Sakura Fortune 2

Sakura Fortune 2 Overview

Created by Quickspin, this new Japanese-inspired game is the exciting sequel to Sakura Fortune, released back in 2017. The original slot was quite successful, with its cherry blossom aesthetic and interesting feature list. This next instalment in the series looks to improve on what was good about the first game and impress with a higher quality look and a board with a lot more pay lines. The top win for this game is also much higher than its predecessor. However, Sakura Fortune 2 does come with a more volatile math model, so things are a little more difficult to predict.

The features for this game start with the Sakura wild feature. Sakura, the female main character for this game, is the wild symbol. She can appear on reels 2, 3 and 4. When two or more of these wilds land partially in view, they will sometimes nudge to cover the whole reel. When a wild covers the entire reel, a re-spin is awarded with the wild frozen in place. The next feature here is the free spins game triggered by landing three or more sword scatters on the middle reels. The more scatters that you land, the better your free spins round is. Finally, this game also has a bonus buy option.

Theme and Symbols

The theme for this game is a Japanese theme with a special focus on Hanami. Hanami is the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers, specifically the cherry blossoms that appear in the springtime. This emphasis is mixed with a Samurai aesthetic for a compelling Japanese theme that is incredibly colourful and beautiful. The game's name and the main character– Sakura, even means cherry blossom in Japanese. The theme is a pleasant one that has a calming effect on the player and, thanks to its execution, gives the whole game a feeling of quality.

The background for this game is a traditional Japanese ornamental garden. The scene's centre is dominated by a large pagoda from which radiate various plots of flowers and trees. However, the dominating visual here is the many cherry blossom trees in full bloom. The game clearly takes place in spring, with radiant sunshine pouring onto the board as the light yet the powerful pink colour of the trees enchants players. The details of each tree, including the shadows that they cast, is quite astonishing, far outstripping the usual aesthetic standard for a slot game.

The playing board is an irregular wooden framed construction that fits perfectly with its traditional Japanese surroundings.
The symbols for this game are split into low-paying, high-paying and special symbols. The low-paying symbols are the four coins that show up on the reels. These start with the jade coin worth 0.45x the stake for the top combination. This coin is joined by bronze, silver and gold coins. The gold coin is the most valuable, paying out at 0.8x the stake for the top combination. On the other hand, the higher value symbols are the fish statue, the buddha statue, the male Samurai, the female Samurai, and finally, the older man Samurai. The mature Samurai is the most valuable, worth 6x the stake for the top combination. The specials for this game are the Sakura wild, and the samurai sword scatter.

Game Play

Sakura Fortune 2 is played on a 3-4-4-4-3 machine with 576 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 Sakura Fortune 2 is 20p to £100 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 Sakura Fortune 2 is 96.03% which is just above average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 19,664x your stake.

Features

The first feature included in this game is the Sakura wild feature. These extended wilds can appear on the middle three reels. When one or more of these land partially in view, they may nudge to cover the entire reel. Every Sakura wild that covers an entire reel will trigger a re-spin. When this happens, all of the symbols apart from the wild spin again to find another win from the same spin.
The next feature here is the Fortune Free spins. To trigger this feature, players must land three or more of the scatter symbols on the reels simultaneously. However, if you land three in the middle reels, these will be frozen, and the other reels will spin one more time to see if you can improve upon your free spins. The more scatters you land, the better the free spin round you enter. These are explained below:
Three sword scatters award 9 Fortune Free Spins.
Four sword scatters award 10 Fortune Free Spins with one locked Sakura Wild.
Five sword scatters award 11 Fortune Free Spins with two locked Sakura Wild.
When the Sakura wild lands within the free spins round, it will always nudge to take over the reel. When a wild takes over a reel, it will then lock in place for the duration of the feature. Having three Sakura wilds locked on the reels also multiplies all winning by 3x.
Finally, the bonus buy feature allows players to buy their way into the free spins game. However, this option is not always available depending on the market you are playing it in.

Conclusion

The Sakura game clearly meant a lot to Quickspin and their fans, as they have tried very hard to impress with its sequel. Sakura Fortune 2 looks great, sounds great and plays well. The volatility might be a little higher, but so is the max win, the number of pay lines, and the game's general quality. This is quite the masterpiece and will probably be a smash hit.