Do you like wasabi with your sushi? That question’s neither here nor there, but if you’re opposed to small rolls of vinegar-flavored cold rice accompanied by fish or vegetables, you should avoid playing a slot game with abundant such bites.
Sushi is delicious, so we’re more than happy to take on Wasabi-San, Microgaming’s sushi-themed 5-reel slot. The medium-variance title boasts 15 paylines and a top prize of 7,500 coins, a sum bound to keep you rolling in sushi rolls for a long time.
Wassup, Wasabi?
Wasabi-San takes place on a 5-reel configuration with three rows. The reel grid is surrounded by a bamboo frame (appropriately enough) and backed by a red velvet curtain. The icons in the game are well drawn, each relating in some way to Japanese cuisine. Those 15 paylines are unfixed, meaning gamers can regulate them as they see fit. Indeed, you can play on a single line if you so wish.
The soundtrack throughout the game imparts a particularly Eastern flavor, with a gently plucked harp, but if it starts to grate, don’t hesitate to hit the mute button in the upper right-hand corner. Players can gamble up to five coins per payline, and the coins are available in many denominations, including 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.25, 0.50, and 1. As such, the max bet per round is 75 credits.
Enter the kitchen
Thankfully, there are no playing card icons in Wasabi-San – all icons reflect the game’s theme. They include five different sushi symbols, a buck-toothed man in a hat, a serene-looking female, and a Bonsai tree. There’s also a sushi chef, a pucker-lipped fish, and a wasabi sign.
The sushi chef symbol is wild. As such, it can substitute for all others to help you form winning combinations. It cannot, nonetheless, stand in for the scatter. Unlike many wilds in video slots, the sushi chef creates its winning combination when multiple symbols appear on an enabled payline. Indeed, you can win the game’s 7,500 jackpot for five wilds in a row. You’ll also win 2,000 for four, 200 for three, or five for two.
The wasabi symbol is the game’s scatter. It completes a paying combination when two or more appear on the revolutions and activates the free spins bonus game when a player uncovers 3-5. Scatter wins, incidentally, are calculated by multiplying the scatter combination payout by the number of regular coins staked. You’ll win ten free spins, tripling all wins in the bonus round. The free spins spheroidal can also be re-triggered, and all bets and lines played are the same as the game which activated the feature. Not only that, but the scatter grants payouts in this regard. Gamers can scoop 400 for five, 50 for four, four credits for three, or two credits for two.
Among the non-special symbols, you can win 500 for five Bonsais or females or 250 for five of the buck-toothed man. The other payouts are decent but reasonable. All wins are reproduced by the credits staked per line except in the case of the scatter.
The animations in Wasabi-San are pretty cool. When the Japanese chef is involved in a win, he swings his kitchen knives around celebratory, turning a slab of fish into a tray of sushi rolls! There are similar flourishes for other symbols involved in a win.
Fish Market bonus
Three, four, or five bonus puffer fish on an active line trigger the Fish Market bonus game. When this activates, these fish will swell up like balloons to fill each position, and you’ll then be spirited to the fish market. Here, you’ll be confronted by a gap-toothed stallholder who is hard-selling you some fish. You must select three fish from the ice display, but choose wisely: the fish represent various coin values, from 36 to 2,500 coins! The Fish Market bonus can also be triggered during a round of free spins, and bonus wins are added to line wins.
Our verdict
Wasabi-San is a pleasing video slot from one of the world’s finest casino game developers. If you like sushi, or even if you don’t, you’re bound to appreciate the inclusion of wilds, scatters, and an excellent Fish Market bonus game.
What on Earth Slot
This slot machine is a comical space caper from the renowned software developer Microgaming. Aliens, rocket ships, and asteroids abound on this online slot machine in which spinners have to join with an alien gang to abduct as much riches as they can from the humans of planet Earth.OK, you may betray your fellow human beings by doing this, but you might be rewarded with a nice sum of cash at the end of this space-themed slot; what on Earth?
Ready for take-off?
Ground control to Major Slot Player, commencing countdown, engines on. You are about to be blasted off on a deep space voyage, so it is probably a good idea to learn a few controls before you take off.
Well, it’s not exactly rocket science. Click “Select Lines” to see which lines are in play – are only nine available, so it won’t get excessively crowded even if you were to toggle all of them. Then click “Select Coins” to alter the coins you wish to bet per involved pay line. Finally, you can toggle the bet size by clicking the (-) and (+).Easy.The total bet amount will appear on the management panel and will equal the number of lines reproduced by the number of coins and the size of the bet. Players can bet from as undersized as 0.01 on a single pay line to a maximum chance of 45.00 over all paylines. Indeed, there is plenty of scope for you to play about until you find the right bet size to suit your playing style.
There is also an opportunity to play in “Expert” mode – if you desire yourself as a bit of a stretch cowboy. This mode doesn’t make the game any harder per se, but it does allow participants to proceed into autopilot with up to 500 autoplay spins.
A galactic game
Now that you are satisfied with the controls of this online slot machine, you are keen to explore the gambling galaxy. Along the way, you will encounter some peculiarly fruity-looking cosmic bodies. There is a spectacular cherry comet, a burning orange sunshine, a planet-sized plum, and a watermelon that is so massive that it has a system of moons. There is also a brilliant asteroid, an assignment control panel, and an alien character – all of which are among the higher-valued symbols in the game.
A different kind of wild symbol
What on Earth features a wild symbol depicted by the frolic’s title over an image of Earth. This fantastic card works differently from most other wilds, only substituting for the alien character and the control panel symbol. Nonetheless, this is the numerous rewarding symbol of the slot machine, so it’s always good news to see it appear.
A bonus boost for your engines
Another unique aspect of What on Earth is that it features three different scatter symbols; a blue projectile, a green UFO, and a red rocket. The foremost two symbols only appear on three reels, while the red rocket will emerge on all 5. To win from a scatter, you have to line up at least three on adjacent reels – there is no need for them to appear on active paylines.
Admittedly, these scatter cards only pay out a little. But they do trigger the particular “Beam’em Up Bonus” round. This competition asks players to choose one of the slot appliance’s main alien characters to send down their beams to Earth. Thirteen characters are available to appropriate, including a teddy bear, a policeman, and a smallish old lady! Each symbol represents an additional multiplier value, ranging from 3x up to 200x. The multiplier value of your abducted surface will be applied to the share won from the qualifying spin.
A terminus bonus is also for players to tour New York, London, Cairo, and Beijing. When they contact their destination, they have the chance to abduct a unique character that is native to that city. If you travel to New York, you will want to discover the Statue of Liberty. Find the aboriginal character, and you will receive a 400x multiplier bonus.
Mission debriefing
The game’s universal theme and straightforward gameplay make it a perfect bet for punters of all levels. There are nine paylines over five reels on this video slot game, meaning there is always a good chance that a winning mixture will come up trumps for spinners. There are also scattered characters and wild cards in play, which will keep you on your toes while you explore the celestial landscape of this slot machine.