Sword of Shoguns

Step into the world of feudal Japan with Thunderkick's online slot game, Sword of Shoguns. As swords have been a popular instrument of war for thousands of years, Thunderkick has built upon their success with their 2019 release, Sword of Khans, to create another thrilling game centred around swords. Here, we'll take a closer look at how Thunderkick has brought the Land of the Rising Sun to life through Sword of Shoguns and how it compares to its predecessor. While the games share similar set-ups, with pagoda-like structures and mountainous backgrounds, Sword of Shoguns showcases how sword use is just as effective in Japan as it was in the Mongolian empire. Let's dive into this exciting game and see what it has to offer. This game is available to play on mobile, tablet and desktop platforms.

Sword of Shoguns Overview

Sword of Shoguns, like its predecessor Sword of Khans, features a few extra bells and whistles in its gameplay. Among them is the wild and scatter symbol, represented by the sword. When three or more swords land, the game awards random amounts of 5 to 12 free spins. During free spins, a chosen pay symbol is revealed and becomes the special expanding symbol. If the chosen symbol lands on at least three reels (two if it is the Shogun), they expand to cover all positions on their reels, and a win evaluation is made. The bonus round can be retriggered, awarding 3 to 7 extra free spins and adding one other pay symbol as an expanding symbol, with up to 4 symbols as expanders at most. All features will be explained in greater detail later in the review.

Sword of Shoguns Theme and Symbols

Sword of Shoguns is a free online slot game that revolves around the theme of ancient Japan during the time of the military dictators known as shoguns. The game is a follow-up to Sword of Khans and features a traditional tera temple in the background, with snow-capped mountains and red maple trees. The game's storyline centres around the mighty sword, an ancient weapon that is carried by the strongest of warriors and awaits the next Shogun. The game challenges the player to prove themselves worthy of wielding the sword and becoming the next Shogun.

The background image in the Sword of Shoguns slot game features a serene and beautiful scene of a snowy mountain range with red maple trees in the foreground and the temple of Tera in the background. The mountains are depicted in a soft blue hue, giving the impression of a misty, tranquil atmosphere. The temple of Tera is depicted as a grand structure featuring a sloping roof with intricate wooden carvings. The overall aesthetic of the background image is one of peacefulness and natural beauty, providing a stark contrast to the action-packed gameplay of the slot. The playing board for this game is a pagoda temple.

The symbols are split into low-paying, high-paying and special symbols. The low-paying symbols are the 9, 10, J, Q, K and A in playing card royals. The most valuable of these is the A paying out at 1.3x the stake for the top combination. The high-paying symbols in this game are the sword, fan, armour, helmet and Shogun. The Shogun is the most valuable icon, worth 5x the bet for the top combination. The specials for this game comprise just the samurai sword, which fulfils the functions of both scatter and wild.

Game Play

Sword of Shoguns is played on a 6-reel matrix, with each row having between two and seven icons falling into it with every spin (like a Megaways game). This means the pay lines vary with every spin, too, with the maximum available sitting at 5,040. 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 Sword of Shoguns is 10p to £100 per spin. To adjust their bet levels, players can toggle their stakes 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 Sword of Shoguns is 96.15%, which is above average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 25,200x the stake.

Sword of Shoguns Features

Sword of Shoguns offers two bonus features that focus on the Bonus Game feature. To trigger the feature, you need to land three Samurai Sword Wild/Scatter symbols anywhere during a base game spin. The Bonus Game feature consists of free spins with an Expanding Symbol. A random paying symbol is selected to act as the Expanding Symbol for the whole feature, expanding to take over the whole reel when appearing on at least 3 reels. Expanding Symbols pay Scatter style, meaning they will appear in any position, leading to a maximum payout of up to 25,200 x bet if you land a screen full of Shogun symbols.

The feature can be retriggered by landing three Samurai Sword Wild/Scatter symbols, which award 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 extra free spins and an extra Expanding symbol. Retriggers could lead to up to 4 Expanding Symbols and lots of additional free spins. Players outside the UK can opt for the Buy feature, which allows you to buy your way into the Bonus Game feature for 120 x your total bet and increases the RTP to 96.4%.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Sword of Shoguns has some drawbacks, including its lack of originality compared to other games, but it still manages to entertain fans of expanding pay symbol action. The game's Megaways-inspired set-up creates more ways to win, and the expanding symbol adds excitement to the ride. Lucky players can achieve the game's maximum 25,200x bet win, which is larger than normal and should entice players looking for bigger potential. Overall, Sword of Shoguns may not be entirely unique, but it still offers an enjoyable gaming experience for those who appreciate this type of game. Check one of our most played slot game Madame Destiny Megaways.