Lucky Neko (PG Soft) Slot Demo & Review

I think if you had to pick just one genre that game developers used above all others to symbolise good luck in their online slots, it would have to be Irish. Even a provider such as PG Soft that predominantly creates their slots for the Asian market has dabbled in the Irish theme before, with their slot Leprechaun Riches being surprisingly popular in the Orient. Actually, when you look at their slots portfolio, they seem to enjoy basing games around luck, with Lucky Piggy another title worth checking out when you get the chance. Back to today’s review then, and it’s the turn on Neko, which is the Japanese word for a cat to undergo a slot transformation. So let’s see what it has to offer.

The first stop, as always, is the paytable, and at the top of the pile, we have Neko, who pays 8x the bet for a six of a kind win. Next is the Drum, worth 5x for all six on a payline, followed by the Lucky Charm, worth 4x if all six connect. Completing the higher value symbols are the Fan at 3x bet for a completed payline and, finally, the Salmon and Sushi, both worth 1.5x for a six of a kind hit. Moving to the lower value pays, we have the royal symbols, with the Ace and King both worth 1x for a line of six, whilst the Q, J, and 10 all pay 0.4x for a six of a kind. There is a Wild Symbol to look out for, represented by the giant gong. This has no monetary value but will substitute for all regular symbols within the game.

PG Soft tends to stick to the same betting range across all of their slots, so the minimum stake to play Lucky Neko is €0.20, with the maximum bet reaching €20. This may be considered not quite big enough for some high rollers, but for most players, it will be more than adequate.

The gameplay on Lucky Neko is set across a 6×5 reel set, where, due to the game’s mechanics, up to 32,400 ways to win can be generated on any spin. Forming a winning combination over this format will require players to land at least 3 matching symbols on adjacent reels, with the win also needing to start from the leftmost reel first. If you’re familiar with Megaways slots, you’ll soon understand how this slot operates.

Cascading Reels

Additional ways to win can be achieved through the cascading reels engine, which springs into action once a win has been created within the playfield. Initially, the symbols involved in the win are removed from the reels, with new symbols falling from above, which can potentially award another winning combo. These reel cascades will only end once you fail to make a new win.

Wilds On The Way

You’ll note that some symbols that spin into play have a silver frame around them. If these symbols are involved in a win, they will transform into a random symbol from the paytable, with a golden frame wrapped around them. If this symbol is involved in a win, it will transform into a wild symbol.

Cat Symbol Multiplier

During any spin, whenever one or more cat symbols appear upon the reels, the win multiplier will be increased by x2. This value will then be applied to any winning connections that you achieve. Players should note that the multiplier will reset to zero once they fail to create a new win.

Landing 4 scatter symbols in view during the base game on PG Soft’s Lucky Neko slot will trigger the main bonus feature and award 10 free spins, with each additional scatter that lands after that adding a further 2 spins to the starting total. You can be forgiven for thinking this bonus will play out with an ascending multiplier each time you hit a win, as it is built in that style. However, things work a little differently, as explained below.

Free Spins

During the bonus feature, you will find that the cat symbol multiplier appears more frequently, with each one that lands in view increasing your multiplier by x2. Furthermore, the win multiplier will not reset after a losing spin, so your chances of hitting a massive win will drastically increase. Players should also note that the free spins feature can be re-triggered.