Jewel Quest Riches

Enter the orient and seek for the mystical empress, or her jade sword, not entirely sure of what the title refers to. The theme seems to be taken from China, though not referencing anything in particular, and with some Japanese influences mixed in. What we do know is that jade is an important element in their culture and that’s what the slot has going on for it. Five reels and twenty paylines await the daring spinner.

Theme

The background is beautifully done and the blooming trees build up a magnificent atmosphere for every spin. Though I have to retract some points when it comes to the titular character, who for some reason has been endowed with breasts challenging those seen in the heydays of Tomb Raider. The music and the sound effects bring to mind the spectacular action scenes from the big Chinese blockbusters of the last few years. Animations are aplenty and they are done in true manga-fashion.

Betting Options and Functions

The paylines are fixed and the bet is not. You get to choose anything between 0.2 and 20 coins, maximum of one coin per bet line in other words. The most significant win you can land on a single line is ten thousand coins, making the Jade Sword worth seeking out. The slot features the regular card face values as low-paying symbols, with the high-paying symbols, wilds and scatters themed after one Asian myth or another. As is usual these days the big wins can be found through the bonus games. You can gamble on any regular win to double or lose it with a 50 - 50 chance.

Features

Should you land the mythical Jade Sword as part of any winning combination, you immediately get a re-spin, with the wild locked in place. Other weapons next to the sword will also act as wilds.

The temple symbol works as a scatter and launches the free spins. Three, four and five symbols begin eight, twelve and twenty spins respectively. These are of course played with whatever stake was chosen during the round that launched them. Three or more scatters can retrigger this feature.

Three ninja symbols landing on reel one will launch the Ninja special. Pick off the ninjas that swarm the screen one by one and you will be rewarded with multipliers and cash prizes.

Our Take

Empress of the Jade Sword has some issues deciding where it takes it’s theme from and ends up mixing quite a few Asian cultures. This becomes an unfortunate mishmash, though it isn’t a hindrance to the gameplay itself. The relatively low RTP is, and there being plenty of other similar slots out there this one can’t quite compete on the markets. If you happen to run into it give it a few spins, but it’s not worth seeking out for its own merits.