Fu Chi

While the New Years celebrations have all wrapped up in western countries, China has a somewhat belated celebration which follows their own take on things. Their calendar is built around the twelve animals that answered the Jade Emperor’s call, and their positions on the calendar were determined based on the order at which they’ve arrived. 2018 marks the Year of the Dog, but apart from a single symbol, the game doesn’t spend a lot of time focusing on that. Instead, the appearance is that of a more traditional slot made for the Chinese market, dominated by the colour red, full of Chinese icons and various items that can be seen in New Years celebrations such as firecrackers and red balloons. All of this can be found on a 5×3 playing field with 50 fixed paylines. Fu Chi has two progressive jackpots, a minor and major, and has a single special feature on top of that, in which gamblers chase after Scatters to receive free spins, with some additional bonuses on top of that if you manage to win the extra turns without the presence of Wilds.

Honestly, while RTG’s releases usually don’t compete with graphic powerhouses like NetEnt and Microgaming, this title honestly feels a bit lazy to look at. The dark night sky and the temple in the backdrop are alright, but there’s no animation or anything that stands out – and the same can be said with the symbols. They look serviceable, yes, but nothing about them really feels unique or interesting. It looks bland.

The gameplay side of things is a lot more interesting, however. Fu Chi has two progressive jackpots, but it doesn’t let that be its sole defining feature. Instead, it offers an extensive free spins special feature, and any wins that include Wilds in them get double their prize money. It has a medium to high volatility and an RTP of 96.2%, which fits the market standard, but a great deal of that RTP is tied to the bonuses. Without them, you will quickly bleed out money, so if you plan on enjoying this RTG release, make sure you’re feeling properly lucky.

The game is playable for $0.50 up to $12.50, so while the lower end is forgiving, it seems the developers didn’t want you betting too much per spin. Given that the progressive jackpots tick up with each spin, we imagine it was done as a means of controlling just how high that number gets. Both progressive jackpots are activated randomly, which is alright, although we aren’t big fans of having two progressive jackpots instead of just one. The bonuses can also bring in some cool wins, but nothing reaches close to the major progressive jackpot.

There’s really not that much we can say about the symbols. They look decent, but they feel bland to look at. They’re a rehash of something we have seen many times over as each developer makes their own Chinese New Year slot, but there’s nothing that really wowed us about the visuals in Fu Chi, which is a shame, as it would probably enhance the fun gameplay.

Unlike in most other titles, Wilds can replace Scatters in this game. In fact, you usually want Wilds to appear in any win you have, as Wilds effectively double the value of any winning combination they are a part of. However, free spins are determined by how many Scatters you’ve collected, with a minimum of three being needed, and if you win some free spins without any Wilds present on the reels, the amount of extra games you get is doubled, allowing you to win the maximum of 60 free spins for five Scatters with no Wilds.