Originally created for the Asian market, 88 Fortunes is a Chinese-themed video slot with 5 reels and a whopping 243 paylines. It has four in-built jackpots of increasing prize pools. A slot with an Asian themed necessarily has culturally-relevant graphics and features predominantly red and gold colors. The accompanying music is typically composed of wind chimes. It provides a calming effect in the otherwise gaming unpredictability, which keeps players on their toes.
The high-paying icons of 88 Fortunes include a tortoise, a ship, a bird, gold bars and the Chinese currency symbol. Icons that pay less are the typical card game characters K, Q, J, and 10. The game is available in demo mode for new players to get used to before they start betting real money. 88 Fortunes is a game that must first be understood to get the most out of it. We will review how to play to win to the maximum and examine each feature as to how they play out.
88 Fortunes derives its name from the betting figures. The maximum bet allowed on the game is 8.80 in credits or 880 in pennies. Though you can play with lower stakes, the game is designed to pay out more at higher stakes. You have a better chance of hitting the biggest of the four jackpots with higher bets. Player reviews suggest that there is a 1:4 chance of cracking it if you go through the Fu Bat bonus round with the pick win.
Well, with four built-in jackpots, you’d think 88 Fortunes can be a veritable treasure chest. However, 88 Fortunes is not a typical jackpot slot, since none of the four jackpots are progressives. Still, the action of the game and 243 ways of winning make the game potentially high-paying, particularly if you are willing to bet big. The winning combination of icons however, has to land from left to right. Game credits fall between GBP 0.88 to 88, while the minimum per line is GBP 0.01. Players should choose their coin values before starting to spin.
It is better if you select between 1 and 5 gold symbols – they represent the credit to be awarded. Increase your bets to select more symbols and receive more credit. 88 Fortune displays the jackpot amount on the right side of the game screen, where players can also access the paytable. Players who bet across all 243 paylines can win on every spin besides winning payouts of 2,00,000 credits.
Another strategy is to add up all the gold symbols for the extra credits that gold coins contain. One gold symbol gives you 8 credits, which progressively increases to 88 credits once the tally reaches gold symbols. Once the scatter lands on the screen, players can activate one of the jackpots, which give them chances of winning some terrific cash awards. The four jackpots are mini, minor, major, and grand jackpots; the maximum money that can be won in the grand jackpot is GBP 200,000. 88 Fortunes has an RTP of 95.93%.
The wild is represented by the Fu Baby symbol, depicting four Chinese babies. In Chinese, Fu essentially means ‘good fortune’, the harbinger of great wins for players. It is the highest-paying symbol of the game and can substitute any of the other symbols. The Fu Baby typically appears on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th reels.
The scatter is the large gong made of gold. Scatter wins are produced according to the number of the golden gongs, which appear in combinations. The landing of three or more bonus icons gives players 10 free spins. The free spins can be triggered again once the player chooses a combination of three more bonus icons.
The five low-value icons are removed during the free spins feature. Players only have the higher-paying icons, which considerably increase the chances of winning. Furthermore, players can also expect to win large amounts if four or five symbols land in a row simultaneously. The golden gong pays out 5, 10, and up to 50 times the bet on the spin that triggered the free spins feature. The win amounts depend on the number of symbols, which land.
The Fu Bat bonus round is activated when a player amasses three or more of the 12 golden Chinese coins. Each coin has a Fu Bat infant; the four jackpots are represented by 4 different Fu Bat children. The jackpots called mini, minor, major, and grand pay out 10, 25, 800, and 10,000 credits.
Shuffle Master has optimized 88 Fortunes seamless run on all mobile devices with full audio-visual integrity. The game supports all major mobile operating platforms such as Android, Windows Phone, iOS, and Blackberry. Hence, 88 Fortunes can bring a bounty of gaming fortunes, in terms of entertainment and winnings, to players who prefer to play on the move on virtually any contemporary Smartphone or tablet.
We think 88 Fortunes is an entertaining slot for Asians familiar with the cultural theme and also people from around the world who love iGaming adventure and big wins. We also think that the base values of lower jackpots could be on the higher side. A little extra bonus feature would not hurt, given the volatility of the game, and a little more animation would give the game a lot more aesthetic appeal and enjoyment. On the whole, however, 88 Fortunes is a great slot within its category and already has a mass appeal around the globe.