Shaolin Master

Shaolin Master: Slot Overview

Software provider Hacksaw Gaming gets its 'hi-yah' on in the online slot Shaolin Master, which is more or less a reskin of the nightmare on reels gambling machine that was Hand of Anubis. Shaolin Kung Fu is a highly respected martial art, and mastery is no doubt a long and difficult process. Reskinning, by comparison, is probably not so tough. Oftentimes, the copy isn't as thrilling as the original either, but Hand of Anubis was a top-shelf Hacksaw Gaming release, so maybe some of the magic has rubbed off.

Depending on where you live, Shaolin Master is probably every bit as exotic as Ancient Egypt, though this one is far less scary. On one side of the game board, we find the master, while on the other side, his student stands in an elaborate pose, sort of like Daniel LaRusso's crane kick that won him the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, busting Johnny's face with his controversial strike. There's nothing controversial about Shaolin Master's look, though it puts on a nice enough kung fu in the mountains view.

Shaolin Master's symbols land on a 5-reel setup, with 6 rows and a cluster pays win system. 10 cents to $/€100 may be wagered on each base game round, and several bonus buy modes may be activated for gamblers who would prefer to play that way. A medium volatile math model runs the show, a drop from the high setting of Hand of Anubis, while the maximum RTP value is 96.31%, slightly higher than.

Winning clusters contain at least 5 matching symbols. When a winning cluster hits, the symbols that formed it are removed from the reels, and symbols drop down to fill any gaps, providing another chance to cluster up. Cascading wins continue like this till no new win appears. On the low side are 10-A royals, then a fist, a purple item, a golden item, a student, and a master as the highs. A 5 OAK cluster pays 0.1x to 1x, while a 15+ cluster is worth 15x to 60x. When wilds are present, they substitute any regular paying symbol.

Shaolin Master: Slot Features

Shaolin Master's renamed features are Chi Orb wild multipliers, The Student free spins, The Master bonus round, and bonus buys.

Chi Orbs

Chi Orbs are wild multiplier symbols. When Chi Orbs are part of a win, their multiplier multiplies the value of the winning cluster. If multiple Chi Orbs are part of the same win, the values are multiplied with each other before being applied. Blue and Red Chi Orbs are not removed by cascades but are removed at the end of each round.

• Blue Chi Orb - lands with a multiplier of x1, which increases by 1 after each time it has been part of a win.
• Red Chi Orb - lands with a multiplier of x1, which increases each time after it has been in a win by +1 for each symbol in the winning cluster (including Chi Orbs).
• Balance Chi Orbs - lands only on cascades. It lands with a multiplier value that is the product of any Red and Blue Chi Orb multipliers in view. If it is part of a win, it applies its multiplier, then disappears from the grid with the other winning symbols.

The Student

10 'The Student' free spins are activated when landing 3 scatters in the base game or 12 free spins when triggered by 4 scatters. The Student displays multipliers below each reel. Multipliers are increased by +1 for each winning symbol on the corresponding reels when winning clusters form. The multiplier can also be multiplied by a Green Gem multiplier symbol. The possible values of the Green Gem are x2 to x10.

When a Green Chi Orb lands, the multiplier for that reel is activated. The value of all active multipliers are added together and applied to the value of each winning cluster. Each time a multiplier is activated, +3 free spins are granted. One Green Chi Ob may land per reel, and the maximum value per multiplier is x9,999.

The Master

Hitting 5 scatter symbols in the base game triggers The Master, awarding 3 refilling spins. For this round, symbols from the base game are replaced by special Stone block symbols. Above each reel, multipliers are displayed. Multipliers are increased by landing Multiplier Modifier Blocks, either additive or multiplying. Regular Modifying Blocks affect the multiplier on the reel they landed on, whereas Epic Modifying Blocks affect all multipliers. The max reel multiplier value is 9,999x.

Adding multiplier values are 2x to 10x for the Blue Gem and the Epic Blue Gem. Multiplying values are x2 to x10 for the Green Gem and Epic Green Gem.

When an Ice block drops onto the grid, it is crushed, and a Multiplier Block drops in with the multiplier value above the reel to fill the empty space. The value on each Multiplier Block is equal to the value of the reel multiplier where they drop. Multiplier Blocks drop to the bottom of the grid, where they stick and stack on top of each other, gradually filling up the reels.

Crusher Blocks may also land, falling through all other blocks to the bottom of the reels, destroying all Multiplier Blocks in its path. This makes room for new blocks to drop in. When the Crusher Block reaches the bottom of the grid, it converts to a Multiplier Block with a value equal to the sum of all Multiplier Blocks that it destroyed. Lastly, each time a Multiplier Block, a Multiplier Modifier Block or Crusher Block lands, the spin count returns to 3.

Bonus Buys

For those who like to buy bonus features, The Master has these: BonusHunt FeatureSpins (3x the bet) - each spin is 5 times more likely to trigger a bonus game, Enlightened FeatureSpins (50x the bet) - each spin guarantees a Red Chi Orb will land with at least one winning combination, The Student (100x the bet), and The Master (200x the bet).

Shaolin Master: Slot Verdict

Preferences are preferences, to be sure, but Shaolin Master wasn't as gripping as its menacing predecessor, Hand of Anubis, was. Not moaning about the theme, Shaolin kung fu is impressive as all heck, but Shaolin Master just didn't hit as hard atmospherically. There is nothing wrong with the visuals, but maybe don't expect the same frisson of dread or the hair-standing-on-end reaction that Hand of Anubis dealt.

Putting the skin aside, Shaolin Master functions every bit as well as before; no major letdown there, though the execution did feel a little bit jerky at times. In both slots, Hacksaw Gaming reminds us why they are one of the masters of multipliers, dropping them all over the place - in the base game, The Student free spins and the Chaos Crew-ish The Master bonus round. The game's reduction in volatility from high to medium might reduce the explosiveness in some ways, but the slot can still blast out wins of up to 10,000x the bet in all game modes.

Hacksaw Gaming doesn't push out loads of reskins/clones compared to some casino game makers, and at the least, the team has picked the bones of an excellent slot to reuse. Shaolin Master is a shadow of Hand of Anubis, though, being a far less sensorially impactful release. However, in saying that it might be a better match for gamblers who prefer a more mellow math model, relatively speaking. You can kind of picture the behind-the-scenes request- 'Make it like the Anubis one, but less lethal.' Shaolin Master is certainly technically capable of face-kicking exhilarating moments, but it is hard to impossible to find many reasons, if any, to recommend this over Hand of Anubis.