The design in Shogun of Time combines elements of the old with the new. The backdrop is like a Japanese version of the transporter room in Star Trek where our Shogun hero is ready to beam to a new time zone. There’s a more traditional feel to the symbols on the reels. Joining the neon royal values are coins, fans, a warrior’s chest plate and a helmet and face mask.
The Shogun of Time logo is the best paying symbol, awarding 1.5, 5 or 12 times your stake if you land 3, 4 or 5 on adjacent reels. Those same amounts are on offer from the time travelling Shogun who is the game’s wild. She substitutes for all other symbols bar the scatter.
The base game action takes place on a 4 reel, 81 ways to win machine. If you land a 4 in a row combination, you could be awarded the Reel Split Re-spin feature. An extra reel is added between reels 2 and 3 and the reels spin again. Only this newly added reel spins again with the others remain locked in place.
Landing 3 or 4 scatters in the base game triggers the Free Spins feature - on offer here are 8 or 16 free spins. These are played out on an expanded 5 reel, 243 ways to win machine. Helping your winning chances is the stacked wild which fills the middle reel throughout.
The time travelling theme in Shogun of Time is unusual but works rather well. Visually, it’s very nicely done combining the ancient and modern. The gameplay matches the unusual theme. The split reels certainly offer something different. The free spins round delivers some solid potential thanks to the ever present stacked wild on the middle reel – up to 2,717.4 times your stake on each free spin. The variance is in the medium range.
This isn’t your usual common or garden Asian-themed slot game. It comes together pretty well. If you like the Japanese theme but fancy something with a twist or 2, then Shogun of Time delivers just that. Alternatively, Hanzo’s Dojo by Yggdrasil Gaming is worth looking into.