Casino Bonuses
| Provider | Habanero |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 3 |
| Paylines | 28 |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.01 - 140 |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 5,000x |
| Bonus Buy | No |
| RTP | 96.00% |
| Our Rating | 7.8 |
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Demo & Review
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Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Demo & Review
Game Overview
Slot developer Habanero Systems has been producing games for roughly a decade, although much of that time was spent creating games exclusively for the land-based casino market. The developer’s online portfolio boasts over 130 unique games as of January 2022, including conversions of many titles they had previously released in physical format. Their Fa Cai Shen video slot features an unusual configuration of 28 paylines, a maximum win of 5,000x bet, and an industry-standard RTP of 96%.
Who doesn’t like a good bonus round and modifier or two? Well, folks, you’re in luck, as Fa Cai Shen has a few things to keep you entertained whilst playing. Wild symbols appear on reels one, three, and five, which will expand to cover the entire reel whenever they form part of a winning combination. A 3x multiplier also boosts any wins, including one or more wild symbols. A free spins round is also included and is triggered by hitting three or more of the game’s scatter symbols.
Are you interested to find out the finer details of this game? Then why not digest our full review below? Alternatively, you can try out the features for yourself in the free demo slot of Fa Cai Shen below.
Fa Cai Shen Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
Oriental, Far-Eastern, Asian; any of these terms can legitimately be used to describe the theme of Fa Cai Shen. This speaks volumes as to just how fascinating the history and culture of countries such as Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam is in contrast to that of most Western Nations. It’s little surprise then that iGaming has embraced the eastern culture as it gives developers a new topic to focus on and get creative with when designing new games. You won’t need to visit many casino lobbies to find proof of this, with most of them including classic titles such as 88 Fortunes Megaways, and if you want to see a newer release in this genre, check out Gifts of Fortune Megaways from provider Big Time Gaming.
Some would say the dragons, emperors, and Bonsai trees that feature as the high-paying symbols on Fa Cai Shen are little more than tropes today. I don’t think there is anything wrong with using these symbols myself – at least you can tell what they are, unlike the Scatter, which is represented by some kind of golden bowl or trinket. The scatter pays 100x your stake for five of a kind, whilst the best-paying normal symbol is the dragon at 36x your stake for all five. A complete line of dragons with a wild would pay around 105x your stake, and a full stack of this symbol on reels two and four alongside a wild on reels one, three, and five should return a maximum win of exactly 3,000x your original bet. The golden medallion pays roughly 18x your bet for five of a kind, whilst the lizard halves this again to around 9x your bet. The bonsai tree completes the top half of the paytable with a payout of around 3.5x stake for all five.
The betting range was difficult to discern whilst playing in demo mode; the game’s interface allows you to set a coin value of between 0.1 and 5 and a bet level between 1 and 10. With 28 fixed pay lines, this would give a potential maximum bet of €1,400 per spin – surely that cannot be correct? The manufacturer’s website states the maximum and minimum bets being €0.01 to €140.00 per spin, which seems much more realistic.
Base Game & Modifiers
Basic gameplay takes place on a standard 5×3 playfield. There are 28 paylines spread across this area which results in slightly unusual line layouts and bet multiples, but the actual gameplay isn’t any different from a typical 25 payline slot. Wins are awarded for matching symbols arranged from left to right in the typical slot machine fashion. The game’s help files mention “jackpot” and “race” modes, both of which were unavailable during testing. There doesn’t appear to be any functionality related to a progressive jackpot, so these features are likely to be active only when the slot is in real money mode.
Expanding Wild Feature
Two types of expanding wilds are used in online slots, which are subtly different from each other. The first type will only expand when they form part of a winning combination, whereas the second type will also expand if the expansion creates a winning combination. Fa Cai Shen uses this second format; this is highly beneficial to the player as it allows the expanding wild to act as a modifier that can turn losing spins into winning ones. The 3x multiplier, which is applied to all wild wins, is very much the icing on the cake with this feature.
Fa Cai Shen Slot Bonus Features
I was pleased to see Habanero included a free spins bonus round in Fa Cai Shen, as it breaks up the monotony of playing the base game only for an extended period. Scatter symbols are included on all five reels and return 1x your stake for three, 10x your stake for four, and 100x your stake for all five.
Free Spins
Hitting three or more scatters triggers twelve three spins which also include a random wilds modifier on every spin. Two wild symbols will appear before the reels begin to turn at the start of every free spin; these extra wild symbols can even land on reels two and four, which do not normally include any wild symbols.
The extra wild symbols will expand when they land in a position that facilitates a win, just like the regular wild symbols. Additionally, any winning lines that include the randomly placed wild symbols will also be multiplied by 3x.
Fa Cai Shen Slot Review Final Thoughts
I have probably played a few Habanero games in the past when I have been browsing random new slots to try. If that is the case, it seems telling that none of them stuck in my memory well enough for me to find out anything more about Habanero.
There’s nothing wrong with Fa Cai Shen – it’s a decent little medium volatility slot that seemed to treat me quite generously during testing. But, at the same time, nothing stands out enormously to me either; it feels like a typical online slot machine in every way. So, in conclusion, it’s worth some time spinning the reels on this one, but I’m not sure you’ll come back to it unless you’re a diehard fan of the Asian slot genre.
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