Ji Xiang Long Slots
Gamblers know that slots and online casino games are hugely popular in Asia. But software developers have been keen to incorporate an Asian theme in their slots too.
Every big developer these days has at least one top Oriental-themed slot in their portfolio. Some themed games even keep the original Mandarin name of whatever character or legend the game is based on. From Playtech's dragon-themed Haoshi Cheng Shuang slot to Skywind's Ying Cai Shen, gamblers often learn as much about Chinese legend as they do about playing new slots.
Skywind Group, of course, is no stranger to an Oriental slot or two. The developer boasts over a dozen games with a Chinese angle. The Ji Xiang Long video slot is a recent instant-play game that can be enjoyed on desktop or mobile. But does it live up to the likes of Aristocrat's 50 Lions and Microgaming’s Asian Beauty? Let's grab some Chinese coins and find out.
Play 50 Paylines Across Four Rows
Skywind Group has been producing top slots for casinos since 2012. While the company focuses a lot of its output on the UK and European markets, it also has development centers in Asia. The Asian focus for Skywind's top mobile-optimized titles is no way by accident. In fact, there is a large proportion of Skywind online slots that have an Oriental theme. Packed with sumptuous graphics and bonus features, titles like Shen Long Bao Shi and Ying Cai Shen offer a varying degree of delights for players.
Ji Xiang Long, which roughly translates as “luck of the dragon”, is a 5-reel slot played with four rows. There are 50 fixed paylines to bet on, and coins start at just 0.01. It's always nice to see an online slot with four rows offering that kind of payline action for gamblers. The max bet of 250.00 should also be enough to keep high-limit slots nuts happy. As with most Skywind slots, players can flick on a Turbo button for extra-speedy spins. There is also a programmable autoplay function.
Hit the Stacks of Golden Luck Dragons
There are ten regular symbols to hit on the reels in this game. However, the real stars of the show are the gold dragons. These stacked symbols can bring you luck if you fill one or more reels with them. Five dragons on a win line will pay 1000x your line bet. You'll only need two dragons on a payline to earn a prize of 2x.
Further down the scale, gamblers can expect to find gold lions and gold carp. Both of these pay from 5x to 500x when you land two to five on an active payline. Next come the tortoise and gold basket, both signs of prosperity in Chinese culture. They pay 25x-350x for hitting three to five of a kind. The royal symbols are the low-limit payers. They award a top jackpot worth 300x the line bet (five A or five K symbols), while three of a kind will only earn you 10x for three 9s, 10s, or Js.
Come for the Wilds, Stay for the Free Spins
Ji Xiang Long is a medium-variance slot, but luck is somewhat balanced with the appearance of the Yin-Yang symbol. This classic Chinese symbol represents the slot's wild and will substitute for all regular icons other than the scatter. There is no wild jackpot in this game, unfortunately.
The game's scatter symbol is the gold window frame. While the scatter doesn't pay a prize when landed, it will help trigger free spins. All you need to do is land three scatters on reels one, two and three to activate 10 free games.
Here's where things get interesting. After every free spin, an additional wild Yin-Yang icon is added to the reels. This can result in some pretty decent stacked reel wins. The bonus game can be retriggered once by landing three further scatters on reels one, two and three. If you achieve this, an additional 5 free spins will be added to your total.
Hit the Hot Streaks With Streak of Luck
If you're a fan of free spins features, you'll find plenty of games to enjoy online. And if you like the 4-row, 50-payline structure in the free Ji Xiang Long slot, hunt out Playtech's Streak of Luck game.
Playtech's slot features lots of stacked symbols, including stacked wilds. This can lead to multiple and regular big prizes. In addition, for every consecutive win you land, a progressive meter will fill up. Hit four consecutive wins in a row to win 5 free spins. Keep adding winning spins, and your free spins total will keep increasing. If you manage to fill the entire win meter, a progressive jackpot will be yours.
Keeping things Oriental, it’s worth checking out another Skywind title: Ying Cai Shen. Displaying cute Chinese graphics throughout, this 5-reel slot has nine paylines and lots of bonus features. Wild symbols trigger free spins, plus players will find a mystery scatter included every time they spin. As you’ll find with a lot of Skywind games, the RTP of Ying Cai Shen is a disappointing 95%. However, the game plays fine on a range of platforms, offering plenty of medium-variance fun for gamblers.
Don't dismiss Asian Beauty from Microgaming, either. Although it's beginning to show its age, this Oriental-themed slot has beautiful graphics as you enter a world inhabited by geisha girls. Aside from enjoying a 243-ways-to-win format, players can trigger a random mirror bonus with hidden prizes. The slot also includes a free spins bonus game with a 40,000-coin prize jackpot available.
Stack 'Em High With Skywind's Chinese Slot
If you enjoy Asian-themed slots, you'll find plenty to play on our dedicated page. But you could do far worse than hunt out Skywind's Ji Xiang Long. The game is certainly one of the easiest slots we've played in a while. And although the basic graphics aren't in the same league as something like Microgaming's Asian Beauty slot, the gameplay is fast enough for most players.
Skywind has an eclectic range of gaming slots to play right now. While they won't win awards for innovation, they're fun to play and offer no-nonsense thrills. Take a trip to China with Ji Xiang Long, and find out if the luck of the dragon is with you.
