Panda Pow Slot Machine
Who doesn’t like a kung-fu fighting panda? After the success of Kung Fu Panda on the big screen, the slot game world could not ignore this brand new trend. Panda Pow from Lightning Box is a modern video slot game that got inspired by the movie, without ever referencing it directly. The result is a dynamic challenge with plenty of surprises to discover.
Inspired by Chinese aesthetics, Panda Pow is quite beautiful to look at and very easy to play. The low volatility of the game makes it also very beginner-friendly, with frequent small prizes guaranteed to land often during the game. And if you check, you will find plenty of interesting surprise below the surface, as we will see in our full review of Panda Pow here.
Once upon a Time, in China
The entire background of Panda Pow is painted red, with temples and Chinese-inspired ornaments covering the entire space. The reels are framed by bamboo sprouts, with a small set of command buttons underneath them and nothing else. The Lightning Box developers have really tried to keep things as simple as possible here.
Panda Pow is clearly less exuberant than many other slot games with a Chinese theme. That being said, we actually found it a little less overwhelming and cliché than most and overall more approachable. The animations are also remarkably smooth and dynamic, making the whole experience very pleasant.
Main Gameplay Options
You can use the arrows under the reels or the betting menu to choose your next wager in Panda Pow. The range starts at 0.01 and goes up to 40 credits per spin, which is a little bit less than we expected. The 25 paylines of the game are fixed, with an autoplay game mode available to allow you to place the same wager over and over again, for as long as you wish.
Scoring small prizes frequently is relatively easy with Panda Pow, thanks to the low variance of the game. Otherwise, the basic paytable is made up of card icons and lanterns, decorated fans and other lucky charms for a maximum cash prize of x500 available for the luckiest players. To boost your chances of hitting a big win, you can try and spot some of the special symbols that Panda Pow has to offer as well.
Two Special Functions in One
Wilds and scatters are two classic features of modern slot games. Panda Pow actually has both, united into a single panda symbol. Whenever you see a panda on the reels, know that he has the ability to replace other icons symbols on the reels. Finding 5 of them at the same time also unlock free spins, wherever they actually appear. You have a chance to win up to 20 free games in a row.
During the free spins, extra wild pandas will appear. These golden icons can appear anywhere except on reel 1, ready to boost your chances to hit extra cash prizes. As a matter of fact, winning at least a few free spins is relatively easy in Panda Pow. You can retrigger this bonus as many times as you find enough panda scatters on the reels as well.
Increase the Level of Difficulty
Slot games from the Amaya portfolio such as Athena or Pot O’ Gold 2 function with relatively similar rules as in Panda Pow. The basic layout can be quite similar and the rules are just as intuitive in all 3 games. That being said, Panda Pow is much more beginner-friendly thanks to its low variance. The other 2 slots will require more patience, and credits, from the players.
You can even get to the next level with Master Panda by Spinomenal. As you can expect, this game has a higher level of difficulty than Panda Pow. You will find less free spins and a higher variance as well, but the challenge is still worth trying thanks to some impressive rewards on the paytable.
Best Between the Hands of Beginners
We did enjoy our time testing Panda Pow. The game is light and pleasant, with good graphics and easy rules that hide some very interesting cash prizes. Blending the wilds and scatters together is a simple idea that makes the entire game very dynamic, and beginner-friendly as well. You shouldn’t have a lot of difficulties to score a few free spins along the way, as a result.
The most ambitious gamblers out there might prefer slots with higher volatility and leave Panda Pow to total beginners. We would agree that having higher cash prizes in the basic paytable would have turned the game into a more interesting challenge overall. But otherwise, Panda Pow is clearly a game that we would recommend checking out.
