Game developer – iSoftBet
Number of reels: 5×3
Recommended games from iSoft Bet: Cherry Trio, Forest Mania, Fruit Boxes, Ways of the Dragon, Alice Adventure, Beetle Jewels, Booster, Cash Camel, Happy Birds, Platoon Wild, Platoon, Lucky Lady
Pearl of the orient is one of the hottest games ion the last decade, and certainly one of the widely known and worldwide-played. A lot of copycats and spinoffs have been created over the years, all of which have as a starting point the structure and imagery in Pearl of the Orient.
In order of value, there are several TIERs into which the symbols are split, with TIER 1 being represented by the lowest paying symbols, TIER 2 the ones that are consisting with the game logos and representative symbols and the final and most important TIER being represented with the wilds and scatters.
To be more explicit, TIER 1 contains the playing card that starts from 9 and go up to the ace. As is the case with absolutely all of the online slot machines that use them, the 9, 10, J, Q, K and Ace are the lowest paying symbols and are formed in combinations of 3, 4 or 5.
TIER 2 consists of the symbols that are tied heavily with the Asian culture and are also inspired by the Chinese culture, like the golden frog, the lampion lights, the gold medal, earrings, and the golden bowl. Notice that absolutely all of the important symbols have at least a golden component to them, automatically-inducing their worth compared to the other TIER.
TIER 3 is the most important one and has under its portfolio the 2 most important symbols in the game, the wild and the scatter.
The game’s wild is the mysterious woman that lurks in the background. It can only appear on reels 2,3 and 4. While she does not pay anything herself, she automatically replaces all of the other symbols except the scatter.
Another symbol to look after is the ying-yang symbol that is yellow and green. If you land 3, 4 or 5 of this important scatter will get you a great award of 2, 20 or 50 times your stake, not to mention triggering the Free Spins feature – on offer here are 12 free spins.
Of course, you hope to see plenty of wilds in a bunch and in as many combinations as possible, as every time they hit, they will upgrade to 1 of the higher symbols in value, usually from TIER 2.
If and when the first expanding wild will hit, all of the money pockets transform into lanterns, signaling that they increase in value.
There are hundreds of Chinese themed slots on the market but the appetite for this genre never seems to slow down. Pearl of the Orient is a perfectly playable addition. The visuals are excellent and the traditional soundtrack gives the game a real Asian flavor.
The gameplay is simple but can explode into life in the Free Spins feature if you get on a run with the symbol upgrades. The wilds make it much more likely that you’ll pocket the top reward of 500 times your stake on every spin. If you can’t get enough of all things Chinese and fancy some simple, well-designed action, then Pearl of the Orient is another game you’ll be adding to your playing rotation. If you want something more elaborate, iSoftBet’s The Dalai Panda is worth trying.