Las Vegas-based slot developer Bally Technologies have not really re-captured the glory of their land-based slots in the online domain. Don’t get me wrong, the likes of the Mayan-themed Mayan Treasures and the Egyptian-themed Pharaoh’s Dream were not terrible slots but they haven’t quite reached the peak that the land-based predecessors managed.
Unfortunately, I cannot see that trend being altered by the release of this 5 reel, 30 payline China River slot. At first look, everything about this slot just screams bland and generic. The symbols consist of some ornaments, random signs (including a Chinese longevity pattern) and a bird of some sorts that resembles a pheasant. The 9 through to Ace regular symbols just look dull in single colors and I really am not too thrilled about the prospect of playing this slot.
An interesting feature to cover first on this slot is the Stacked Mystery Position feature where a random symbol is chosen to be stacked on each spin. This can prove to be quite lucrative but even when you win, the wins are not that large.
In this slot’s defense, it does have the draw of being able to hit some big free spins. In fact, the Chinese longevity pattern symbol is the key to triggering the free spins but it can also be a Stacked symbol thanks to the Stacked Mystery Position feature so it is possible to earn up to a massive 240 free spins.
The colored pheasant-looking bird represents the Wild symbol and will substitute for all other symbols to complete winning combinations and deliver some decent-sized pay outs.
The first thing I noticed as I played away on this slot was the lack of big wins. I would hit the occasional small wins of 10 coins maximum here and there but there were never any bigger wins. It kind of hit my motivation to keep playing. It just felt like Bally were pick pocketing me.
China River is a superb land-based slot but once again Bally have really failed to fulfill its potential on the online market. If you are looking for an Oriental-themed slot that is more stimulating then you might want to check out Microgaming’s wonderful Asian Beauty slot or NextGen Gaming’s superb Cherry Blossoms slot. This slot is unfortunately only comparative to a politician. Plenty of promise but in reality there is little substance.
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