Kicking off the day is the Thunderkick’s latest project named Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches. Jin Chan is a mythical Chinese creature that in English translates to Money Frog. This toad is said to bring fortunes and prosperity, appearing next to people's houses during a full moon. The frog of fortunes is now destined to show punters some good faith.
We believe it is fair to say that Thunderkick has been on the rise lately, with Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches slot they are looking to keep that hot streak going. There have been a lot of slots using the Chinese fortune theme, but not so many using Jin Chan especially. If you managed to take a peek at stats already, then you know that there are going to be some hot discussions up ahead.
Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches Slot Review
Game Layout: 5 Reels x 3 Rows Release date: 16th September 2020
Game Design
Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches has that authentic Chinese slot look, a very subtle design that comes with some bright colours and golden trims. The red colour is mostly the dominant one on these kinds of slots, but on Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches mix of green and blue takes a big part too. Overall, it’s a well-looking slot, so Thunderkick can surely be pleased with their work.
The same goes for Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches symbols - neat, simple, and aesthetic. There are six low symbols in total, and one of them is number 9, which quite unusual as mostly number 10 takes that place.
Generally, symbols are split into two categories, but on Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches, we also have 3 medium symbols – Heron, Koi, and Turtle. Like a King of the Hill, above all stands the Money Frog as the sole high paying symbol, the multiplier is 50x for 5 equal symbols. Another special game symbol to look out for on Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches is the Wild, which portrays a beautiful full moon over the pond.
Payout System
Here comes the debatable part of Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches, the slot payouts. Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches RTP punches way below the waistline, and we’re talking a low 94.27%. We rarely see a percentage that goes that low. It’s a more common sight for Jackpot games, but as far as we know, there are no plans to implement that, so we are stuck in a very tricky place. The contradiction to this would be the mouth-watering 10,000x payout, which will maybe make you turn the blind eye. Take into consideration that the volatility on Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches is high, which, combined with the RTP setting, can turn this slot into quite a grind fest. But nothing good comes easy, right?
Bonus Features
The money toad is generous, if he is not having a bad mood, so the Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches bonus features are the place to cash out. Three scatters do the trick, but additional ones will grant some extra spins, more precisely, the reward for 3 scatters is 8 Free Spins, 12 for 4 scatters, and 16 for 5 scatters. The scatter symbol is a golden coin, the same one that Jin Chan holds in his mouth.
The main task during Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches Free Spins is to collect scatter symbols. For every three (3) scatters that the player lands, the game grants a Wild symbol. That may seem like a tough task, but for every scatter, the player also gets an additional free spin. Also, during the bonus game, any winning combination triggers a Sticky Respin feature. During the respin, the previous winning symbols will be locked in and will stay there for as long as new wins are coming in. Now you are probably starting to get the idea, where is the Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches 10,000x max win potential coming from.
Besides all the bonus game extravaganza, there is another feature that also comes in handy during the main game. It doesn’t go by a specific name - it just involves Wild symbols. Every reel on Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches comes with a number. The first reel is 1, second reel 2, and so on. Wilds come with a multiplier, which depends on the reel, on which the symbol stays. Thereby, a successful pay line that has a wild on the third reel will come with a 3x multiplier. These Wilds then can multiply each other if they are on the same pay line.
Conclusion
Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches comes with some gratifying bonus features, that crank that max win potential to a huge 10,000x payout. It all sounds well and beautiful, but truthfully, some of the other slot stats are holding this game back, creating just a mere illusion. We’re not saying that it is actually impossible to win big on Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches, it’s just that the chance to maximize the potential is slim to none. Still, Jin Chan’s Pond of Riches is an above-average slot, that will surely smile upon a few lucky players.
