Qixi Festival - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Introduction

The beautiful Qixi Festival slot takes its theme from an ancient Chinese myth, the origins of which are said to date back to at least 2600 years ago. It's celebrated in Chinese culture every year and is the closest equivalent to Valentine’s Day in the Chinese calendar. The myth surrounds two lovers, Zhinü, a weaver girl, and Niulang, a cowherd. In the myth, they secretly married and had two children. However, Zhinü was the daughter of a goddess, and their secret marriage angered her mother. As punishment, Zhinü's mother created a silver river in the sky (the Milky Way) and placed Zhinü and Niulang on either side of it to separate them. All the magpies of the land pitied the pair, and so on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar each year, the birds would form a bridge across the river so that Zhinü and Niulang and their children could cross it and be together. The key elements of the myth are shown in the Wild and Scatter symbols of this slot, which depict black and blue magpies, and an image of the two lovers meeting. While both symbols are important in the slot, neither of them behaves in the conventional way.

How to Play

1. Before you start playing, take the time to adjust your settings. Touch the menu button and you'll see a settings icon, an Auto Play icon and a sound icon. The settings icon gives you additional menu options, including details of the winnings available on the pay table.

2. Click on the coin icon to adjust your bet. The number of win lines is set at 9, but you can adjust your bet amount using a slider, and you can adjust the sound volume as well.

3. If you prefer to use Auto Play, you can set your limits by clicking on the Auto Play icon. Choose from 10 Auto Spins to an infinite number. You can adjust your stop loss and win limits by entering the number of your choice. Then you're ready to play.

Qixi Festival Pay Table

Unlike most slots, Qixi Festival will pay from left to right and from right to left, except if you land five of a kind, in which case the win is paid in just one direction. This feature effectively increases the possible payline configurations to 17. All win amounts listed below are expressed as multiples of a line bet, while the Scatter is multiplied by the full bet. Additionally, the Wild will substitute for any paying symbol, including the Scatter, and doubles any winning combination it forms a part of.

Scatter

5 = 100x
4 = 10X
3 = 5X
1 = 1x

Niulang

5 = 5,000x
4 = 500x
3 = 100x
2 = 10x
1 = 2x

Zhinü

5 = 2,500x
4 = 250x
3 = 50x
2 = 5x

Goddess, and Child symbols

5 = 1,000x
4 = 100x
3 = 20x
2 = 3x

Niulang's flute

5 = 500x
4 = 30x
3 = 10x

Zhinü's weaving loom

5 = 300x
4 = 25x
3 = 5x

Cow and Chinese Lantern symbols

5 = 200x
4 = 20x
3 = 5x

Cherry Blossom and Love heart symbols

5 = 100x
4 = 15x
3 = 5x

Qixi Festival Graphics and Sound

The soft tones of the colours and of the Chinese-inspired sound track on Qixi Festival blend together to convey the atmosphere of an ancient bittersweet love story. It's clear that Gameplay Interactive have put a great deal of effort into creating the visual details of the game and the representations of all of the characters and objects associated with them. The lovers, Niulang and Zhinü, stand at either side of the reels in costumes that float in the wind, with the game set in front of a moonlit mountainous background. The symbols on the reels all have a hand-painted quality to them, each representing an element of the myth. Each winning line animates with its own musical motif, sending a streak of fairy dust either left or right, showing the direction of the win. Extra audio touches include the cow mooing and the child laughing over their musical motifs whenever each of their symbols contribute to a win. It's difficult not to immerse yourself in this beautifully crafted atmospheric game.

Verdict

The dreamy audio and visuals on this slot are captivating, but if you're looking for jackpots, distinct bonus games and features, you may be disappointed. That said, Qixi Festival shouldn't be dismissed. It's unusual in that its paylines run right to left as well as left to right, and the Wild will also substitute for the Scatter. The Wild also doubles any win it contributes to, which is the closest the game comes to having a multiplier feature. While the RTP and volatility of this slot are unknown, there does seem to be a generous hit rate, which, in the absence of bonus features, makes the game feel rewarding and keeps you playing. If you're interested in the mythology of the cowherd and the weaver girl but would prefer playing something a little more conventional, the Happy Magpies online slot from CQ9 Gaming, with its 243 ways to win and its free spins bonus, is an alternative to try. Alternatively, if you're looking for more slots from the same developer, take a look at some Gameplay Interactive free slots.

Disclaimer: Qixi Festival trademark / license is owned by Gameplay Interactive. This site is not endorsed by Gameplay Interactive.