WUKONG Shadowbound Slot Review
The Monkey King is one of those characters who's had more comebacks than a washed-up rock band.
First appearing in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, Sun Wukong has been reimagined so many times that he's basically the Marvel Cinematic Universe of ancient literature.đ”
He's been in video games, anime, movies, and now apparently slots â because nothing says "legendary immortal warrior" like chasing multipliers on a 5x3 grid.đ°
The whole Monkey King mythology is peak power fantasy: immortality, shapeshifting, a magic staff that can grow to any size (make of that what you will), and the ability to summon clones of himself. Basically, he's the guy who shows up to a boss fight already at level 99.đȘ
This is WUKONG Shadowbound slot from Skywind.
Gameplay
This is a high-volatility 5-reel, 3-row game with 20 paylines that pay left to right.
The Elixirs of Life meter is displayed above the reels. The game starts with 12 Green Elixir symbols in the meter. One Elixir equals one game or one life. A Green Elixir is removed from the meter each spin during the base game.
Each Green Elixir symbol that lands on the reels refills one position on the meter, up to a maximum of 12. But more on this in a minute.
The high-paying symbols are a Gold Circlet (25x for five of a kind), an Axe Scroll (15x), and a Mirror (10x). Medium-paying symbols are a Trident (5x), a Fire symbol (4x), and a Water symbol (3x).
The Wild is Wukong himself, appearing as a full-reel symbol. The Wild substitutes for all symbols except Green Elixir and Soul Stones (Red and Purple).
Wilds appear from the Pick Spin feature during the base game and in the Red Soul Stone and Red Super Soul Stone features.
Wild Reels can appear with multipliers (2x, 3x, 5x, 10x) from the Pick Spin feature during the base game and in the Purple Soul Stone and Purple Super Soul Stone features.
The Green Elixir symbol appears on any reel during the base game and from the Pick Spin feature. Each Green Elixir that lands refills one position on the Elixirs of Life meter, up to a maximum of 12.
Red Soul Stone and Purple Soul Stone symbols appear on any reel during the base game, from the Pick Spin feature, and in their respective Soul Stone features. Collecting 3 of either type during the base game triggers the corresponding Soul Stone feature.
This game accepts all currencies except Australian dollars and Bitcoin Cash. You can bet as low as $0.20 and as high as $20. There's a 5,000x max multiplier that can lead to this game's $100,000 max win. The RTPRTP stands for âReturn to Player.â 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 gameâs volatility rate. is 96.5%.
Features
PICK SPIN FEATURE:
The Pick Spin feature can be randomly triggered during any base game spin. The Pick Spin is activated before the reels stop. You pick one of 4 coins or press spin for a random coin choice.
The coin reveals one of the following options:
- Wild Reels: Awards between 1 and 5 Wild Reel symbols.
- Wild Multiplier Reels: Awards between 1 and 5 Wild Reel symbols with a 2x, 3x, 5x, or 10x multiplier.
- Cash Prize: Awards cash prize of 10x, 25x, 50x, 100x, 250x, 1,000x, or 15,000x base bet.
- Red Soul Stone: Adds one Red Soul Stone to the Red Soul Stone meter.
- Purple Soul Stone: Adds one Purple Soul Stone to the Purple Soul Stone meter.
- Green Elixir: Fully refills the Elixirs of Life meter.
The reel spin completes upon completion of the Pick Spin feature.
ELIXIRS OF LIFE:
When the Elixirs of Life meter is empty, any collected Red and Purple Soul Stones are reset. The Elixirs of Life meter is fully refilled once all 12 are used, when revealed in the Pick Spin feature, or when the Red or Purple Soul Stone feature is triggered.
The Elixirs of Life meter state is saved at each bet level. The Elixirs of Life feature is available only during the base game.
SOUL STONES:
There are two collectable Soul Stones during the base game: the Red Soul Stone and the Purple Soul Stone. Two meters are displayed at the top of the screen: the Red Soul Stone meter on the left and the Purple Soul Stone meter on the right.
Collect 3 Red or Purple Soul Stones during the base game to trigger respective Red or Purple Soul Stone features.
Both Red and Purple Soul Stone meters reset if all 12 Green Elixirs are used, or if Red Soul Stone or Purple Soul Stone features are triggered.
Red Soul Stone meter resets if no Red Soul Stones land during the Red Battle Game. Purple Soul Stone meter resets if no Purple Soul Stones land during the Purple Battle Game.
The Red and Purple Soul Stone meter state is saved at each bet level.
BATTLE GAMES:
There are 2 types of Battle Games: Red Battle Game and Purple Battle Game. Red or Purple Battle Game can be randomly triggered during any base game spin.
Red or Purple Battle Game state can be determined by their backlighting, inner reel highlight, and the replacement of all reelstrip Green Elixirs with their respective Soul Stones.
During the Red Battle Game, any landed Red Soul Stone is added to the Red Soul Stone meter up to a maximum of 3. If no Red Soul Stone lands, the Red Soul Stone meter resets.
During the Purple Battle Game, any landed Purple Soul Stone is added to the Purple Soul Stone meter up to a maximum of 3. If no Purple Soul Stone lands, the Purple Soul Stone meter resets.
RED SOUL STONE FEATURE:
Filling the Red Soul Stone meter with 3 Red Soul Stones during the base game awards the Red Soul Stone feature with 8 Free Spins.
During the Red Soul Stone feature, each Free Spin is awarded between 1 and 5 Wild Reel symbols. All Soul Stones appearing on the reels are red.
RED SUPER SOUL STONE FEATURE:
Collecting 5 Red Soul Stones during the Red Soul Stone feature awards a Red Super Soul Stone feature with 5 Free Spins.
