Samurai’s Katana Slot Review 2024
Samurai’s Katana from Push Gaming is a futuristic clash of tradition and innovation. In their latest release, the ancient honour of Samurai blends with the modern and popular Cyberpunk aesthetic, making it rather unique in its own right.
Samurai’s Katana comes shortly after their hugely anticipated Wild Swarm 2, and despite its modern aesthetic, it shares common features with something just as old as Wild Swarm. This release is reminiscent of the infamous Tiki Tumble, which at the time gripped many eager for innovative gameplay.
Will Samurai’s Katana be just as impressive? Let’s check it out.
Samurai’s Katana Gameplay & Design
Push Gaming takes us into the futuristic world of Cyberpunk Samurais, with exciting gameplay features that are reminiscent of Tiki Tumble. The backdrop is not quite as expressive as other Push Gaming titles, which places us on a graffiti-riddled street, dimly lit by a violet-coloured sky.
Samurai’s Katana is a 5-reel, 4-row Video Slot, playable from £.€0.10 per spin, up to a maximum bet limit of £.€100 per spin. Between the two bets are alternative options that are sufficient for the average player. Simply toggle through the options until you find one that works for you.
Samurai’s Katana – Slot Symbols and Their Values
Samurai’s Katana has 4 High and Low-paying symbols available throughout gameplay, with the highest-paying symbol producing wins of up to 50x your bet for a full 5-line winning combination.
Low-paying symbols are standard A, K, Q, and J. Each of these symbols can produce wins of 0.1x, 0.3x, and 1x your bet for a 3, 4, and 5-line winning combination respectively.
Samurai’s Katana – Paylines and How to Get Them
Wins occur when 3-5 identical symbols land from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel. Win lines are created over 20 fixed pay lines, in a Horizontal and Diagonal line formation.
Samurai’s Katana RTP & Volatility – Hot or Not?
Samurai’s Katana has a theoretical RTP of 96.32%, but this drops to 95.99% when you participate in the Gamble Feature. In terms of volatility, Samurai’s Katana is considered a highly volatile slot. In addition, Push Gaming has equipped Samurai’s Katana with a max win cap of 10,000x.
Samurai’s Katana Special Features
In this section of the review, we will be taking a look at the available special features; Instant Prizes, Nudging Wilds, Scatter and Gamble symbols, and the Gamble feature.
Firstly, regular Wilds and Wild Stacks appear on reels 2, 3, and 4 in the base game, substituting for all symbols except Scatters and Instant Prize symbols. In Free Spins, these symbols can appear on any reel.
Instant Prize Symbols
Instant Prize symbols are special multipliers that appear on reels 1 and 5 in the base game and free spins round. Instant Prize symbols will award their value when they match up with a minimum of 2 Wilds on consecutive reels. Matching combinations can be formed both ways, from left to right, and right to left.
Instant Prize values; 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x, 100x, 250x, 500x, and 1,000x.
Nudging Wilds Feature
When a Wild Stack appears on a reel, the Nudging Wilds feature is triggered. Once active, the Wild Stack will nudge down one position while all other reels spin as normal. This feature will continue until the entire Wild Stack is removed from the reel.
Scatter and Gamble Scatter Symbols
Regular Scatter symbols appear on reel 1, and Gamble Scatter symbols on reel 5 in the base game. When the Gamble Scatter hits, it will spin through all the potential Free Spin Prizes on its current position.
- Free Spins with a x1 Multiplier
- Free Spins with a x3 Multiplier.
- Free Spins with a x5 Multiplier.
- Free Spins with a x10 Multiplier.
- Free Spins with a x25 Multiplier.
Gamble Feature
The Gamble feature will trigger when a regular Scatter and Gamble Scatter lands on reels 1 and 5 in the base game. Once active, a Gamble Wheel offering higher Free Spin prizes than those inside the Gamble Scatter, as well as 1-3 guaranteed Wild Stacks will appear.
During the Gamble feature, the prize awarded inside the Gamble Scatter can be forfeited for a chance to win a higher free spins prize or guaranteed Wild Stacks by selecting the gamble option. Alternatively, you can collect your current prize.
Possible Prizes; Free Spins with a x3-x100 Multiplier or 1-3 guaranteed Wild Stacks. When a Wild Stack prize is won, you will return to the base game where your total won Wild Stacks are placed on random reels. Landing on a No-Prize segment returns you to the base game empty-handed.
Bonus Buy
Those with access can participate in the Bonus Buy option, of which there are 7 to choose from. Online Slots UK are devoid of such options, however, the majority of options below are available to players via regular gameplay.
- 2 Wild Stacks – 18.8x your bet.
- 3 Wild Stacks – 83x your bet.
- Random Wild Stacks – 30x your bet.
- x1 Multiplier – 51x your bet.
- x3 Multiplier – 118.5x your bet.
- x10 Multiplier – 488.9x your bet.
- Random Multiplier – 100x your bet.
Samurai’s Katana Bonus Rounds & Free Spins
When the Gamble Scatter reveals a Free Spin Prize, the Free Spins round is awarded. The round begins with reels 2 and 4 filled with Wild Stacks and a starting Multiplier corresponding to the awarded Free Spin Prize.
During this round, each Wild Stack will nudge down one position, filling up the Multiplier Level Meter as it goes. Five nudges are required to reach the next level. The Multiplier is applied to all wins regardless of Paying or Instant Prize symbol wins.
When a new level is reached, a new Multiplier applies to any wins in the next spin. When no more Wild Stacks are in view, the Free Spins round will come to an end.
- Level 1 – Multiplier increases to x1.
- Level 2 – Multiplier increases to x3.
- Level 3 – Multiplier increases to x5.
- Level 4 – Multiplier increases to x10.
- Level 5 – Multiplier increases to x25.
- Level 6 – Multiplier increases to x100.
Conclusion
Samurai’s Katana is another sound release from Push Gaming. They’re seemingly never awful, and if they are lacking then they’re never far off amazing. Samurai’s Katana is in the latter group, with recognisable elements from bygone releases that result in a dependable game.
Coming hot on the heels of a formidable release like Wild Swarm 2 and Shamrock Saints was never going to bode well in making it a game with overwhelming notoriety, but we don’t think Samurai’s Katana or Push Gaming set out to make it an A-lister.
Although extremely different in theme, Samurai’s Katana reminds us of Tiki Tumble, one of Push Gaming’s early hits. This slot back then would have been a marvel, but it still deserves some recognition today in our opinion.
Overall, Samurai’s Katana isn’t a contender for slot of the year, but it definitely isn’t a nominee for the worst slot either.