Pixel Samurai Slots
Do you remember playing video games at your local arcade, or maybe being the first in your neighborhood with the latest 8-Bit Atari console? Our review of Pixel Samurai online slot from Playtech is sure to bring back fond memories of when the hottest tech featured blocky images that moved around the screen, accompanied by an electronic soundtrack.
It’s played out on a 5x5 grid of retro-style symbols, with six colorful Samurai characters paying out prizes when you land enough of the same kind and there’s a progressive jackpot to collect when the red Master Samurai fills enough places.
The simple gameplay is enhanced by a cascading reels feature that sees winning symbols being replaced by new ones. It can lead to lots of wins from a single stake but don’t go looking for wild symbols, scatter pays or free spins rounds. This is a basic, but highly enjoyable game that’s fast-paced and potentially very lucrative.
Playtech are one of the top developers for the online casinos business and are more than capable of releasing highly realistic slot machines, with stunning 3D graphics and unique features. But many players like to just chill out and enjoy an old-school arcade style game such as this. Have a go on the free Pixel Samurai video slots here or go for real cash awards at any of the recommended online and mobile optimized casinos that carry the Playtech range.
Is this a pixel-perfect slot machine? Let’s take a look at these traditional Japanese characters, that could have come straight from a classic games console, and find out.
Spinning up Wins With the Samurai
The 25 symbols are overlaid onto a purple background consisting of a classic pogoda-roof building, bonsai trees and lanterns in an Asian garden. Clouds float across the sky in jerky movements that add to the retro gaming style. The game title and control buttons are all blocky and pixelated, although the actual symbols are a little more detailed than the rest of the game. It’s a sort of late 1990’s style rather than early 1980’s.
Although the reels of a conventional slot machine spin to land new symbols in view, each click of the ‘Play’ button sees all symbols dropping off the screen and new ones falling down to fill the grid. There are some cute animations as each character falls away, with surprised looks on their faces and arms flaying about with each fall.
The aim of Pixel Samurai slot is to land at least five symbols of the same type adjacent to each other. Blocks can be horizontal or vertical, but not diagonal and any time you have a winning combination, the symbols that made up the win will vanish in a puff of pixelated smoke. This leaves empty spaces on the grid and any symbols above will drop down to fill in the gaps. New symbols will also drop from above the screen and with a little luck, new winning blocks of Samurai will be formed.
Land Bigger Blocks for Better Rewards
Of course, the amount won depends on which Samurai made up a winning block and how many were in it. A Robin Hood-type character pays the smallest prizes, with any five being worth 0.4x the total stake and any 16 or more paying out 50x the stake.
A blue Sumo wrestler pays up to 100x, while a nunchuck-wielding guy in a traditional straw hat pays a high limit of 500x your total bet. An ice-covered Samurai is worth up to 1,000x and the lady Samurai pays up to 5,000x.
A red Master Samurai is the best symbol though, as he pays a prize equal to 50x your bet when making a block of just five symbols. Any blocks of eight or more will pay out 5,000x, plus a share of a progressive jackpot.
The jackpot grows as a small percentage of all bets made on Pixel Samurai, across all online casinos, is put aside. If you land more than eight Master Samurai symbols, the portion of the progressive jackpot that you win will increase and you always get the 5,000x the stake payout on top.
Betting Options and Control Functions
Simple controls suit the straightforward style of Pixel Samurai online slot. There are no paylines, so you just need to adjust the stake to suit your bankroll, from the minimum of 0.10 per spin, to a maximum of 10.00.
It’s not a game for high rollers, but most gamblers will find a stake that works for them between these limits. Between ten and 99 auto-spins can be activated, which means that you can just sit back and watch the fun on screen without having to do anything.
Pixel Samurai can be played on a wide range of mobile devices such as Windows or Android platforms, iPads and iPhones as well as on desktop PC’s.
Like all games from Playtech, it’s fully licensed to guarantee fair play and has a high return to players percentage, while also being audited by an independent testing company.
Dropping Into Similar Games
More classic 8-bit style action can be enjoyed when you play the Mega Boy video slot from iSoftbet. This five-reel, 25-line slot is a little more conventional in format but has the vibrant color scheme and electronic sounds that are so familiar from old-school console games. It’s another fairly simple slot machine, where you get rewarded with expanding wild symbols and random win multipliers, although you won’t find a free spins round or mini-games.
If you like the gameplay and features of Pixel Samurai, but you’re looking for slightly more sophisticated graphics, then Inca Jackpot could be just right. It’s another Playtech title and uses almost exactly the same format but replaces the Samurai with South American statues.
Our Verdict: Old-School Style Meets Modern Gameplay
While some players will find this slot machine to be just too basic for them, our review experts think plenty of others will be attracted to these perfect pixels and exciting gameplay in Pixel Samurai online slot.
Everything happens in the basic spins, (although ‘spins’ is probably the wrong word for the way symbols drop into place), with no wild substitutions or side games to distract you. The action is fast and furious, with just seconds between each symbol drop and if a winning combination is formed, the symbols vanish, and new ones take their places immediately.
Are you quick enough to keep up with these Samurai? Try it out at any recommended Playtech online casino and see for yourself.
