We wish Konami would give its symbols a makeover. The developer seems to have taken symbols from their other games. Only the wild has been replaced by a playful panda and the scatter symbol is the ying and yang. The symbols are all right and relevant to the theme. But China is full of traditional symbols and a little change would not hurt.
The other icons are the usual 9-A card symbols, a golden tortoise, Chinese lanterns, a China tea pot, and a Chinese inscription. At first, China Shores may seem as tough to overcome as the Great Wall, but this is a slot where persistence pays. China has long shorelines, and the longer you prospect the more rewards you can collect in this traditional 5 reels and 3 rows slot with 30 paylines and mid-to-high volatility.
The wild panda substitutes all other symbols like a joker in the pack, and helps make winning combinations. However, don’t expect him to appear on the first reel on the left. The panda, like all wilds, enables rewarding combos, he does not initiate them. A favorite feature of Konami that is also a part of China Shores is the Balance of Fortune feature. This is a variance of the risk gamble game found in many slots. Here, the feature gives you an instant cash reward and other bonus games, but more on this later.
Another pet feature of Konami that can be very rewarding is the Action Stacked Symbols feature. A number of lateral positions are randomly substituted with some of the reel symbols before you can spin the reels again. As a result, the whole reel may turn out to have stacked symbols that can be quite profitable. You will need all the Action Stacked Symbols you can get in China Shores, a game during which it may often seem like you’re hitting your head against the Great Wall.
China Shores pays you in credits and then converts them into coins depending on the base wager. Winning combinations are made by landing 3 or more identical symbols across the reels. Only the ying and yang scatter and the Chinese inscription pays across the first two reels. The card symbols are the lowest-paying symbols with 9, 10, J, and Q paying out 5x, x 20x and 100 for of-a-kind symbols on 3rd, 4th, and 5th reels respectively.
Higher up the pecking order are the Ks and Aces, which pay 15x, 50x, and 150x for landing at once across 3, 4, or 5 reels respectively. The Chinese lantern and the tea pot are the next-highest with 15x for 3 of a kind, 50x for 4 of a kind, and 250x for 5 of a kind. The highest-paying symbol is the wise golden tortoise, whose value is 20x for landing across 3 reels, 100x for 4 reels, and 500x for appearing on all 5 reels.
Though the ying yang scatter pays if only two of them land on reels 1 and 2, it pays a relatively modest 2x. They pay 5x on 3 reels, 20x on 4 reels, and 100x if you are lucky enough to cover all the reels. The Chinese script is the highest-paying icon with 2x for the first two reels, 25x if it lands on 3 reels, 100x time for 4 reels, and 1,000 times your bet if you can get it land on all 5 reels.
A staple of many Konami games, the Balance of Fortune is a variance of the risk gamble feature in most other slot games where players have an option to forego their winnings in exchange for a mystery prize. The feature in China Shores is triggered in the free spins round that is activated when the ying and yang scatters appear on 3, 4, or 5 reels and grants 8, 10, and 15 free spins respectively. All wins are doubled during these bonus games.
Players are given the choice of exchanging their free spins and potential wins for a Credit Prize, Green Super Free Game, Red Super Free Game, and Yellow Super Free game. Credit Prize is a cash award depending on the number of free spins earned. The Green Super Free Game uses 3 of the free spins where only the ying and yang and Chinese inscription symbols will appear as Action Stacked Symbols with random 2x and 3x multipliers.
During the Red Super Game the game plays out similarly, but with 5 free spins and random multipliers of 7x, 12x, or 18x. The Yellow Super Free game utilizes 8 free spins, during which the ying and yang, inscription, turtle, teapot, and the lantern symbols can appear with 2x and 3x random multipliers. Each of the games depend on how many free spins you were awarded initially.
China Shores is fully compatible with major mobile operating platforms like Android, iOS, and Windows Phone, etc. Hence, players can enjoy this game while on the move on virtually all Smartphones and tablets, which support modern browsers. The game’s HTML5 coding enables you to savor the game play in full HD clarity and original audio quality.
China Shores is a mid-to-high variance slot, which means the winnings will not be frequent and big. The scatters can be elusive, so you may have to spin through a chunk of your bankroll before you can trigger the free spins round. However, with double winnings, they can eventually pay off well. China Shores is a decent game, if you watch your budget.