At Kerching, we like to get involved in all the holidays throughout the year, no matter what it is. In China, the new year is a different date to ours and, considering the boatload of Chinese-themed slots on the market, we’ve decided to mark it with this blog on the best Chinese New Year slots available to play on Kerching.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

This is the perfect game to start the list, as it literally translates to ‘Happy New Year!’. It has an exceedingly bright display, with shades of red and gold overpowering the pallet, which makes the interface exciting and fun to play on. The symbols are similarly fitting, with each representing an animal from the Chinese New Year calendar. Expect to see such creatures as a dragon, an eagle, a tiger and a group of Koi Carp. There’s also a character dressed in traditional ceremonial clothes, and all these visual references to the theme add to the authenticity of the game.

It doesn’t just have a great sense of style though, there are plenty of bonuses in this game that could make all the difference to your final payout. Landing three scatter symbols on the first, third, and fourth reels will trigger the free spin round. Initially, you will be awarded eight free spins, but more can be won by landing additional scatters. In the base game, you may notice that some symbols have a multiplier value attached to them. If you land a winning combination that has one of these symbols on the first reel, then whatever multiplier is on it will be applied to the winnings. There’s also a randomly triggered bonus, the dynamic symbol replacement feature, which will pick symbols on the second, third, and fourth reels and turn them into high-value icons. Finally, there is a progressive jackpot you can trigger by landing a win with the multipliers in effect. A ‘pick me’ minigame will initiate, where you must find three matching gems, for which you will receive one of four jackpot totals; Mini, Minor, Major, or Maxi. 

Peking Luck

This next game takes us to the ancestral capital of China, Peking. There’s a clear thematic design to the game that complements its graphics wonderfully. The background is packed with lush blossom trees, vast oceans and a sea of bright lanterns. The symbols are similarly fitting, with the high-value ones including some cymbals, a fan, a drum, and a dragon. It’s a pretty typical display for the genre, but it is more than serviceable and quite fun to play on.

Now, instead of offering an overwhelming number of features that don’t do a lot, Peking Luck only has one bonus, a free spins round, but it is quite deep in its mechanics. To trigger this feature, you’ll have to land the Golden Gong Scatter symbol three, four, or five times anywhere on the same spin. You’ll then be granted a multiplier of two, 10, or 250 times your bet respectively and activate the Free Spins Bonus. Next, you’ll be taken to a minigame where six fans are shown on screen. You’ll have to pick one of these to reveal the number of free spins that’ll be awarded. This number can be anything from eight to 38. There’s another part of this bonus that applies here, another minigame, this time offering you a selection of six dragons. Picking one will reveal a multiplier between 2x, and 18x, which will then be applied to all the free spins. What’s more, you can win an additional 10 free spins each time you land three or more scatter symbols. You can re-trigger this an unlimited number of times, meaning there’s massive potential for some big wins.

Asian Fortune

While we’re all for originality and innovation, sometimes, simplicity is best. That certainly seems to be the thinking with Asian Fortune, a slot that doesn’t try to do anything new but manages to ace the gaming basics. Because of this, the user interface isn’t the most thrilling and doesn’t have much in the way of graphical achievement. The scene depicted is nice enough, though, with a crimson-coloured temple and purple tree, plus some fog, which gives the whole thing a bit of mystique.

Like the last game, this slot only has one bonus to speak of and, again, it’s a free spins round. To unlock it, you will have to land the Dragon scatter symbol three times in a single spin. This will initially grant you ten spins, but you can re-trigger this feature for another ten, by landing the same scatter symbol combination that originally triggered it. On top of this, expanding wilds will also be added into play for the duration of the spins. Any high-value symbols you land in a winning combination will turn gold, before expanding to cover the entire reel. A new calculation will be made, and you could leave with a better payout.

1421 Voyages of Zheng He

This next slot is all about history, as it chronicles the adventures of the famed Chinese Admiral, Zheng. As such, you can expect to see plenty of objects and images related to exploration. This is most clear in the high-value symbols, which are represented by things like ships, bells, and jade dragons. It has to be said, the visuals here are very good, with a nice mix of 3D graphics and 2D illustrations. These are all thematically relevant and this authenticity also extends to the gameplay, with a round based on Zheng’s voyages.

There seems to be a theme to the bonuses in this genre, as it’s another one-feature game. However, similar to the last two, it’s a fairly complicated one, with many aspects to it. It will trigger once you have landed three map scatters in one spin. You will then get a choice of four bonuses; three free spins rounds, and the Cup feature. For the first three, an allocation of spins will be doled out, plus you’ll get a multiplier too. The options are as follows:

  • Ten spins with a randomly picked 1x, 2x, or 8x multiplier applied
  • Fifteen spins with a randomly picked 1x, 2x, or 5x multiplier applied
  • Twenty spins with a randomly picked 1x, 2x, or 3x multiplier applied

If you chose the Cup bonus, then you’ll be taken to a new screen with some cups on display. This will start a ‘pick me’ minigame, where you must find a golden ball under one of the cups, which will then award a pay-out worth 9x your stake. Which feature you choose is entirely up to you; would you rather have more spins or more multipliers or forgo both for a chance at an instant coin prize?

Play them at Kerching

If you fancy having a go at any of the slots we’ve mentioned here, you can find all of them at Kerching. For those newbies amongst you, make sure to check out our latest welcome offer.

If you want to play slot games on Kerching, you need to ensure you are always gambling responsibly. Visit BeGambleAware for free advice. Or you can get in touch with our support team at [email protected].