88 Fortunes
88 Fortunes is a video slot from SG Interactive (part of WMS) and released in July 2016. It is an Asian themed online slot, of which there are plenty, for example, Gung Pow, Lucky Twins and Dragon Dance to name just a few. The slot offers plenty of gaming action including 4 different jackpot prizes, wild substitution symbols, free spins and the option to buy Gold Symbols to increase your winning opportunities.
88 Fortunes by SG Interactive is a 5-reel, 3-row online slot that offers a total of 243 winning combinations. It has a theme built around the Chinese lucky number eight and even has a minimum spin set at 8p. It is a very glitzy looking online slot that includes a free spins bonus round and a Fu-Bat Jackpot feature where you pick lucky coins to match Baby symbols that relate to a jackpot prize. These relate to 4 jackpots, the value of which depends on how much you stake. At the highest cost per spin the grand jackpot prize has a maximum payout of £250,000.
How to play 88 Fortunes Video Slot
When you load up the game you cannot miss the abundance of red which is synonymous among Asian themed online slots. You also have plenty of gold and orange to make for a very bright coloured game. The symbols used include some standard card type symbols being J, Q, K and A. Alongside these, you have various gold Chinese symbols including a coin, a boat and a turtle to name just a few.
Then you have the Fu Bat symbol which acts as the wild substitution symbol and can replace all symbols within the game including the scatter symbol. This Fu Bat symbol can also randomly offer up one of the 4 possible jackpots. The scatter is in the form of a Gong and landing at least 3 will activate the free spins bonus round.
The first thing you should do before you start to play on the 88 Fortunes video slot is set your cost per spin. Using the ‘Bet’ option in the bottom left corner you can set your individual coin value at various levels ranging from 1p up to £1. Just above the bet option, you can then set how many of the higher value symbols you would like to be gold. This increases your cost per spin but also increases the cash wins available for matching 3, 4 or 5 of that symbol.
These ‘Gold’ symbol options also open up the jackpots you can win. Having a single gold symbol will mean no jackpots are available. Two gold symbols will enable the Mini jackpot, three gold symbols will open up the Minor Jackpot, four gold symbols opens up the Major Jackpot and finally, 5 gold symbols opens up the Grand Jackpot. With 5 gold symbols activated all 4 jackpots are available to be won. Adjusting these options means your cost per spin can range from a minimum of 8p up to a maximum of £88.
To start playing the 88 Fortunes online slot you just need to select the large gold coloured button with the rotating arrow symbol that is on the right-hand side of the game screen. Just below this spin button is the Autoplay option. You can set the reels to spin automatically between 5 and 100 spins.
At first, the 88 Fortunes video slot can seem a little over complicated, however, once you have played the game for a while it becomes very easy to see what you need to do to get the biggest cash prizes. For the best chance to win a larger prize and maybe a jackpot you will need to bet with 5 gold symbols active. The Fu Bat (Wild Symbol) will help achieve wins by replacing other symbols.
It is the Fu Bat that can give you the chance to win a jackpot prize. This can randomly be activated during both the base game and the free spins bonus round. As long as you have one Fu Bat on the screen in a winning combination then you have a chance to be awarded this feature. If you have only one jackpot prize available (from 2 gold symbols being active) then you will receive that jackpot. However, if you have more than one jackpot available you will be taken to a screen with 12 Chinese coins. You keep picking coins until you match 3 similar baby symbols and you will then win that related jackpot.
During the base game, you will also be hoping to land at least 3 gong symbols. This will activate the free spins bonus round where you will get 10 free spins. During the free spins bonus, the lower value card type symbols are removed so you have more chance of winning bigger prizes. You can also activate the Fu Bat jackpot feature during your free spins as well as further free spins. Once this bonus feature is concluded you will be returned to the base game.
88 Fortunes Video Slot Tips
Over on the right-hand side of the game screen, you will see an ‘i’ symbol. Selecting this will bring up a series of 5 screens that give you information about the slot including the main game features as discussed above. You can also view the coin payout levels for the number of matching symbols on a pay line along with a grid view of each of the winning lines. These screens help familiarise you with the game and what you need to do to get the best wins possible.
If you are new to playing the 88 Fortunes video slot, then a good way to get familiar with the game is in Freeplay or demo mode at one of our recommended online casinos. This means you can spin the reels as many times as you like for fun without having to spend your own cash. You will see how the gameplay works and then if you want to play for real you can switch from demo mode to real cash play at any time. If you would like to play 88 Fortunes slot for free then you can at Leo Vegas Casino.
Is 88 Fortunes the right video slot for you?
The 88 Fortunes video slot has a theoretical RTP (return to player) of 96% giving a house edge of 4%. This is on all game settings apart from when you only have 1 gold symbol activated. At this level, you will not have any jackpots available and the RTP drops slightly to 95.93%.
We tested the game over 100 spins at an 88p cost per spin and found that it felt most definitely like a medium variance game. We experienced plenty of lower value wins and never went more than 7 spins without a win. The size of the wins in the base game could be quite low, as little as just 4p, however, the free spins round more than made up for this. You will find that 88 Fortunes suits you for making use of a free casino bonus in giving extended gameplay compared to a high variance game, yet having features that offer some decent enough jackpot prizes.