The Red Super Soul Stone feature will trigger at the end of the Red Soul Stone feature. 5 awarded Free Spins will be added to the Free Spins played in the Red Soul Stone feature.
During each Free Spin, 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 Wild Reels can be randomly added to any reel before and in addition to the distribution of between 1 and 5 Wild Reel symbols.
Wild Reel symbols that land on a Wild Reel will override that Wild. Overridden Wild Reels will not participate in the winning combination.
All Soul Stones appearing on the reels are red. Red Super Soul Stone feature cannot be retriggered.
PURPLE SOUL STONE FEATURE:
Filling the Purple Soul Stone meter with 3 Purple Soul Stones during the base game awards the Purple Soul Stone feature with 8 Free Spins.
During the Purple Soul Stone feature, each Free Spin is awarded between 1 and 5 Wild Reel symbols, each displaying a multiplier of 2x, 3x, 5x, or 10x.
The Multiplier is applied to the winning combination it is attached to. Coinciding multipliers are added together.
All Soul Stones appearing on the reels are purple.
PURPLE SUPER SOUL STONE FEATURE:
Collecting 5 Purple Soul Stones during the Purple Soul Stone feature awards the Purple Super Soul Stone feature with 5 Free Spins.
The Purple Super Soul Stone feature will start at the end of the Purple Soul Stone feature. 5 awarded Free Spins will be added to the Free Spins played in the Purple Soul Stone feature.
During each Free Spin, 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 Wild Reels with a multiplier of 2x, 3x, 5x, or 10x can be randomly added to the reels before and in addition to the distribution of between 1 and 5 Wild Reel symbols.
Wild Reel symbols with a multiplier that land on a Wild Reel with a multiplier will override that Wild. Overridden Wild Reels with a multiplier will not participate in the winning combination.
All Soul Stones appearing on the reels are purple. Purple Super Soul Stone feature cannot be retriggered.
BUY BONUS:
There are 4 payment options to choose from:
- Buy Bonus Red Soul Stone option: 75x your base bet for guaranteed Red Soul Stone feature with 8 Free Spins.
- Buy Bonus Purple Soul Stone option: 300x your base bet for guaranteed Purple Soul Stone feature with 8 Free Spins.
- Buy Bonus Red Super Soul Stone option: 350x your base bet for guaranteed Red Super Soul Stone feature with 5 Free Spins.
- Buy Bonus Purple Super Soul Stone option: 2,500x your base bet for guaranteed Purple Super Soul Stone feature with 5 Free Spins.
The Buy Bonus feature does not affect Red and Purple Soul Stones meters or the Elixirs of Life meter.
Performance
The WUKONG Shadowbound slot is undoubtedly a great-looking game. If you're on your phone, the game works in landscape and portrait mode.
Maximum Win
This game can payout a $100,000 max win if you can hit the game's 5,000x max multiplier while spinning with the highest bet. The betting starts at $0.20 and tops out at $20 per spin.
Conclusion
The money comes from Wild Reel multipliers stacking during Purple Soul Stone and Purple Super Soul Stone features, where multipliers add together before being applied to winning combinations.
The most important mechanic during the Purple Super Soul Stone feature is the Wild Reel distribution system: Wild Reels can be randomly added to the reels in multiples of 1 to 9 before the standard distribution of 1 to 5 Wild Reels.
This means a single spin can place up to 14 Wild Reels across the 5x3 grid, with multiple multipliers accumulating on winning paylines.
The Elixirs of Life meter is a hidden bankroll killer. You start with 12 lives, lose one per spin, and Green Elixir symbols must land to refill the meter. When the meter empties, both Soul Stone progress meters reset, wiping out any collected Red or Purple stones.
The meter resets your grind to zero if you don't land enough Green Elixirs or trigger a Soul Stone feature before running out of lives.
Red Soul Stone features are the weakest path. Purple Soul Stone features are the actual money-making engine: 8 Free Spins with 1-5 multiplied Wild Reels per spin, where coinciding multipliers add together.
The Wild override rule kills potential: if a Wild Reel lands on a position already occupied by a randomly placed Wild Reel, the original Wild is overridden and doesn't participate in wins.
This means the game can place 9 random Wild Reels, then place a standard Wild Reel on top of one of them, effectively removing a Wild from the grid.
The Pick Spin feature is purely a matter of luck. You choose a coin (or let the game choose) and get one of six outcomes. The 15,000x Cash Prize outcome is the only way to hit a meaningful instant win from Pick Spin, but frequency is not supplied.
Buy Bonus costs are extreme.
The high volatility, combined with the Elixirs of Life reset mechanic, means you're constantly under pressure to trigger features before the meter empties and wipes your progress.
The max win is decent but not exceptional for a high volatility game. The path to max win requires Purple Super Soul Stone feature with maximum Wild Reel coverage hitting the top symbol across multiple paylines simultaneously.
WUKONG Shadowbound slot suits high-risk players who can afford $10-$20 spins and are comfortable grinding through Elixirs of Life cycles while chasing Purple Soul Stone features.
The Buy Bonus Purple Super option at 2,500x bet is only viable if you're already near the $100,000 max win ceiling and want to force one final attempt.
Slot Details
Game Provider: Skywind
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.: 20
RTPRTP stands for âReturn to Player.â 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 gameâs volatility rate.: 96.5%
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 youâre taking. Volatility rate should be considered in conjunction with a gameâs RTP.: High
Bonus Round: Yes
Progressive: No
Free Rounds: Free Spins
Max Multiplier: 5,000x
Max Win: $100,000
Published by
BitStarz, award-winning Bitcoin Casino