Bushido Gold Slot Review

Bushido, the samurai code of conduct, covered everything from how to fight to how to die. Loyalty, honor, discipline, and the expectation that a warrior 🥷 would choose death over dishonor. It was, by any modern standard, an extremely high-maintenance lifestyle.

Then the Portuguese showed up in 1543 with firearms, and the whole thing got complicated. The samurai code 📜 had a lot to say about facing your enemy with courage and honor.

It had considerably less to say about what to do when your enemy is standing 300 yards away, loading a musket. 🤷🏻 Turns out discipline only takes you so far.

Let’s get into Bushido Gold slot from ELK Studios.

Gameplay

Dark stormy skies, red torii gates, and a cinematic atmosphere set the stage here. The action unfolds on a 6-reel, 4-row grid with 4,096 ways to win, and can expand upward to 8 rows during gameplay.

Symbols come in four sizes: standard 1x1, super 2x2, mega 3x3, and epic 4x4. A big symbol is valued by how many 1x1 positions it covers, so a 2x2 super counts as four symbols. Empty spaces below big symbols are filled automatically with 1x1 versions of the same type.

The top-paying symbols are a lone Ronin warrior, followed by three Samurai (Purple, Green, and Blue. A Red Fox, Purple Crane, Green Lizard, and Blue Koi Fish (both 0.80x), plus the classic card royals A, K, Q, J, take care of the rest.

As always with ELK games, you’ll find the X-iter button on the left, gatekeeping the Buy Bonus options. CascadeOtherwise known as a Tumble, Avalanche, or whatever a studio sees fit to name it. The idea is the same, though; winning symbols get removed, and new ones take their place. This action could result in additional wins, in which case the action continues. mechanics are also used.

These are the game stats: 4,096 ways to win, a 94% RTPRTP stands for “Return to Player.” The RTP describes the total bet amount that a game returns to players over millions of spins, and that figure is represented by a percentage. Table games, such as Roulette, typically have higher RTPs than many slots.

RTP needs to be considered in conjunction with a game’s volatility rate., medium/high volatility, a 25,000x max multiplier, and a $150,000 max win. Only fiat currency is accepted.

Features

EXPLODING WILDS

Wilds substitute for any paying symbol and pay as the highest symbol when a combo is made of only Wilds. When a Wild contributes to a win, or when the round ends, it explodes, removing adjacent payout symbols and activating any adjacent feature symbols.

Each explosion also adds a new row to the next symbol drop, up to a maximum of 8 rows. Big symbols are not affected by Wild explosions.

SLICE FEATURE

When identical symbols land on reels 1 and 6 on the same row, the Slice feature is triggered. It cuts payout symbols, Bonus symbols, and Wilds in that row into two halves, each half treated as a standard 1x1 symbol.

Ninja and Cannon symbols can't be sliced; instead, they activate. Big symbols are split into 1x1 before the Slice applies. A sliced symbol cannot be sliced again.

NINJA

The Ninja is a blocker that sits on the grid until it’s activated. Only one Ninja can appear on the grid at a time. When activated (by the Slice feature, a Cannon, or an exploding Wild), it releases 2 to 10 throwing stars that hit random symbols.

Payout symbols hit by a star convert into Wilds; feature symbols hit by a star become activated. Stars can't land on existing Wilds or already-activated feature symbols. The Ninja always appears in every Ninja Drop during the Bonus Game.

CANNONS

The Cannon is a blocker until activated by the Slice feature, another Cannon, an exploding Wild, or a Ninja throwing star. When triggered, it shoots a pillar of Wilds straight upward, expanding the grid by one row if below 8 rows, then converts into a Wild itself.

The Big Cannon is a 2x2 version that shoots a 2-symbol wide pillar of Wilds. The Golden Cannon is the most powerful variety, always firing the highest possible pillar of Wilds and pushing the grid to the full 8-row maximum.

NINJA DROPS BONUS GAME

Landing 3 or more Bonus symbols triggers the Ninja Drops Bonus Game. 3 Bonus symbols award 6 Ninja Drops; each additional Bonus symbol adds 2 more. All base game mechanics remain active throughout. The Ninja symbol always appears on the grid in every single drop.

The Bonus Game has a Safety level feature, which is a floor that advances one row higher for every Ninja Drop that results in a win. Every new drop starts from the current Safety level, meaning a good run of wins locks in progress and stops the grid from starting from scratch.

X-ITER (BUY BONUS)

There are multiple options available via the X-iter feature:

• Bonus Hunt (2.5x) - Play with more than 3x higher chance of triggering the Bonus Game
• Mega Hunt (5x) - Play with more than 6x higher chance of triggering the Bonus Game
• Max Rows and Slice (25x) - Start with 8 rows, and a Slice feature in the first drop
• Bonus (100x) - Triggers the Bonus Game on your next spin
• Super Bonus (500x) - Triggers Free Spins with 8 rows guaranteed in every Ninja Drop

Performance

I didn’t experience any issues while testing the game.

Max Win

Players can bet anywhere from $0.20 to $6.00. When you hit the 25,000x max multiplier on a $6 bet, the $150,000 max win is yours to keep.

Conclusion

This game moves fast once the features start talking to each other. A Ninja throwing star hits a Cannon, the Cannon triggers Wilds, the Wilds explode and activate something else, and suddenly the grid is two rows taller than it started. Each piece triggers the next.

It can be a challenge to keep up with what's happening in real time, but the payout screen at the end does the math for you.

The Slice feature is the quiet MVP. Most players focus on the Ninja and the Cannons, and rightly so, but the Slice is the thing that wakes them up. Two identical symbols on opposite ends of the same row, and everything in between gets cut or activated.

In a 6-reel grid, that happens more than you'd expect, and it's usually what starts the whole chain.

Unsurprisingly, the Bonus Game is where you want to be. 6 Ninja Drops with a Ninja guaranteed on every single one, all base mechanics still live, and a Safety level floor that locks in progress as wins stack, it builds.

The Super Bonus at 500x is expensive, but it's the version of this feature where the grid never drops below 8 rows. For a game that scales so heavily with row count, that's what most players are actually chasing.

The X-iter ladder gives players proper control over their risk level. Bonus Hunt at 2.5x is sensible for anyone who wants more feature frequency on a budget.

Max Rows and Slice at 25x is worth considering for anyone who wants to skip the base game's quieter patches without committing to a full bonus buy. The 100x Bonus is the clean option for players who just want to be in the feature and see what the mechanics can do.

Slot Details

Game Provider: ELK Studios
Game Type: Video Slots
PaylinesPaylines are preset lines that run across the reels, and when you land matching symbols on them, that will result in a payout. The more paylines, the more ways you can win, but also the higher your bet per spin.: 4,096
RTPRTP stands for “Return to Player.” The RTP describes the total bet amount that a game returns to players over millions of spins, and that figure is represented by a percentage. Table games, such as Roulette, typically have higher RTPs than many slots.

RTP needs to be considered in conjunction with a game’s volatility rate.: 94%
Volatility RateSlot games can have low, medium, high, or extremely high volatility rates (or a combination thereof).

The less volatile the game, the more often it should pay out, but the lower the amount, the less the payout, as this is in keeping with the risk you’re taking. Volatility rate should be considered in conjunction with a game’s RTP.: Medium/High
Bonus Round: Yes
Progressive: No
Free Rounds: Re-spins
Max Multiplier: 25,000x
Max Win: $150,000
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