Description
Released in the summer of 2018, Novomatic slot Asian Diamonds plays with a regular 5×3 structure and up to 30 Paylines.
The colour palette is dominated by gold, with reels in a gilded frame, while the game is inspired by Japanese culture and history, as you explore the world of the Geisha girl. You’ll hear some of the country’s traditional music in the background.
It certainly looks good, too, although you may not find the graphics that startlingly different from anything you’ve played previously.
How to play
Spin away on any device you like, mobile or PC, from a relatively high price-per-spin of 30p, while high rollers can stake as much as £450 a pop.
Four elegantly dressed Geisha girls are the more rewarding icons, in pink, purple, green and blue.
There’s also a lotus flower emblem and the standard playing-card J through A values which as usual are less lucrative. Any icon may appear stacked on the reels.
Of the two highest-paying Geishas, you just need a couple of them to secure a win, kicking off from Reel 1.
Special features
Special symbols
Your Scatter is a golden ball, while the Wild in this game is a massive sparkler of a jewel. (After all, diamonds always were a Geisha’s best friend!)
The former only rocks up on the middle three reels, the latter fulfils its standard function of substituting for all other icons except, of course, the Scatter. The Wild also always appears stacked across all its reels.
Bonus features
Free spins
One thing sets this round apart from the norm – you need more Scatters than usual to trigger the perk, although it’s made easier by the fact that symbols can be stacked. Unfortunately, however, you can’t retrigger further freebies within the round.
Landing seven, eight and nine Scatters will bag you eight, 16 or 32 free whirls respectively.
While you’re playing the round, one icon is randomly picked to whirl in a completely stacked combination, to add to the Scatter and the Wild.
Gamble feature
Gamble any and all wins from the free spins round and main game by hitting the Gamble function. It’s an easy black/red 50/50 gamble. As usual with these things, you stand to double your winnings – or lose the lot.
Jackpot
While you won’t find a progressive jackpot here, impressive wins of up to 1,000x stake are achievable if you’re able to fill up all the reels with Wilds.
Return to Player (RTP)
If we’re honest, the RTP or Return to Player isn’t all that special at 95.04%, although neither is it disastrously low. Variance is broadly classed as being on the higher side of medium.
Verdict
At least one reviewer described Asian Diamonds as merely ‘run-of-the-mill’. It’s also true that it joins numerous games out there which have a similar theme, and it’s certainly not the most ground-breaking game ever or the one with the most of the most innovative features.
But you should enjoy it if you like to keep your gaming simple, in terms of visuals as well as bonus features, and if you like Japanese or Asian-themed slots.
Give it a go in free demo mode first, before staking any real money.
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