Yakuza

Fugaso, whose company name stands for future gaming solutions, has taken a modern theme for its latest slot: the Yakuza. Based on the extra-legal international organization of the same name, this game possesses an air of thrill, danger, and glamour. The design pays homage to Japan’s dark underworld of both past and present while offering progressive jackpot wins, a double-or-nothing feature, and free spins triggered by the golden dragon scatter symbol.

Theme

The internationally-renowned, Japan-based organization called “Yakuza” forms the thematic basis of this slot – whether one views them as a criminal syndicate or a ‘chivalrous organization’ is a matter of perspective. The reels, set before a wall of shoji with an ominous figure appearing in silhouette behind it, feature gaming symbols invoking this world. Stacks of cash, swords, pistols, throwing stars, a set of playing cards and the four suits of the deck, and two Yakuza members – a younger woman, presumably an active Yakuza agent, and an older man, presumably a boss. The presumptive boss acts as wild symbol, substituting for other symbols (except scatter) to form winning combinations, and expanding to fill an entire reel in bonus play. Finally, a golden dragon acts as scatter. The soundtrack features traditional Japanese musical instruments with more ominous, modern sound effects representing what happens on the reels.

Betting Options and Functions

This game offers five reels, three lines, and 20 adjustable paylines. The bet per pay line ranges from 0.02 to 5.00, for an overall wager range from 0.02 to 100.00 times the betting currency for each spin. Autoplay is on offer, with a variety of available limits on win, loss, and feature triggering. The overall theoretical RTP is a respectable 95.87%.

Features

While the design may be sleek in Yakuza, features in this slot are somewhat limited. Three or more golden dragon symbols will trigger free spins, which resemble base play in all ways except one: in bonus play, an appearing wild symbol expands to fill an entire reel whenever such a phenomenon would result in a win. Free spins can also be retriggered within bonus play, so it’s possible to extend free spins into a very long cycle of profit without risk or loss.

Additionally, Fugaso offers its usual double-or-nothing feature to all wins in base play. Following a winning combination, players will have the option of choosing “collect” or “gamble.” The former pays the win to the player, while the latter launches a pop-up window with a deck of cards: choose the color of the next card to be revealed, and the size of the win doubles, with the further possibility of continued rounds of double-or-nothing play. Any loss at this level, though, results in the forfeiture of all wins. This feature is not available when autoplay is active.

Finally, three distinct progressive jackpots are available (Mini, Midi, and Maxi) in this game and across all Fugaso jackpot series games. Huge wins are possible here for players lucky enough to stick it rich.

Our Take

With a sleek, trendy theme and smooth play, Yakuza makes a case for itself as a slot eminently worthy of attention. For all its glamour, though, it must be said that very little gaming substance is available here that cannot be found elsewhere with either more and better bonuses or a slightly higher RTP. To invoke another treasured Japanese cultural trend, this slot may not be a home run, but most players will find it to be a solid base hit.