Chow’s Chance Slots
Chow’s Chance is a brand-new 2016 video slot release from Asian-facing games developer Booming Games. The 5-reel slot has 50 fixed paylines and a Chinese teahouse theme, and it features a cast of zany and amusing characters, including the eponymous Mr Chow and his wife. The avuncular Chows, who run the teahouse in case you haven’t guessed, guide players through the game, which has a look similar to a Mahjong board, and there are many eye-catching 3D symbols scattered across the reels.
The Chow’s Chance playing screen is bathed in inviting reds and accompanied by soothing and traditional Chinese music, which imparts a rather welcoming feel. Chow’s Chance features strong animations at all times, with characters making realistic gestures from their stations on the board – bowing, chuckling, tugging at an earlobe. You almost feel like you’re playing with friends, your friends in this case being anthropomorphised animals!
Playing the Game
The game board, as stated, is based on Mahjong, a Chinese game commonly played with four players and widely enjoyed throughout Eastern and South Eastern Asia. The symbols in the slot equivalent appear on lily-white tiles and are inspired by the game’s character suites. To the left of the reel grid sits Mr Chow, while his wife stands off to the right. The controls are ranged along the bottom, and you can bet a minimum of 0.01 per line, right up to 3.00 per line (or 150 per spin).
A dragon fulfils the role as the slot’s wild icon, and is thus able to substitute for all symbols to help the player form winning combinations on adjacent lines. The dragon cannot, however, stand in for the flower, which acts as the scatter. At maximum bet, the red and black dragon pays 15 for two, 150 for three, 4,500 for four and an eye-watering 45,000 for five in a line.
The flower, like most scatters in the world of online slots, awards 10 free spins when you find three or more. At max bet, it also pays 750 for three, 1,200 for four and 1,800 for five in a line.
The cyclonic winds act as the special symbol: three of these triggers the game’s 2-Way Pay feature, and for the next 10 spins winnings are counted on active pay-lines from right to left as well as left to right. Double winnings are also awarded, and the total number of 2-Way Pay spins is continually recorded in the 2-Way Pay counter. The cyclonic winds symbol also pays 12 for two, 45 for three, 210 for four and 1,500 for five in a line.
The 2-Way Pay feature can re-activate if you find another three wind icons during the ten bonus spins. What’s more, hitting three scatters during 2-Way Pay spins entitles you to 10 free spins, as normal.
With 50 paylines in play at all times on the capacious 5x4 grid, triggering the 2-Way Pay bonuses would be cause for celebration, with the prospect of massive winnings likely. Apart from free spins and 2-Way Pay, though, the game also boasts a double-or-nothing gamble feature, which can be activated after every successful combination.
Mrs Chow, who is an anthropomorphised cat, stands at the ready with a brewing hotpot, waiting for the gamer to guess between orange or green tea. Needless to say, if you guess correct you’ll double your money. If you guess wrong, you lose the lot. You can gamble up to ten times in a row, or until your winnings hit 10,000. At this point, you’ll be returned to the base game.
Chow Down
As a company, Booming Games are very excited about Chow’s Chance – and for good reason. The 5-reeler combines both traditional elements beloved by Asian gamers, such as the peaceful teahouse setting and Mahjong-inspired game board and pieces, and the developer’s creative department’s rather advanced contributions, in the form of the 3D animated characters who interact with the gamer.
If you enjoy Eastern-themed slots, you could do a lot worse. And if you manage to hit that 45,000 coin jackpot at max bet, you’re unlikely to ever do better. Good luck!
