Emperor Panda - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Introduction

A traditional slot often has a 5x3 layout, and at first glance, RTG’s Emperor Panda is one of them. It’s true that the 50 paylines are consistent, but the grid can expand to as much as 8x4 in one of several exciting features, during which you can also collect extra prizes. Don’t forget the free games, either!

Theme, Graphics & Soundtrack

The giant panda is one of the most recognisable and beloved animals in the world. Just look at that fluffy fur with its iconic black and white pattern, which has appeared in games like the Panda King slot. And with giant pandas come other associations, including Asian jungles and bamboo. And Emperor Panda is not set in the trees, but amongst the bamboo’s green shoots. They grow among the stones of the emperor’s palace and stretch into the misty depths of the forest. Brown bamboo shapes have even been shaped into the familiar letters of the card symbols, which float on transparent reels so this Asian landscape can be appreciated even more. You’ll also find some other popular local animals, including a red panda and a tiger. The music is Chinese in tone, and you may hear the odd jungle noise to draw you further into this world.

Emperor Panda RTP and Variance

In a perfect world, every slot would have official RTP and variance figures to help players set expectations and make informed decisions. Sometimes, slots only have some of that information, but it’s generally more likely to be the RTP. Emperor Panda is a little unusual in that we know it’s medium variance (and therefore balances size and frequency of wins), but the RTP is a mystery. The only way to get a feel for likely returns is to try it as one of our free play slots so you can test it out without risking real money.

How to Play Emperor Panda

Are you ready to pay tribute?

1. Most of the buttons are under the reels. You may want to start on the right, where there’s a link to the menu. Options include home, info (including paytable), settings and history.
2. In the settings, you’ll find separate buttons to mute both sound effects and music, so you can have one without the other. You could also choose to activate spacebar to spin or follow a link to the game tutorials linked to the paytable.
3. Other settings can be found back under the reels, including the lightning bolt for turbo mode.
4. The leftmost control is the bet adjustor, which uses plus and minus symbols. Alternatively, the button that looks like a stack of coins is the max bet button. It will send you straight to the highest possible level without having to click through.
5. In addition to buttons, there are numerical displays. These include your current bet, balance and most recent win. If you want to keep your game under control, which is essential to keeping it fun, you’ll need to be aware of all these figures and adjust your gameplay accordingly.
6. There is an autoplay button, but it’s limited. You can pick a number of spins between 5 and indefinite, and you can stop on triggering a feature, but there’s no way to include your loss and single win limits to make sure your game stays sensible.
7. You can still go with regular spins, even if it takes a little longer. Watch the reels turn and hope you get lucky. It’s also a good idea to take regular session breaks.

Always play responsibly.

Bet & Win Sizes

A trip through the bet adjustor will take your bet per line from 0.04 to 4.00. That means a total bet of between 2.00 and 200.00, which is not bad.

If you’ve played any RTG free play slots before, or indeed slots by any developer, you probably know what you need to do next. Match 3 or more symbols (or just 2 tigers) across a payline. It’s 5 matches that nets you the biggest scores:

9 - 50

J, Q - 60

K, A - 80

Bird, Monkey - 150

Red panda - 250

Tiger - 800 

Scatter - 100 

Emperor Panda Bonus Features

Jackpot Emerald Feature

If you’re lucky enough to find 6 emeralds, they’ll stick in place whilst you’re awarded 3 re-spins. Every time a new emerald lands in the four corners, the reel grid will expand from 5x3 to 6x3 to 6x4 to 8x4. If you reach the maximum grid, more corner emeralds will mean more re-spins instead. At the end of the round, every emerald held in place will give you its own prize (up to 50x your bet). There are also mini, minor, major and grand prizes available.

Free Games

This feature is triggered by 3 or more golden paw symbols. You’ll be awarded 6 free games, during which pandas, emeralds and more golden paws will appear with increased frequency on your reels.

Emperor Panda Review

Emperor Panda does look good, and it has smooth, easy-to-follow gameplay that is nevertheless full of thrills and features. Of particular excitement is any time you manage to expand the reels during the Jackpot Emerald feature, although it can be tricky getting all the way. It’s not just visually enthralling; it means more chances to win.

Disclaimer: Emperor Panda trademark / license is owned by Real Time Gaming. This site is not endorsed by Real Time Gaming.