Slot of the Month – February 2019

Our Slot of the Month for February 2019 is Shogun Of Time by Just For The Win, distributed via Microgaming's Quickfire platform.  As you'd expect from the name, the theming takes elements from feudal Japan and gives them a futuristic twist.

How To Play Shogun Of Time

Shogun of Time is played on an unusually small array of 4 reels with 3 symbols visible on each one.  There are no paylines and it scores like a 243 way slot - but because there are only 4 reels, there are only 81 ways to win in the base game and no way to score 5 of a kind.

There are two ways, however, in which the ways to win can be increased:

Any 4 of a kind win in the base game has a chance to trigger the Reel Split Re-Spin feature.   When this feature is triggered, the reels split to make way for a fifth reel (styled as a cylindrical time travel capsule) between reels 2 and 3, upping the number of ways to win to 243.  Only the extra reel spins during the re-spin - the original 4 reels stay locked in place complete with the 4 of a kind winning combo.  This means that the respin has a good chance of producing at least one 5 of a kind win as most of it is already in place.

3 or 4 Cherry Blossom (free spins) symbols trigger the free spins bonus round (8 and 16 free spins respectively).  Here's where it gets really interesting as the time travel capsule makes a reappearance, this time occupied by a time travelling samurai placing a sticky wild reel between reels 2 and 3 and again upping the number of ways to win to 243.  And that's not all - the 243 ways pay both ways!  That means that 2 of a kind on either the first two or the last 2 reels, or a wild on either of the reels adjacent to the wild reel, is guaranteed to produce at least a 3 way win.  Free spins cannot be retriggered.

Stake levels on Shogun of Time range from a very modest 10p right up to £100 a spin.  The RTP of this medium variance slot is 96.02% and the relatively common wild symbol means that wins happen regularly even in the base game.  The outer two reels, however, do not contain any wilds at all at any point in the game.

Shogun of Time is fun to play.  The Reel Split Re-Spin feature adds entertainment value to the time spent waiting for the much less frequent main bonus round and can produce some very worthwhile wins in its own right and the extra reel in the time travel capsule is a very nice gimmick.

Where To Play Shogun Of Time