Sky Lantern Demo Slot - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Sky Lantern game theme

Away from the reels, sky lanterns are also known as Chinese lanterns or Kongming lanterns. A small paper balloon, a sky lantern has a hole in the bottom that enables a fire to burn and lift it into the sky like a miniature hot air balloon. Sky lanterns have been a popular feature of Chinese holidays for centuries and they may also have had a use as a military signal. You can also find them in other countries, mostly in Asia but also around the globe. Sky lanterns are not as popular in the modern world as they used to be, possibly as a result of the associated health and safety hazards such as causing fires or harming wildlife; therefore, experiencing them in a slot may be the best way to enjoy them.

Graphics & sound in Sky Lantern

The graphics and sound for this slot are in line with what you would expect from CQ9 Gaming Online Slots. They are not overcomplicated but still manage to include an immersive amount of detail, which holds true from the Chinese buildings in the background to the Chinese-themed symbols on the reels. Even the music has an East Asian feel. Sky lanterns drift in the background to constantly remind you of the theme; however, the theme on the reels is slightly overwhelmed by the plainer card symbols.

How to play Sky Lantern

There is a fairly intuitive layout to Sky Lantern that enables you to easily manage the basics of bet adjustment and playing. You have displays for credits, total win and total bet, and a bet adjustor either side of the large and unmistakable spin button. Slightly less obvious is the small arrow attached to the side of the spin button that changes the bet adjuster into the autoplay and turbo controls. For more information or to mute the volume, open the settings menu to the bottom left of the screen.

As for the play itself, you hit spin and the reels turn. If you match three or more symbols from left to right across a payline - there are 50 of these in total - you win. There is a wild symbol that is handily labelled that can substitute for any symbol but the scatter. The scatter pays from anywhere on the reels and can be used to trigger free spins.

Sky Lantern bet & win sizes

If you look to the bottom right of the reels, you will see your total bet. You can adjust this with the plus and minus signs above and below the spin button. With a range of 0.5 to 1,250, you have plenty of options. Changing your total bet will also change the bet level at the bottom of the screen, with amounts ranging from 1x to 2,500x. With your bet sorted, the only numbers you need to worry about are your potential wins.

It is not unusual for a slot to pad out its themed symbols with some card symbols to fill a few more spaces; however, it does seem a bit out of proportion to only have three themed symbols compared with six cards. These start at nine, with the nine, ten and jack all having the same value - 15 for three matches, 25 for four, and 40 for five. The queen, king and ace also share the same values - 20, 30 and 80.

Next are the fireworks and the drum, both of which give you 25, 50 and 100. At the top of the table are the Chinese characters, which go from 30 to 100 to 300 for the maximum five matches. This is not the most exciting or variable paytable, but there are chances for some good wins.

Bonus features & free spins in Sky Lantern

The free spins are nice and simple to trigger - all you need to do is hit three or more scatters. Three scatters means 12 free spins, four means 18 free spins, and five is worth an impressive 25 free spins. You can even re-trigger this bonus for up to 100 free spins in a row.

The lantern of the title really comes into play with its contribution to the bonus feature. Lanterns only appear on the second and fourth reels during the random wilds feature and, just like their real-world counterparts, they immediately float to the top. Rather than just burning prettily, they will turn into a wild.

That’s not all. Combine a lantern with a game logo during the free spins and you will trigger expanding wilds that spread to the spaces around the initial symbol. This will dramatically increase your chances of completing a winning line.

RTP & volatility in Sky Lantern

CQ9 has only recently started expanding its slots into western markets; as a result, official information in English is still a bit thin on the ground. This includes a lack of detail regarding important stats such as the RTP and volatility. You will have to play to get a feel for the likely returns.

Sky Lantern overall review

The themes may vary but CQ9 slots have a fairly reliable feel. They are not ground-breaking but look good and have enough extra features to stay fun, with Sky Lantern no exception. Other slots may have more bonuses and variation, but this one could offer you some steady and uncomplicated enjoyment for a few hours. It is certainly worth giving a try.

Disclaimer: Sky Lantern trademark / license is owned by CQ9 Gaming. This site is not endorsed by CQ9 Gaming.