Lotus Charm

Lotus Charm Overview

Taking players to a placid pond full of lotus flowers, this new game created by 3 Oaks Gaming is a high volatility slot with a hold and win bonus at its core. Like many of 3 Oaks Gaming's recent releases, this new game sits on a five-reel, three-row gameboard with 20 pay lines. Maybe this is a format they have found particularly popular, or they are not all that fussed about incorporating a lot of variety into their current collection of slots. Either way, this is a pretty straightforward game with a nice selection of features and a top payout of 2,000x the stake.

The first feature is the random wilds bonus. Throughout the game, you'll notice that the slot collects wilds when they land. At any random time during either the base or bonus games, this feature may be triggered, distributing a range of wilds onto the board to help form wins. The next feature is a free spins game activated when players land three scatters on the reels at the same time. This will result in ten free spins, which can be topped up by landing additional scatters. Finally, there is the Hold and Win bonus feature. All bonus content will be explained in greater detail later in the review.

Theme and Symbols

The theme for this game is the powerful and symbolic lotus flower. In many cultures, the lotus has a deeply cultural and religious meaning and is often held up as one of the most important spiritual symbols in the world. For example, in Buddhism, the lotus flower represents the purity of the body, speech and mind. According to the religion, the lotus floats above the murky waters of material attachment and physical desire. The flower also appears in sacred texts in the Hindu, Christian and Jain religions. This is because of the flower's ability to be germinated in silty, murky water but grow into the light as it matures, creating a powerful metaphor for finding religious enlightenment.

The background for this game is a lotus-filled pond. The pond is still and bathed in the ethereal light of the moon. At its banks are delicate bonsai trees glistening faintly with the glass-like dew settling upon their boughs. Above the serene water and textured verdant water flora is a similarly tranquil sky, without a star or cloud. The only thing to break the immense blue is the moon, enormous and spherical, glowing like a pool of fireflies amalgamated around a single point.
The playing board for this game is a wooden window with a black interior that contrasts excellently with the bright and colourful symbols.

The symbols for this game are split into low-paying, high-paying and special symbols. The low-paying symbols are the J, Q, K and A in playing card royals. The A is the most valuable, worth 3x the stake for the top combination. The more valuable symbols, on the other hand, are the duck, butterfly, and the two different princesses. The red princess is the most valuable of these, worth 7.5x the stake for the top combination. The specials for this game are the lotus wild, the tree scatter, and the moon bonus icon.

Game Play

Lotus Charm is played on a 5-reel, 3-row machine with 20 fixed pay lines. To win combinations, players must land three or more matching symbols on pay lines moving from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.

The betting range for Lotus Charm is 20p to £30 per spin. To adjust their bet levels, players can toggle their stake up and down using the tool located at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

Further information, including a short tutorial and a display of the paytable, can be found via the menu button in the right-hand corner of the screen. The spin and auto spin buttons are located in the centre of the screen.
Volatility for this slot is rated in the high range. The return to player percentage for Lotus Charm is 95.78%, which is below average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 2,000x your stake.

Features

The first feature in this game is the random wilds feature. At random points during the game, this feature will trigger, distributing a range of wilds on the board all at once to help score more wins.

The next feature in this game is the free spins feature, triggered when players land three or more of the scatter symbols on the reels simultaneously. This will result in ten free spins. You can top up your spins from within the game by landing additional scatters.

The main feature in this game, however, is the hold and win bonus. This feature is triggered when six or more bonus symbols land on the reels at the same time. When this happens, the player is taken to a new screen where they are presented with a grid of symbols. Each symbol in the grid is associated with a different prize.

The player then has the opportunity to re-spin the reels several times. During each re-spin, any symbols that are part of a winning combination are held in place. The player can continue re-spinning the reels until they either run out of re-spins or they fill the entire grid with winning symbols. If the latter happens, the player is awarded the grand prize of 2,000x the stake.

Conclusion

3 Oaks Gaming Gaming's online slot game Lotus Charm is a fun and engaging game that offers players the chance to win some decent prizes. However, the game's RTP is relatively low, and its bonus features are not as generous as those offered by other online slots, especially considering that the top payout is only 2,000x the stake.