Pg Soft Releases Flurry of New Igaming Slots to Start 2021
Based in Malta, PG Soft launched its company in 2015 with a specialty in mobile game development. It debuted its products at the 2017 London ICE Totally Gaming conference.
PG Soft’s graphics and fresh game ideas quickly caught the attention of online casinos around the world. Quick growth prompted the company to establish offices in Europe, North America, and Asia. Hundreds of employees now work on new online and mobile slot ideas that result in a consistent stream of new games for the market.
To date, PG Soft has released 74 original slot and table games in 21 languages, 100 currencies, and for 1,063 operators..
Lucky Neko: General Info
Released to some of the top Aussie online casinos in mid-January, Lucky Neko puts a lucky Japanese symbol of good luck and fortune at the center of this game. The Fortune Cat or Beckoning Cat, officially named Maneki Neko, has long been a beloved symbol in Japanese culture, dating back to the Edo Period.
PG Soft blended the traditional Japanese slot theme music with a faster-paced tune and some meows thrown in. It is actually a catchy tune and much more upbeat than in most Asian-themed games.
Lucky Neko is a medium-volatility game with a theoretical 96.73% RTP (return-to-player). It plays on a 6-reel, 5-row grid with an additional row on top of the second, third, fourth, and fifth reels.
The game has a 20-base bet and paylines range from 2,025 to 32,400 ways. The bet level starts and one and maxes out at 10 with bet sizes of $0.01 to $0.10. All of this means that the minimum bet is $0.20 and top betting amount is $20 per spin.
The max win in the game is 20,000x the bet.
The highest-paying symbols in Lucky Neko, with six on a payline, are as follows:
- Lucky Neko = 80x
- Japanese drum = 50x
- Lantern = 40x
- Hand fan = 30x
- Sushi and rolls = 15x
Lucky Neko Features and Gameplay
The first thing to know is that the Scatter and Wild symbols are self-explanatory when they appear. Most other symbols can occupy the space of two to four symbols, though they pay as one symbol. The Wild can substitute for any symbol except the Scatter and can appear on the second, third, fourth, and fifth reels.
Players can detect the unique Wilds-on-the-Way feature as the symbol spaces boast of a silver frame around them. Any silver-framed symbol involved in a win will play on the next spin and transform into a randomly-selected symbol with a gold frame. If the gold-framed symbol is involved in a win, it will transform into a Wild on the next spin.
The Cat symbol serves as a multiplier in the game. When it appears in the main game, it multiplies any win 2x for each Cat.
When four Scatters appear on the grid, the Lucky Neko Free Spins begin. It starts with 10 spins, and any more than the original four add two more spins each. The Cat symbols can appear during Free Spins, and it operates the same as in the main game, increasing the multiplier 2x for every Cat.
Players can also retrigger Free Spins during the bonus round.
Opinion: This game is quite exciting! There is quite a lot of action happening on the grid, especially with the changing symbol shapes and extra symbols atop the grid. The music is upbeat, the colors vibrant, and the wins potentially lucrative.
PG Soft offers a free-play demo version on its website.
Jewels of Prosperity: General Info
Many Aussie casinos online released this new game from PG Soft last week. Jewels of Prosperity takes players to China for this game of good luck and fortune. The setting is a Chinese home with a Kylin lock that may hold the key to a legendary sceptre representing power and luck.
The game plays out in a chest of possibilities, with upbeat Chinese music serving as the soundtrack.
Jewels of Prosperity is a medium-volatility 3D video slot with a 96.73% theoretical RTP. It offers up to 4,096 betways via its 6×4 playing grid.
Players can start the betting at $0.01 on the first bet level with a base bet of 20. That puts the minimum bet at $0.20. The bet sizes top out at $0.10 with a bet level of 10 for $20 per spin. That doesn’t sound like much to some players, but the max win in this game is 50,000x.
As for the symbols, if six of them hit on a payline, these are the payouts for everything except the lowest-paying symbols:
- Jewelry with green gems = 500x
- Green pendant = 100x
- Green bottle pendant = 30x
- Blue symbol = 30x
- Gold round symbol = 25x
Jewels of Prosperity Gameplay/Features
The Wild can substitute for all symbols except the Scatter. The Wilds appear on the second through fifth reels, though there are no Wilds during Free Spins.
Scatters can appear on any of the reels, and at least three of them triggers the Free Spins with at least seven spins. When the bonus round begins, the game randomly chooses a symbol – not a Wild or Scatter – to be the special symbol. Anytime that symbol hits on the second, third, fourth, or fifth reels, it transforms into a Sticky Wild. They then remain in place until the bonus ends.
Free Spin symbols that appear during the bonus round award one additional free spin each. Look for thoe on the first and sixth reels only.
Opinion: Jewels of Prosperity has a lot of symbolism and opportunities for wins, though it lacks a bit with regard to features. Patience is required to get to the bonus round, which can be worth the wait.
Play the demo version (free-play only) on the PG Soft website to try it for yourself.
Queen of Bounty: General Info
Straying from the Asian-themed games altogether, Queen of Bounty puts a woman at the helm of the ship and in charge of the search for gold. PG Soft says the main character is supposed to be Blackbeard’s wife Grace, who inherited her dead husband’s fortune…and his treasure map.
Players have the opportunity to try to take the treasure map from Grace, which comes with a 50,000x maximum win potential. The music sets the scene for danger and adventure on the high seas. The graphics are the stars of this game, though. Grace is artfully done and very detailed, as if she is guiding the ship above the game at all times, swaying in the wind and prepared to fight.
As a medium-volatility game, Queen of Bounty offers a 96.74% theoretical RTP. Players have a standard 5×3 grid on which to play, and there are 20 betways.
As for the symbols, there is an expansive range of payouts for the top symbols. With five on a payline, they are as follows:
- Grace = 2,500x
- Guns = 1,000x
- Compass = 500x
- Map = 200x
Queen of Bounty Features and Gameplay
The Wild, as usual, substitutes for all symbols except the Scatter. And the Wild will appear on the second, third, and fourth reels only.
Above the grid, Grace watches over the multipliers. The first spin will start with a normal 1x multiplier, and any win increases the multiplier to 2x on the next spin. A win on the second spin increases it to 3x, and one more win puts the multiplier up to 5x. That is the max but will remain in play until a losing spin, at which point the multipliers start over.
The aforementioned Scatter symbol is the key to Free Spins. Three or more Scatters trigger the bonus round, and the player then chooses his or her own bonus round: 20 free spins with multipliers of 1x, 2x, 3x, and 5x; 10 free spins with multipliers of 3x, 6x, 9x, and 20x, or five free spins with multipliers of 6x, 12x, 18x, and 40x.
Three Scatter symbols trigger those options, but any extra Scatters add four more spins to the 20 spins option for 24, two more to the 10-spin option for 12, and one spin to the 5 spins for a total of six.
Players can earn more Free Spins during the bonus round.
Opinion: This is a fun new game. We were excited to play it, as the multipliers add an extra incentive and can really improve regular wins. The graphics are very detailed and colorful.
Players can check out the game on PG Soft to play for free.
Where to Play PG Soft Games
So many of the games with which players are already familiar hail from PG Soft, also known as Pocket Games. Some of the last releases of 2020 included Guardians of Ice & Fire, Galactic Gems, and Secrets of Cleopatra.
When Aussies are ready to play for real money, they find the above games at King Johnnie, Wild Card City, Woo Casino, Casino Chan, and Playamo Casino.
