Maneki Neko - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Introduction

This is a classic 5 reel, 50 payline slot where the objective is to land identical symbols on a payline to be awarded a payout. To boost your bankroll there are wilds and scatter symbols delivering well balanced gameplay. You can’t miss the Maneki Neko wild.

The lucky cat of the game’s title will replace any symbol except the golden bull scatter. The scatter can unlock up to 25 free spins with doubled wins and pays a one-off prize of up to 500x your stake.

There are 12 paytable symbols in play including the 2 special symbols and 9-A royals. The highest paying of these awards 1,000x for 5 of a kind.

Super easy to pick up and get started, Maneki Neko is a well put together game that will reward a few demo mode spins thanks to the high paying symbols on offer.

Mobile players will enjoy playing this browser based game on mobile and tablet.

Theme, Graphics & Soundtrack

Maneki Neko is the Japanese lucky cat who is a good luck charm for happiness and good fortune in business.

The legend of the Beckoning Cat involves a Samurai warrior visiting a temple where a poor priest struggles to look after himself and his cat. Despite being too poor to feed himself, the priest always made sure the cat was well fed.

Seeking shelter under a tree the warrior saw the priest’s cat beckoning to him. As the Samurai approached, the tree where he was sheltering was struck by lightning and crashed to the ground.

The grateful and wealthy Samurai was happy to endow the temple with funds and the priest and his cat never went hungry again.

The design here is typical of a plethora of other Asian good fortune themed slots with symbols including koi carp, cranes and golden guardian lions. It’s all well done and nicely detailed but nothing you won’t have seen before.

As befits a standard casino game and betraying its land based origins, this Zitro Games slots offering has no soundtrack just casino thuds and jingles.

RTP & Volatility

This low-medium variance slot will appeal to casual players who prefer a longer session time and fewer risks. The theoretical RTP is 95%.

How to play Maneki Neko

Before you play Maneki Neko, set a session budget that protects your bankroll and lets you play responsibly.

The user interface here is the standard set of game controls below the reels.

1. Click on the Question Mark in the bottom left-hand corner to access the paytable and other useful game information.

2. Click the + above the spin button to opt for 10 to 500 autospins.

3. Use the arrows to set a Denomination and Bet Level that you’re comfortable with.

4. Press the blue spin button to play.

Min & Max Bets + Top Wins

You’ll find that the total bet mechanism is quite straightforward with options that will suit a wide cross section of players.

Your total bet will depend on denomination of 0.5-0.50 and bet level between 50-10,000 played across 50 fixed paylines. These parameters can be quickly adjusted using the game controls. Minimum bet is 2.50 while max bet players are looking at a highest bet of 5,000 coins. The highest win in the base game is 1,000x your stake but volatility ramps up when it comes to landing the highest 5 of a kind wins and free spins.

The biggest base game symbol wins are as follows:

- Golden lion pays 1,000x
- Elephant pays 500x
- Koi carp pays 250x
- Crane pays 250x
- A & K pays 150x
- 9-Q pays 100x

Max-win 1,000x

Volatility Low

Top RTP 90.28%

Bonus Features

Wild Symbol

The lucky cat symbol can land on any reel and substitute for any symbols except the scatter.

Free Spins Feature

The scatter symbols pays out 1x, 5x, 10x or 500x your total bet for 2, 3, 4 or 5 symbols anywhere on the reels. 3 or more scatter symbols triggers the free spins round bonus as follows:

- 3 scatters triggers 10 free games
- 4 scatters triggers 15 free games
- 5 scatters triggers 25 free games

All payline wins are doubled with a 2x multiplier.

Land 3, 4 or 5 additional scatters to trigger an additional 10, 15 or 25 free spins.

Overall Review: Our Verdict

If you like demo mode slots this one offers a frustrating but sometimes rewarding experience. The initial credits on offer are incredibly low making it difficult to explore all the game features.

There’s nothing that really marks this slot out from thousands of others except the 2x multiplier and the generous number of free spins if your luck holds and you land them.

Otherwise this is standard, well balanced fare with some beautiful graphics that should suit casual and new players.

For a similar theme with more features try Red Tiger Gaming’s Lucky Fortune slot.

Disclaimer: Maneki Neko trademark / license is owned by Zitro Games. This site is not endorsed by Zitro Games.