Chests Of Cai Shen (Pragmatic Play) – Slot Review
Pragmatic Play’s latest release centers around Caishen, the God of Wealth, a revered figure in Chinese folk religion and Taoism. The game’s backdrop captures the serene beauty of China’s landscape, with towering mountains, tranquil waters, and vibrant vegetation. Traditional Chinese architecture is beautifully rendered, enhancing the game’s artistic appeal. The reel set is adorned with golden frames and red pillars, while colourful chests line the top of the reels.
Low-paying symbols are represented by 10 to A, while premium symbols feature thematic items, including Koi Fish. Each bonus feature transforms the game’s visual aesthetic, introducing a burst of vibrant colours and intricate artwork, adding depth to the overall experience. While the artwork is exceptionally detailed and aligns with the chosen theme, the theme itself may lack a sense of originality.
Chests Of Cai Shen has a setup of 5 reels by 3 rows, this includes 25 set pay lines. This slot is high variance with a set RTP of 96.47% and a max win capped at 10,000x. You can bet from £0.25 to £250.
Chests Of Cai Shen Symbols & Pay Table
There are 13 symbols in total, this includes 5 low paying symbols. These are represented by 10, J, Q, K and A. There are also 5 premium symbols, these are represented by Koi Fish, Cockerels, Tortoises, Toads and Cai Shen. In additon to these regular symbols is a Wild Symbol, a Bonus Coin which can be Green, Red or Purple and a Money Symbol. The highest paying symbol is the Cai Shen premium, which pays 2.6x for 5 across a pay line. Wilds subsitute for all regular symols and appears on all reels.
Chests Of Cai Shen Features & Mechanics
In the base game, three types of BONUS COIN symbols can appear on the screen:
When the GREEN BONUS COIN hits, it gets collected in the green PROSPERITY chest on top of the screen. Whenever it gets collected it can randomly trigger the CHEST RESPIN feature with a modifier that upgrades the value of up to 3 coins currently on the screen with a random amount, at the end of random respins.
When the RED BONUS COIN hits, it gets collected in the red DOUBLE chest on top of the screen. Whenever it gets collected it can randomly trigger the CHEST RESPIN feature played on two grids of 5×3 symbols.
When the PURPLE BONUS COIN hits, it gets collected in the purple LONGEVITY chest on top of the screen. Whenever it gets collected it can randomly trigger the CHEST RESPIN feature with one extra respin, up to a maximum of 4 respins, which resets every time a new MONEY symbol hits.
The collection happens at the end of the spin and if the CHEST RESPIN feature is triggered one, two or three of the modifiers are triggered randomly. The subsequent CHEST RESPIN round is played with all the modifiers that it was triggered with.
CHEST RESPIN FEATURE
The Money Symbol can appear only during the RESPIN feature. Whenever it hits, it takes a random value from a pre-defined set. Possible values are: 0.6x, 0.8x, 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 8x, 10x, 12x, 14x, 16x, 20x, 30x total bet or the bonus values of MINI (10x total bet), MINOR (20x total bet) or MAJOR (150x total bet).
When the round starts, the normal symbols fade away and only blanks and MONEY symbols are present on the reelstrips.
The round starts with the BONUS COIN symbols that were present on the screen when the feature was triggered, now transformed into MONEY symbols with the same amounts that they had in the base game. The round starts with 3 respins. All MONEY symbols that hit remain on the screen until the end of the round. Every time at least one MONEY symbol hits, the number of respins is reset to 3. The round continues until respins are finished or all positions on the screen are filled with MONEY symbols.
If the round was randomly triggered with a GREEN BONUS coin, after every respin, there is a chance that up to 3 MONEY symbols currently on the screen get their value upgraded with a random value.
If the round was randomly triggered with a RED BONUS coin, the CHEST RESPIN feature is played on two grids of 5×3 positions. Each grid starts with the BONUS COIN symbols that were present on the screen when the feature was triggered, now transformed into MONEY symbols, with the same amount that they had in the base game. If the round was randomly triggered with a PURPLE BONUS coin, the CHEST RESPIN feature starts with 4 respins istead of 3 and every MONEY symbol that hits reset the amount of respins back to 4.
The round ends when there are no more respins left or all positions on the screen are filled with MONEY symbols. If all positions are filled with MONEY symbols the GRAND (5000x total bet) is also awarded.
At the end of the round, the values of all MONEY symbols on the screen are added together and paid.
BUY CHEST RESPIN FEATURE
BUY The CHEST RESPIN round can be instantly triggered from the base game by buying it. FEAT There are two options to buy:
Pay 50x total bet to trigger the CHEST RESPIN feature with 1, 2 or 3 modifiers hitting randomly
on the triggering spin.
Pay 100x total bet to trigger the TRIPLE CHEST RESPIN feature with all 3 possible modifiers guaranteed to hit on the triggering spin.
Conclusion
While Chests of Cai Shen by Pragmatic Play delivers visually stunning artwork and a beautifully crafted environment, it ultimately falls short in terms of originality and gameplay innovation. The theme, centered around Caishen, is overused, offering nothing new or particularly engaging compared to other similar slots. The features, while functional, lack excitement, and the repetitive nature of the gameplay may leave players feeling uninspired. Be sure to try out this game on launch and check out our exclusive casino offers.
