At first view, China Shores looks like a generic Asian themed video slot like 100’s of others. There are some good reasons to play this game though. The free spins bonus round lets you skip the free spins completely – instead opting for a random cash prize based on the number of spins you won. CHINA SHORES FREE SLOT GUIDE China Shores is an oriental themed slot that’s powered by one of the world’s most respected software developers, Konami. Players who spin the five reels of this slot that come with 30 paylines will be taken on gaming adventure of the Asian world more specifically China.
Now, it is no surprise to those of you that peruse the Gamingslots reviews that the Bally Technologies slot China River has never carried much favour with our review team due to its reputation for being harder to penetrate than Fort Knox! So you can imagine the scepticism when I was handed this Konami Gaming slot title of China Shores and I loaded it up to be greeted with a very similar feel to that of China River... uh oh. In my head I am saying: 'Thing positive thoughts, think positive thoughts'.
On the Reels...
China Shores is a 5 reel, 30 payline slot from Konami Gaming that has a strong Chinese theme (no joke, I actually saw it mentioned as a Japanese-themed slot somewhere else – trampling over centuries of history right there!) and after playing it for a while I am pleased to announce that it is nowhere near as painstaking as China River.
The Symbols
The symbols across the reels consist of a number of Chinese-related symbols that are set against a Chinese landscape. These include a golden tortoise ornament, an urn, Chinese lantern, and your regular 9-through-to-Ace symbols.
Wild Panda? Or a Panda Wild?
The Wild is represented by the panda symbol and this does bring back memories of playing the Wild Panda slot by Aristocrat which is a slot that I very much enjoyed and still do. This symbol can substitute for all other symbols, except for the Scatters, to complete winning combinations. The Wilds do appear on reels 2, 3, 4, and 5 only so don't keep your eye on reel 1 wondering where the hell the Wild is!
Earn up to 20 Free Spins or a Bonus Cash Prize
Speaking of the Scatters, these are represented by the Ying and Yang symbols. If you manage to hit five of these symbols across the Scatters then you will trigger a 100x your line bet win which is not to be sniffed at. In addition, if you hit three or more of these Scatters across the reels then you will trigger the free spins bonus round. You will initially be awarded at least 8 free spins but if you are lucky enough to trigger the free spins with five Scatters then you can earn 20 free spins. The good news is that the free spins can be re-triggered! In an interesting twist, you may exchange the free spins for a bonus prize at any point with the Balance of Fortune that gives the player the choice between free spins and a cash reward.
There's Action Stacked Symbols!
China Shores also comes with the innovatively-named Action Stacked Symbols feature! This is where each of the five reels contains a number of adjacent positions that are randomly substituted with all of the symbols except for the Wild symbols.
Our View...
Overall, China Shores surprised me. I mean, I grew up playing Konami Playstation games such as Pro Evolution Soccer and Metal Gear Solid so I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt when the first slot I was given to review by them was a China River carbon copy. Luckily, first impressions did not stick and this actually turned out to be a decent effort from Konami Gaming and I can't wait to review more of their slots.
The Asian continent is heavily associated with vibrant culture, deep-rooted customs, dragons, scenic landscapes, and even more breathtaking women. The heart of it all is China mystery, one of the Great Eight nations of the world that forge technological advancements in the world. Even so, it has maintained many of its traditional ways, which makes it an attraction for millions around the world.
The world of online gambling is well-known for bringing some of the most popular elements in everyday life to punters' fingertips, and Chinese culture is one of them.
China Mystery Slot Machine Review
Since the onset of the use of themes to create slot machine games, China has been heavily tapped into by online gaming software developers both offline and online to present hundreds of slots that depict different elements of the region. One of the slots that are highly rated in the category is the China Mystery online slot.
China Mystery slot machine can easily be mistaken for the China Shores slot machine considering the massive similarity it shares with the game from the screen alignment to some of the characters that grace the screen. This similarity is quite understandable considering the sets are crafted by the same online gaming software company – Konami.
