The "Golden Empire" casino slot game is a product of Games Inc., one of the most well-known developers in the online gaming industry. Released in 2018, this 5-reel, 25-payline game promises to transport players into an era of ancient Chinese prosperity and opulence. With its intricate design, a wide range of symbols, and exciting bonus features, Golden Empire aims to entice both seasoned gamers and newcomers alike.
Theme and Design
The first thing that catches the eye about Golden Emperor is its exquisite theme and aesthetic. Set against the backdrop of an imperial palace, players find more are immersed in the grandeur of ancient China’s golden age. The reels themselves resemble intricately crafted jade slabs, adorned with glittering gold trimmings and set upon a lavish red background. As for symbols, they range from ornate vases to regal dragons, all rendered in exquisite detail by skilled artists.
Players can bet on each spin using the in-game betting menu, which offers stakes starting at 0.10 credits per line (minimum of 25 lines active) and reaching as high as $100 credit. Given its generous maximum win potential, players may be tempted to play with the upper limits; however, we must emphasize that these slots should not be played for amounts more than can afford to lose.
Symbols
The Golden Empire slot boasts an eclectic selection of symbols inspired by Chinese culture and mythology, including:
- Dragon : A majestic dragon with ornate gold details serves as one of several high-payout symbols.
- Tiger : With its vibrant coloring and intricate design, this symbol pays out at a rate greater than others in the game.
- Orchid : As is standard for Asian-themed slots, an orchid appears among low-paying symbols.
- Vase : Representing wealth and abundance, these golden vases bring smaller winnings to players.
These images combine with classic letters to form 25 winning combinations across five reels. In addition to regular wins based on the slot’s paytable, there are also a number of other valuable features that appear during play – all detailed in the following sections.
Wilds and Scatters
Golden Empire offers one wild symbol – a golden imperial seal emblazoned with Chinese script.
- Imperial Seal Wild : The Imperial Seal serves as both an individual winning combination on its own when it lands five or more times in succession (on active lines) on adjacent reels, starting from the left. However, as far as contributing to other potential wins goes, this image operates according to the standard rules of video slots.
In addition to wilds, a symbol featuring a dragon is responsible for triggering one of several bonus rounds, described later.
Bonus Features
Golden Empire contains three distinctive types of features that offer something new each time players participate: Free Spins; Imperial Bonus Round and Scatter Triggered Cash Stacks Bonus
- Scatter Triggered Cash Stacks Bonus : When 3 or more of these specific symbols appear in any combination throughout the reels (and also anywhere on adjacent lines), a scatter award occurs. Free Spins: If three scatters land, each wins their respective number of free games. This mode remains active for several rounds during gameplay as long as there is no win recorded following subsequent spins after winning them.
Each round awards players 15 initial Free Games plus some chance at adding on additional chances with special bonus combinations occurring while the feature runs.
Gameplay
When starting the Golden Empire game, we noticed right away how easy it was to get into action. All controls are readily accessible from a small control panel placed above each spin button and reels themselves.
On any regular paid round of play initiated following bet changes (to adjust stake limits or add more coins to bets) with an active number of paylines at its base value – players start spinning their reels from right to left, one at a time. Wins are recorded throughout by matching combinations anywhere across the grid that aligns correctly as per given payouts in table below – any number that meets these minimum threshold requirements is immediately displayed along with total prize won amount.
Mobile Play
As expected from modern developers like Games Inc., Golden Empire has been created to run smoothly on mobile platforms and smartphones alike. This allows gamers who prefer convenience over a larger screen or simply enjoy gaming more freely to access the slot wherever they are – thus providing an improved level of engagement.
A slight change in gameplay that occurs while playing via portable device is seen when selecting bet options – it utilizes a simpler touch-based interface with similar functionality as desktop controls, albeit presented slightly differently.
Player Experience
We assessed Golden Empire’s overall user experience through real testing sessions. Our observations during game tests indicated an engaging experience across all platforms and devices tested (mobile included).
With such diverse gameplay mechanics offered by this particular release – from standard payline-based rewards up to progressive jackpot type games within the theme – the player can expect both entertaining and sometimes unexpected outcomes while experiencing the wide range of opportunities that come with Golden Empire’s numerous winning possibilities.
RTP, Volatility, Betting Range
Each one impacts how beneficial each game session turns out for participants when playing slots generally.
Golden Emperor offers a Medium to High Volatile model. According to our results from multiple test sessions (both low and maximum) throughout all features within the slot – it’s been established that payouts do not come frequently during short-term tests at higher bet levels, making Golden Empire suitable primarily for long session gamblers.
The return-to-player rate or RTP stands at approximately 95% but varies depending on number of bets placed which increases chances winning big as a result.
Max Win
Maximum payout reached during our experiments was $5000 from max stakes play in line with rules set forth by slot developers.