Imperial Riches from NetEnt: Slot Review - a slot game fit for an Emperor!

Travel to the Far East to experience a soothing and exciting Chinese garden full of luck and more importantly a treasure trove of riches in this new title from NetEnt. The garden itself is said to be owned by a Chinese Emperor believe it or not and comes with a beautifully constructed koi fish pond. It is here where you get to collect jewels that are eaten by the fish in order to claim cash prizes or even win one of the game’s lucrative jackpots. Keep on reading to find out just how lucky this garden can be as we spin the reels in this Asian themed online slot.

Imperial Riches is a 15 payline slot that features Avalanche Reels, Free Spins, Wilds, 2 Fixed Jackpots, and 3 Progressive Jackpots.

Special Features

The first feature to highlight is that it features Avalanche reels. This means that all winning symbols are removed when part of a win on the reels to be replaced by new symbols from above. This allows you to keep on landing new winning combinations from just one spin provided the reels are kind enough to you of course. It is an extremely popular feature that’s been used in many of NetEnt popular slots before including Gonzo's Quest and Finn and the Swirly Spin.

Imperial Riches features a range of colourful symbols including Bamboo Plants, Gold Coins, Ingots, Golden Fish, and standard A, K, and Q card suits. The most rewarding symbol is the Golden Fish as if you happen to land 5 of them on an active payline then you will be leaving the garden smiling with a cash prize worth 100X your wager. An image of a Golden Gong is the Wild symbol in the game and the main job of this symbol is to replace all other symbols apart from the Scatter to help form winning combinations on the reels. It appears on reels 2, 3, and 4 only in the main game.

The Scatter symbol is represented by a Red Lantern and if you land 3 of these symbols anywhere on the reels then you will trigger the Free Falls feature and be awarded 10 Free Falls. Each additional Scatter symbol that you land to trigger the feature adds an extra 5 Free Falls meaning it is possible to get 20 Free Falls if you trigger it with 5 Scatters. In this bonus game, the Avalanche feature is active and all winning symbols are counted as jewels. The collected jewels are then eaten by either the Bonus Fish or the Coin Fish. If a Coin Fish eats a jewel then you will be awarded a cash prize worth 0.33X, 0.66X, or 1X your stake. If the Bonus Fish eats 3 jewels then you will trigger the Jackpot Game feature which initiates when the Free Falls feature ends.

In the Jackpot Game, you will be taken to a bigger pond with 6 different coloured fish now in play to help you win more cash prizes as well as 1 of 5 different jackpots. The Coin Fish now pays out 1.33X or 2.66X your stake. For the jackpots, there are 3 Progressive and 2 Fixed jackpots up for grabs. The jackpots correspond to the different coloured fish and if the same jackpot fish eats 3 jewels then the corresponding jackpot is won. The fixed jackpots consist of the Rapid (100.00) and Mini (500.00), whereas the Midi, Major, and Mega jackpots are progressive. The progressive jackpot totals vary in size from casino to casino.

Theme, Graphics and Sound

From a visual standpoint, the graphics are extremely polished as the reels spin in front of a beautifully designed Chinese garden complete with swaying lanterns, floating lilypads, and a clear blue sky overhead. Symbols in the game are full of bright colour and intricate details and consist of Gold Coins, Gongs, Lanterns, Bamboo Plants, Golden Fish, along with classic A – J playing card icons. The animations are crisp as symbols fly down the reels and disappear just as quick when part of a winning combination. The Jackpot Game deserves a special mention as you watch the different coloured fish gobble up coins left, right, and centre in a much larger pond. It almost feels like playing an entirely different game.

The music is soothing with an Asian-style soundtrack playing softly in the background. It works really well with the Oriental theme of the game.

Win lines, Payouts and Jackpots

The game has 15 paylines, an excellent RTP of 96.88%, 2 fixed jackpots, 3 progressive jackpots, and a maximum payout worth 1,500X your stake.

Below is a summary taken from the PayOut Table from the game. The amount won for each combination depends on the value of the bet when you spin the reels.

Bet Range: 0.15, 0.30, 0.45, 0.60, 0.75, 0.90, 1.05, 1.20, 1.35, 1.50, 1.80, 2.10, 2.25, 2.40, 2.70, 3.00, 3.75, 4.50, 5.25, 6.00, 6.75, 7.50, 9.00, 12.00..30.00

• Golden Fish Symbol: 50 for 3X, 250 for 4X, 1,500 for 5X
• Gold Ingots Symbol: 25 for 3X, 100 for 4X, 1,000 for 5X
• Gold Coins Symbol: 20 for 3X, 50 for 4X, 500 for 5X
• Bamboo Symbol: 15 for 3X, 25 for 4X, 200 for 5X
• A Symbol: 5 for 3X, 20 for 4X, 100 for 5X
• K Symbol: 4 for 3X, 15 for 4X, 75 for 5X
• Q Symbol: 3 for 3X, 10 for 4X, 50 for 5X

Our Verdict on Imperial Riches

Leading software studio NetEnt created this Asian inspired online slot. Featuring gorgeous graphics, lots of fantastic bonus features, as well as a soothing soundtrack, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable trip to the Far East that we really enjoyed playing. The Avalanche feature is used to great effect here to help you rack up lots of wins one after the other. However, it is the Jackpot Game where the biggest cash payouts can be won as you watch the different coloured fish chow down jewels in order to help you win cash prizes or one of the 5 jackpots. The top prize for this game apart from the jackpots is a very reasonable 1,500X your stake which can be won by filling all of the reels with the Golden Fish symbol. For variance, it is Medium so you will find that you will win quite regularly the more you play. If you like the Asian theme then also check out The Fortune Pig and Sakura Fortune.

Take home a slice of the Emperor’s vast fortune when you play Imperial Riches!