The classic nature in which China Mystery is built may have one thinking it has been around for a long time. However, the game was only released in 2014, which puts it in the market for half a decade. The traditional appeal of the game is entirely intentional, which the software developer is famous for in the online gambling community.
China Mystery is built on five reels and three rows which carry thirty play lines that are set in place. Each of the play lines is labelled using small blue boxes on each side of the playing grid, which contrasts with the creamy shade used on the screen.
Each of the win lines is separated using a golden strip that matches the colour of the two dragons placed on each side of the playing grid with their heads at the top and arms at the bottom. These beasts are essential inclusions in not only China Mystery but most other Asian slots seeing that they are regarded as symbols of power and wealth in the region.
The backdrop is the most eye-catching element on the slot screen with bold prints engraved in marrying hues of blue and green. Further details about the game are revealed in this review.
About Konami
China Mystery is the product of the online gaming software developer Konami, which is one of the longest standing names in the gaming business. Konami first opened its doors in 1969 when it began repairing jukebox machines for establishments in Osaka, Japan. The provider moved on to the creation of its own machines and topped this venture with the development of arcade machines.
To date, they are still very popular across the globe for numerous productions in the latter category. Even with such massive success, the arcade gaming industry took a blow in the seventies that saw Konami shift its headquarters to Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world.
Konami showed a vested interest in venturing into the world of gambling and began releasing games for brick and mortar casinos in 1984. The change of the game developer's target market was quite smooth, considering it was well-versed in the creation of gaming machines.
The prowess of Konami gaming software company began in the brick and mortar scene where it developed sets for casinos in Las Vegas. The widespread success of the online gambling market pushed it to join the platform as well.
Konami has achieved relative success online as it has offline, which has been fueled by its partnerships with other game providers that have solid names in the realm as well. Therefore, even though the entity is not considered a household name, it has a steady following that keeps it afloat in this cut-throat industry. Over time, Konami has released several tens of games including:
- Fortune Stacks
- Imperial Wealth
- Lotus Land, etc.
As one can tell from these titles, Konami has invested in the creation of slots based on the culture of its homeland, and that of China Mystery is focused on in this piece.
China Mystery Playability
Slot machines hold the crown for the most popular casino games both online and offline for numerous reasons, among the main ones being the inclusion of a simple gameplay procedure. When playing the games, punters do not have to learn any new systems, which makes them accommodating to both new and seasoned gamers.
In China Mystery, the same concept of only placing stakes and spinning the reels applies. The procedure is conducted using the control panel set at the bottom of the screen with the following fields:
- Balance – indicates the number of credits the punter has on their account. Winnings collected during gameplay are accrued to this value as well.
- Menu – opens an upward tab that holds four fields. The first is that of Return to Lobby, which allows one to return to the homepage of the casino they are playing in. The second option mutes or unmutes the sound made by the reels as they spin while the third activates and deactivates turbo play. The last option opens a second screen that displays the winnings of the set along with gameplay rules on several pages.
- Lines – shows the number of play lines in China Mystery, which are thirty. These lines cannot be adjusted since they are fixed.
- Bet Per – changes the number of coins placed on each bet line from as little as one to as many as fifty. With thirty bet lines in play, the smallest stake that can be placed is 30 credits while the highest is 1500 credits.
- Max – places the highest wager of one thousand, five hundred credits automatically.
- Spin – spins the reels manually, which is one round at a time.
- Auto – sets the game in motion consecutively for up to two hundred spins. Once the auto mode is activated, punters can choose to end it prematurely using the Stop button that replaces that of Spin.
- Win – Displays the credit wins for each round.
Before beginning the process of gameplay in China Mystery slot machine, or any other set for that matter, gamers are advised to confirm that the value of the correct credits is displayed on the screen. Any discrepancies in this field should be taken up with the Konami casino's client care team. This precaution is especially advocated when gambling in the real money version of the set.
