Samurai Code

Base Game & Features

The 5-reel, 4-row grid is framed by ornate Japanese archways and offers 12 pay lines where wins can form. Players get to choose their preferred bet amount from a wide selection, starting at just £.€0.12p per spin for more casual gamblers. Yet the maximum bet goes all the way up to £.€240 per spin, perfect for high rollers who want to up the stakes and chase huge payouts.

With the stage set and swords sharpened, it’s time to dive into the gameplay where Wilds, Scatters and Free Spins await. Samurai Code marries Japanese culture with online slot excitement for a one-of-a-kind gaming experience.

The symbols in the base game include classic card ranks styled to match the theme, along with higher-paying icons like dragons, swords, money bags, and a female Japanese character. Landing 5 matching symbols on a pay line can award up to 200x your bet. The Fish symbols are special as they pay out the value displayed directly on the symbol, up to 4,000x your bet if you hit a full line. These values are also key during the free spins round.

Unlike some Reel Kingdom slots, there are no major base game features in Samurai Code aside from the standard Wild symbol. The wild only appears during free spins and substitutes for all symbols except the bonus trigger. This means the base game is fairly straightforward – you’re just waiting to trigger the free spins round where the action happens.

Ante Bet

Before or after a game round, players can utilise the Ante Bet feature for an additional 54% of their current bet. Once active, your chances of triggering the Free Spins round are higher.

Bonus Buy

There is also the option to buy the Free Spins round by paying 100x your total bet. Doing this guarantees 3, 4 or 5 Scatters will land to trigger the bonus.

Free Spins

Landing 3 or more Blue Flower Scatter symbols anywhere on the reels will award 10, 15 or 20 Free Spins for 3, 4 or 5 scatters respectively. If just 2 Scatters land, a floating sword symbol will occasionally fly in and bring the third scatter needed to trigger the round.

Money Symbols & Wilds

Once in Free Spins, gameplay takes cues from the popular Big Bass Bonanza series. Any wild symbols that land will collect the values displayed on Money Fish symbols, steadily increasing their value with each one absorbed. In addition, all wilds that hit the reels are collected. Every 4 collected Wilds will re-trigger the bonus and add +10 Free Spins.

This retrigger also increases a multiplier applied to the values of the Money Fish – 2x for the first retrigger, 3x for the second, and a huge 10x multiplier for the third. So in essence you want to keep hitting wilds to retrigger and build up that lucrative multiplier. Random extra Money symbols or wilds can also be added after any spin during the feature.

Pros and Cons of Samurai Code

Pros:

• Asian theme provides a fresh take compared to other slots 
• Free spins round offers big potential with retriggers and multipliers
• Bet sizes to suit all bankrolls, from 12c up to £/€240
• Buying free spins optionally speeds up access to the main feature

Cons:

• The base game lacks features besides wild symbol 
• Very similar to previous Big Bass slots like Bigger Bass Blizzard
• Maximum win of 4,000x bet is fairly standard

Conclusion

At first glance, Samurai Code provides a nice change of scenery compared to the usual slots on the market. The theme is well executed with fitting graphics and sound effects.

The free spins feature offers big potential, especially with those lucrative retriggers. Yet at its core, the game is very reminiscent of the Big Bass series before it. 

For those experiencing feature fatigue from the endless Big Bass iterations, Samurai Code may come across as an underwhelming reskin. It certainly delivers entertainment in the bonus round, though the base game is very sparse.

In the end, Samurai Code brings just enough new ideas like the theme and adjustable bets to satisfy. But a few more tweaks would have been welcomed to distinguish it from previous titles. While not wildly innovative, it still provides solid gameplay with free spins that can pay off in a major way.