding reliable platforms. There are several other reputable platforms you can join. Make sure they are licensed and highly regarded. A few examples of casino like this are DraftKings Casino, Tropicana Casino, BetMGM, Golden Nugget, PokerStars Casino, and Virgin Casino.
Final Thoughts
Konami has numerous physical slot machines and their virtual versions for online slot lovers. The games feature spectacular graphics and reliable software available across multiple devices, so you can enjoy playing on the go or on your laptop. Simple gameplay draws newbies while a total jackpot of 7,500x your bet keep seasoned players on the Chinese mythical video slot. It also has an RTP above 96%, which is above the 96% threshold most players look for to guarantee frequent wins. Nonetheless, your experience won’t be great until you find an equally good casino. As such, it is recommended to stick to licensed slot sites approved to offer slots in your area. Make sure they offer games independently audited and certified for fair results.
Once upon a time, a slot feature meant a few nudges, a hold option, or a simple Hi-Lo game.
With today's online video slots, however, there are nearly as many bonus features as there are symbols in the game.
Video slots features can be as simple as multiple paylines, Wilds symbols that act as 'jokers' on the reels, or Scatters which pay regardless of where they land on the reels.
With so many exciting features now ever-present in today's slots, we've made pages for each of them. Click on the links below to read more about online slots features.
Slots Features
With so many games online, it's important to hunt out slots that have features you enjoy. Just because features are present, it doesn't mean the slots are likely to pay out more. In fact, some slots with added bonuses can cost you extra coins when you play. Ultimately, it's your choice whether you invest that little bit extra to access the exciting additions.
Paylines
Paylines are the winning combinations of symbols that award payouts. While classic online slots used to make do with 1-3 paylines, modern online slots can boast anywhere from 10, 15 and 25 paylines to 243, 720 and 1,024 paylines. Typically, paylines pay from left-to-right, starting with the first reel, and usually pay for two or three symbols in a row. However, 'multi-way' slots can pay right-to-left too to bump up the payline total.
Wilds
Wilds are classic symbols that you'll find in thousands of modern online slots. Wilds are symbols that substitute for all other symbols on the reels to help form winning combinations. Typically, Wilds won't substitute for Scatters or bonus icons (see below) but they can still bump up your bankroll if there are a lot on the reels. Wilds usually have a big jackpot attached if you line up five on a payline.
- Expanding Wilds: Are special symbols used by some developers in their slots. When they appear, expanding Wilds stretch down across all the rows to form a single image. In doing so they increase your winnings.
- Stacked Wilds: Are Wild symbols that appear on top of each other on a reel. Typically, stacked Wilds appear in threes to fill a whole reel and help players bump up their winnings. Stacked Wilds can also appear heavily in some slots' free spins bonuses.
- Sticky Wilds: Are symbols that stay in place for the next spin. When that happens, the reels and symbols spin while the Sticky Wilds stay where they are. This can often lead to consecutive wins for players.
- Shifting Wilds: (Similar to Sticky Wilds) remain on the reels for another spin but will 'shift' reels inbetween spins. Shifting Wilds might stay on the reels until they've worked their way across the reels from left-to-right. Once they've appeared on Reel 5 they move right and disappear. The slot then continues as normal.
- Transferring Wild: Another popular feature of WMS (Williams) online slots, is a special Wild that replicates itself across the reels. If one Wild appears it may repeat on adjacent reels or change a set of symbols into Wilds. This, of course, can lead to some pretty big cash wins.
Free Spins
One of the most popular in-game slots bonuses is the Free Spins feature. Usually, free spins are triggered by landing three or more Scatter icons anywhere on the reels. Bonus features vary from developer to developer, but usually a set amount of free spins will be awarded with a prize multiplier attached to each winning spin. Sometimes, a special set of reels will be used and loaded with extra Wilds or Scatters.
Volatility
Slots 'volatility' is the frequency with which a game pays out. You might play a slot with lots of regular, small wins, or a game may pay out big jackpots infrequently. The choice the player has is picking a low or high volatility slot that is right for them and their bankroll.
Scatter Pays
Scatters, or Scatter Pays, are bonus symbols which pay out wherever they land on the reels. They don't have to be part of a payline of consecutive matching symbols; Scatters just pay you when they hit the reels. While two Scatters will pay out a little cash, three Scatters will usually trigger a special bonus round like Free Spins or a Trail Bonus.
Ways-To-Win
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For some developers, 10 or 15 paylines isn't enough. For them, they want to offer 243, 720 or 1,000+ paylines. These 'multi-way' slots, or ways-to-win games, offer multiple paylines for a set stake per spin. Slots with many ways-to-win usually pay out lots of small wins. Hit the big payline, however, and the jackpots can come flooding in.
Coins
Coins are the individual bets players make when playing online slots. Choosing the right coin bets and the right stakes is about judging the game you're playing and handling your bankroll. With our tips you'll be better positioned to make your bankroll go further.
RTP (Return to Player Percentage)
Each slots is programmed at the development stage to pay out certain jackpots. The jackpots can be generous compared to the number of bonus symbols on the reels, or they can be pretty mean. Over time, it's possible to work out a slot's average, theoretical, payout to players. This is known as the RTP, or Return to Player percentage.
Cascading Reels
A popular slots feature from WMS (Williams), Cascading Reels are slightly different to classic slots reels. When symbols drop down the screen, the winning combinations 'explode' and disappear from the reels. The symbols above then drop into their place. The process continues until winning combos stop being formed.
Expanding Scatters
Not as common as expanding Wilds but still a popular feature, Expanding Scatters tend to appear during Free Spins rounds. A set symbol will expand and also pay in any position, just like a typical Scatter icon. When it expands, you're in for some big cash wins.
Split Symbols
A popular feature in some IGT (International Gaming Technology) online slots, 'Split Symbols' are double icons that occupy a single space on the reels. Wild symbols can sometimes act as split symbols too, giving players an even bigger chance to win.
Multiplier Symbols
Many online slots developers feature multipliers in their games. Typically, free spins wins will have a multiplier attached. However, many games feature 'progressive multipliers' in the base game which can bump up regular wins without having to trigger a bonus.
Bonus Games
No online slot is complete without a bonus game. It can be as basic as an 'instant cash win' or a Gamble feature, or as complex as a multi-level arcade game. Bonuses usually follow certain groups: free spins, instant wins, 'pick me' bonus, trail bonus, progressive jackpot, skill game. However, bonuses can vary wildly from developer to developer, and differ hugely in quality.
Re-Triggering Free Spins
Free spins are a great way to earn some bonus cash. But while free spins are attractive, re-triggering free spins are even better. Retriggered free spins features let you activate the round again by landing a further three bonus Scatters. For slots that only offer 10 free spins, retriggering is very attractive.
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Gamble Feature
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One of the typical online slots features is the Gamble game. After any winning spin, you can have the option of playing 'double-or-nothing' on your cash. By hitting the 'Gamble' button you'll usually be asked to play a Hi-Lo game or choose whether the next card drawn is red or black. Choose correctly and your win is doubled. But is it the smart option....?