Winnings
China Mystery does not apply any changes to the mode of winning, just like it does with that of gameplay. Winnings are collected when three characters of the same kind fall in adjacent reels and on a win line. This alignment should begin on the leftmost reel heading towards the right. Eleven of the twelve icons presented on the screen are used in the creation of winning combinations, and each of their values is as follows:
Character | Payouts for two | Payouts for three | Payouts for four | Payouts for five |
9 | N/A | 5 | 20 | 100 |
10 | N/A | 5 | 20 | 100 |
J | N/A | 5 | 20 | 100 |
Q | N/A | 5 | 20 | 100 |
K | N/A | 5 | 25 | 150 |
A | N/A | 5 | 25 | 150 |
Pink lantern | N/A | 15 | 50 | 250 |
Blue and gold pot | N/A | 15 | 50 | 250 |
Gold Tortoise | N/A | 20 | 100 | 500 |
Chinese scribbles | 2 | 25 | 100 | 1000 |
Gold coin | 2 | 5 | 20 | 100 |
Once a win is landed, the bet line that holds it lights up in a green shade. The value of the stake placed on each line is multiplied by the value of the symbols landed. Only the highest icon value is paid out per win line, and the payouts for each line are added together before being displayed in the Win field.
The woman icon is the only one that does not create any winning combinations since it plays the role of the wild. This character only appears on the second to fifth reels. As the bonus emblem, it has the power to replace others in case a winning combination needs to be completed or extended. However, the gold coin cannot be replaced since it plays the role of the scatter.
The gold coin scatter symbol is used to trigger the free spins bonus round once three or more appear on adjacent reels, even if it is not on a bet line. Gamers receive eight free spins for three coins, ten for four coins, and fifteen for five coins. If these combinations appear during the freebies, the respective rounds are added to the bonus.
Free China Shores Slot Game Online
These spins are played using all thirty play lines, but the bet value is the same as that of the round they were triggered in. A multiplier of two times binds any winnings collected during the free spins. Therefore, the jackpot prize jumps to two thousand credits for five Chinese scribble symbols.
Gamblers can choose to substitute the free spins round with the Balance of Fortune Bonus. This option presents gamers with the opportunity to choose a random credit value and give up the freebies. The higher the number of rounds given up, the bigger the credit bonus is.
The least amount one can receive is forty credits, while the highest is three million, one hundred and ninety-five thousand credits. Punters can choose the Balance of Fortune offer while the freebies are playing as long as they have more than twenty rounds to give up. Once the option is selected, one is sent back to the base game to proceed with ordinary gameplay.
Playing for Free and Real Money
Most online gaming software developers aim to be as inclusive as possible to a vast number of gamblers with the provision of both free and real money options for their sets. Konami is among the software companies in line with this practice to provide its slots, including China Mystery slots machines, in both options.
The free version can be used to explore the features discussed in this review and discover others before deciding to place actual cash on the line. Fun credits are provided for stakes placement. The real money version, however, requires one to deposit at a Konami casino. Even so, the stake limits remain like those of the free to play version.
Mobile Compatibility
Nearly all online gaming software developers have over time adopted the inclusion of mobile compatible software in the creation of their games. China Mystery slot machine can be played on smartphone and tablet devices without the necessity of a download since it is developed in instant play versions.
The use of a flash player is also not demanded since the set runs on HTML5 technology. Android, Windows, and iOS are some of the operating systems used in mobile gadgets that are compatible with the game.
The Bottom Line
China Mystery slots does not have the most indulging storyline, and the theme is not portrayed further than the characters that appear on the reels. Even so, the game's simplicity can be appealing to traditional game enthusiasts that enjoy reasonable wins as well.
📌 What is China Mystery slot?
The China Mystery Slot is a game based on Chinese culture, which is mainly spotted with the icons that adorn the reels.
📌 Is China Mystery slot available for download?
No, it is not. China Mystery online slot is supported only in instant play mode.