Sakura Classic

Sakura Classic is an Asian-themed online slot with a 5x3 grid and 20 fixed paylines.

The word “classic” in the games’ name certainly befits this release. From the layout and number of lines, to the features like Scatter and Wild symbols, all of the elements that make this slot are typical of the retro nouveau one-armed bandits.

Made by the elusive and somewhat mysterious iGaming provider, Playreels software, this title delivers quite a bit of fun and a decent jackpot.

Theme

The Asian-theme is very pleasant, with colorful and cartoonish symbols of the samurai with the katana, a wise old man, a koi fish, Chinese waving cat, and many others that land on the reel, among the five classic Royals.

Sakura means cherry blossom, so the backdrop depicts a beautiful tree with the pink flowers under a salmon-colored sky. Turquoise and gold slot machine pops out from this background in all its flamboyance.

Relaxing music that accompanies the turning of the reels would fit nicely in any Japanese garden, and adds to the whole experience.

Betting Options and Functions

The betting range falls from 0.01 to 2.00, meaning that the spin on all fixed lines can go from 0.20 to 40.00 and that the maximum jackpot counts 20,000.00.

The least paying symbols are the Royals, two of which give 5x, 10x, 50x per stake, and the other three grant 10x, 25x, 75x, depending on whether 3, 4, or 5 of them land on the reels.

The unique symbols pay more, with the koi fish, waving cat and dragon being on the lower side of the payment and giving 15x, 30,x and 100x, 20x, 40x, and 125x, and 25x, 50x, 150x, respectively, and depending on whether 3, 4 or 5 of them land.

A woman with a fan, samurai and wise old man instead pay from 2, 3, 4 or 5 of them appear, highest paying one being the wise old man that grants 5x, 50x, 150x, and 500x of the bet.

It has to be said that, though that, standing at 94.01%, the return-to-player is dishearteningly low.

Features

The Wild appears on the second, third, fourth, and fifth reel, which is to say, on all but the first one. As usual, it simply substitutes for other symbols, except for the Scatter.

The 3 Scatter symbols pay 5x of the total bet and give 10 extra spins, 4 pay 10x, and grant 20 extra spins and all 5 of them pay 25 and award 30 extra spins.

Lastly, the respin feature is triggered whenever a stack of matching 3 symbols appear on the first reel. During the respins, the Wild will stick to the reels, as well as the symbols that have activated the feature.

Our Take

While neither very generous in terms of RTP nor the maximum jackpot, the Sakura Classic video slot does have its advantages.

The features are very well though-out and the player’s experience is a fun one. Add to that the beautiful graphics and thematic consistency, and it remains a title worth checking out. Especially for those who look primarily for entertainment, rather than massive wins.