Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines Slot Review
A gnarled cherry tree fills the left of the screen, its branches reaching across a mauve-pink dusk sky, petals drifting past a red-roofed temple with gold eaves. Spinomenal‘s Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines hides a game of constant small decisions behind all that mist, and that’s rarer in this theme than it should be.
The frame is a 5×3 grid with 10 fixed paylines, 96.31% RTP and a top prize of 1,000x the line bet. Most samurai slots point you at one bonus and let the artwork carry the rest; this one hands you choices in both of its rounds. Whether the modest ceiling underneath justifies all that machinery is the fair question. Petals first, though.
The Base Game and Its Symbols
Wins form left to right across the ten fixed lines, with only the highest combination on each line paying. The wild counts as any symbol except the free spins and bonus symbols, and landing five wilds on a winning line pays 1,000x the bet per line, the biggest prize the game spells out anywhere.
Four special symbols drive everything else, and each has its own job:
- Wild – substitutes for everything except the free spins and bonus symbols; five on a line pay 1,000x the line bet
- Free Spins symbol – a scatter confined to reels 1, 3 and 5 in the base game; three or more start the free spins round
- Bonus symbol – the other scatter; three or more anywhere open the bonus game
- Mystery symbol – uncovers after the reels stop to reveal one random symbol, never a bonus, wild or free spins symbol
- Countdown wild – a wild bearing a number that locks in place and triggers respins until its count runs out
The scatters are worth a closer look, because their landing rules differ. Bonus symbols can appear on any of the five reels, which is why three of them show up often enough to matter. Free spins symbols sit on the outer and middle reels only, so every trigger has to be built from those three positions.
Both scatters are base game fixtures, which means neither round carries a retrigger of its own kind inside it. That puts the weight of in-round momentum on the stacked wild and the wheel’s extra spins, and it makes the moments before a trigger the tensest ones on screen. It also keeps the two rounds cleanly separated: free spins and the bonus game never bleed into each other.
Countdown Wild Respins
The countdown wild is the base game’s most interesting piece. It’s a wild carrying a number, and whenever one is on the reels when they stop, the game drops into a respin mode. The sequence runs like this:
- The reels stop with at least one countdown wild in view, and the respin mode begins
- The countdown wild stays put for the respin while its number ticks down by one
- Fresh symbols land around it, and any new countdown wilds join in and start counting down too
- The mode ends once no countdown wild shows a count of one or higher
Each locked wild is a full substitute for the duration, so a high starting count can hold a reel hostage in the best possible way. Countdown wilds share their landing zone with the free spins scatter, appearing on the first, third and fifth reels in the base game and during the respins themselves.
Mystery Symbols
Mystery symbols resolve immediately after the reels stop. Each one uncovers to reveal a single random symbol, drawn from everything except the bonus, wild and free spins symbols. The full list of exclusions is short:
- Bonus symbols
- Wild symbols, countdown wilds included
- Free spins symbols
They work only during the base game, so there’s no stacking them into the bonus rounds. It’s a simple converter: whatever lands under the mystery mark, that’s what plays, and several appearing at once can fill a line in one stroke.
Free Spins and the Stacked Wild Choice
Three or more scattered free spins symbols start the round, and this is where the game hands you a decision most slots don’t. Before the spins begin, you pick one of five options. In each option, a stacked wild sits on a different reel for the entire round, and the number of free spins changes to match.
During free spins, the wild expands on its chosen reel and stays there until the round ends. The choice is therefore between more spins with the wild in a weaker position, or fewer spins with it somewhere more useful. Which reel suits which line pattern is left for you to judge, and what you pick at the start is what you play with for the whole round.
Because the stacked wild holds its reel from the first spin to the last, every spin of the round plays with the same advantage rather than waiting on luck to deliver one. That’s the quiet appeal of the format: the round’s quality is decided before it starts, by you, and no spin inside it can take the choice away.
The Bonus Wheel of Fortune
Scattered bonus symbols are the way in, and the wheel itself is a three-level affair with three spinning attempts. Each segment lands one of three things:
- Multipliers – added to your collected total
- Extra spins – more attempts on the wheel
- Level up – moves you to an inner ring with higher prizes, and awards an extra spin on top
Level up is the one to chase, because the inner ring then works for your remaining attempts. Once all your spins are used, you’re paid the sum of everything you collected along the way. An early level up stretches the better prizes across more of the round.
Our Honest Verdict
Overall Rating: 7.2/10
Playing this one is a slow walk through a very pretty garden with more going on than the petals let on. The reason to pick it over the dozen other samurai slots is that both of its rounds ask something of you: pick your wild, then spin your wheel.
The free spins choice is the best thing here. Five stacked wild positions with the spin count moving to match means the decision actually matters, and the countdown wild keeps the base game honest between triggers.
The weakness is the summit: 1,000x the line bet is small for a game this elaborate, and nothing about the maths tells you how hard the climb is. It’s for players who like choosing their own route through a bonus round and are happy with the blossoms instead of a big number.
Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines FAQs
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What is the RTP of Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines?
The RTP is 96.31%. -
How many paylines does Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines have?
The game has 10 fixed paylines, shown in the circle at the top-right of the reels. -
What is the grid size of Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines?
It’s a 5×3 grid: five reels and three rows. -
When is Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines released?
Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines’ release date is 13 August 2021. -
Who makes Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines?
Spinomenal. -
How do you trigger free spins in Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines?
Land three or more scattered free spins symbols. They sit only on reels 1, 3 and 5 during the base game. Once triggered, you pick one of five options that place the stacked wild on a different reel, with the number of spins changing accordingly. -
How does the Countdown Wild work?
When a countdown wild is on the reels after they stop, the game enters a respin mode. The wild stays in place for each respin while its count drops by one, and the mode ends when no countdown wild with a count of one or higher remains. Countdown wilds sit only on the first, third and fifth reels during the base game. -
What is the bonus game in Story Of The Samurai 10 Lines?
Three or more scattered bonus symbols open a three-level wheel of fortune with three spinning attempts. Prizes include multipliers, extra spins and level ups, with level up moving you to an inner ring holding higher prizes and granting an extra spin. When your spins run out, you’re paid the sum of everything you collected.
