Samurai 888 Rise Kimiko Online Slot Game Review

At first glance, Samurai 888 Rise Kimiko doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from the competition. It looks good, but it feels like a rehash of other IGT casino games in the Samurai 888 series, as well as other slots that aim for this aesthetic.

When testing the game, it played mostly as you’d expect from a standard 5×3 slot. However, the pacing felt off – the base game is fairly slow without much big-win potential to keep you engaged, and it relies too much on the bonus round for volatility. This is a problem because you can go hundreds of spins without triggering a bonus, and when you do, it could either give your session some much-needed momentum or just add to the disappointment if the RNG doesn’t land your way.

Samurai 888 Rise Kimiko features a Japanese aesthetic, with a big focus on various elements from Japanese mythology and culture, and it prominently features the titular character of Kimiko beside the reels. The backdrop depicts a pagoda at the foot of a mountain chain, in the middle of a dense forest in the fall. The combination of falling leaves, peaks shrouded by the clouds, and deep orange hues makes for some striking visuals.

In terms of animations, the game may feel a bit too static compared to some competitors, but that’s mainly because the animations are more feature-focused. The winning symbol combos smoothly come to life, paylines light up with golden highlights, and scatter coins bounce into the multi-colored feature pots.

We were particularly impressed by how well the game looked on a phone screen. The mobile layout was clearly not an afterthought, as they make the most of what little screen real estate is available on the top mobile casino sites. Kimiko is moved prominently to the top of the grid, and you can still maintain a clear overview of all important features without the backdrop suffering for it, complete with a thumb-friendly UI.

In terms of sound design, it’s a bit generic, but it still fits the theme. The sound effects mostly consist of light chimes and jingles to accompany spins, and the soundtrack is calm and relaxing in the base game. It picks up a faster-paced electronic track during bonus rounds, but it’s not particularly memorable.

With an RTP of 94.01%, Samurai 888 Rise Kimiko is notably below average for slots today, and you can easily find better RTPs at any of our expert-recommended online slot sites. While it’s common for providers to have lower-RTP variants of their games, seeing such a low base RTP is disappointing and is bound to scare some players away.

Meanwhile, the volatility is in the middle of the spectrum. With a 5×3 grid layout, 25 fixed left-to-right paylines, payouts only on the highest combination, and Wilds that only appear on reels 2,4 3,4, and 5, the base game is relatively mellow. Most of the volatility is reserved for the bonus rounds, so it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

Samurai 888 Rise Kimiko is a fairly feature-rich title, though the features are all reserved for the game’s bonus round. Here’s exactly what features are available and how they work.

Bonus Round

The bonus round in Samurai 888 Rise Kimiko is triggered randomly by multi-colored scatter coin symbols, each corresponding to three types of bonus features:

• Drum Boost (green),
• Jackpot (red), and
• Power Up (blue).

When the bonus round is triggered, the game switches to a special 7×5 grid, with the upper 4 rows locked initially. In this mode, spots can either feature coin symbols, bonus symbols, or come up empty. You start off with 3 spins, and every time you land any symbol on the grid, the counter resets to 3. You have to rack up a set number of coin symbols to unlock the extra rows, specifically:

• Row 4: 4
• Row 5: 8
• Row 6: 12
• Row 7 (Bonus Wheel): 17

Each coin symbol has a specific value, and they’re all collected at the end of the bonus round if they’re on unlocked rows.

Drum Boost

The Drum Boost feature is available when the bonus round is triggered by the green scatter symbol. During the round, Drum Boost coins may land on the grid, and they are immediately added to the Drum Prize. If you land a Drum Boost symbol anywhere on the grid, it may collect the Drum Prize amount anywhere from 1x to 10x, and the winnings are paid out at the end of the round.

Jackpot

The Jackpot feature may be triggered by red scatter coins. During the bonus round, you can win Treasure Chest symbols that immediately open and reveal a selection of multicolored gems, corresponding to the five jackpot tiers: Mini (purple), Minor (green), Maxi (yellow), Major (blue), and Grand (red).

You need to collect 4 gems of the same color to win the Mini, Minor, or Maxi jackpots. For the higher-paying Major and Grand jackpots, you need to collect 5 gems.

Note that this is not a progressive jackpot slot. The jackpot amounts are simply multipliers of your base bet, roughly:

• Mini: 11x
• Minor: 28x
• Maxi: 56x
• Major: 227x
• Grand: 1136x

If you prefer the rush of large and potentially life-changing wins, take a look at some progressive jackpot slots recommended by our experts. However, always remember to play responsibly, and never bet more than you’re willing to lose.

Power Up

You can win the Power Up feature if the bonus round is activated by blue scatter coins. This feature adds three extra bonus symbols to the round, each with its own unique effects:

• Extra Coin: Adds 2 to 4 additional coins to the reels
• Prize Rise: Applies a 2-5x multiplier to 1-5 coins or Drum symbols.
• Prize Boost: Increases the value of 1-5 coins or Drum symbols.

Super Feature & Mega Feature

The Super Feature triggers when the bonus round starts with two different types of scatter coins on the grid. There are no additional rules, and the Super Feature simply includes all the mechanics of both individual features. For example, if you trigger the bonus with a green and a red scatter, you’ll get the Drum coins, Drum symbols, and Treasure Chest symbols during the round.

Alternatively, you get the Mega Feature if you trigger the bonus round with all three types of Scatter coins on the grid. Just like the Super Feature, there are no extra rules to worry about, and you simply get access to the Drum Boost, Jackpot, and Power Up features in one bonus round.

Bonus Wheel

The Bonus Wheel feature can be triggered in any of the regular bonus rounds if you manage to unlock the 7^th row by landing enough coin symbols on the grid. You get one spin of a prize wheel at the end of the round, and you can win one of the following rewards:

• Cash prize
• Any of the jackpots (with or without multipliers)
• Cash prize or jackpot + Bonus Wheel respin