Sakura Garden Slot Machine
Fascination for traditional Japanese culture has existed for centuries, since the country opened up to Western travellers and started exporting their art and aesthetical views.
Even today, many players are deeply interested in Japanese culture and being able to play a video slot game that brings to the reels traditional elements of the Land of the Rising Sun is always welcomed, as seen on games like Water Dragons by IGT. Sakura Garden is such a game, and the developers at Neogames have designed a beautiful piece for fans and beginners alike.
So without further ado, it is time to dive deeper into the universe of Sakura Garden and figure out how to come out at least a little wealthier than before…
Beautiful Traditional Aesthetics
As it is often the case with slot games based on Japanese culture, Sakura Garden is betting on its graphics to seduce new players.
The whole background of the game represents a beautiful Japanese scenery, with the recognisable shape of Mount Fuji standing tall in the distance. Blossoming cherry trees overlook a winding, peaceful and clear river. The name of the game stands on a traditional red Japanese portal, next to a temple.
The musical atmosphere is not exactly related to ancient Japan, with only regular sound effects playing after each win. However, successful combinations trigger discrete but beautiful animations of cherry tree petals floating in the wind and geishas coyly greeting the player. Overall, Sakura Garden does a great job at setting up the décor.
Gameplay Review
Sakura Garden brings a touch of originality with its gameplay; the game is indeed split between three distinct slot machines lined up on the screen.
Each machine contains a single horizontal payline right in its midst, and the first choice you will have to make is to select between one and three machines to bet on, whilst unusual it does have similarities to Barcrest's Hot Slot. The (+) and (-) buttons located below the reels allow you to modify the amount of your bet. You may alternatively use the Max Bet and Play Max shortcuts to go all-in or to activate all three machines at once, respectively.
Another option offered to you is to use the Autoplay feature in order to let the game roll on its own for a predetermined number of spins. Click the corresponding tab located at the bottom right-hand corner of the game screen in order to configure the Autoplay mode. And now you are ready to go!
A Simple Paytable
Sakura Garden keeps things simple also with its icon menu. It is permanently on display at the top right-hand corner, and you should take a look at it frequently in order to familiarize yourself with the difference winning combinations of the game.
There are only seven different symbols available in Sakura Garden. You will find a beautiful ink Calligraphy, a folding Fan, twin Japanese Carps, a Bamboo symbol, a Japanese Portal, a Cherry Tree Branch and a Geisha.
However, combinations are more important in Sakura Garden than the inherent value of each symbol. As you will see on the paytable, each line represents a combination of symbols and each of these winning combinations corresponds to a Multiplier. Each Multiplier will be applied to the amount of your wager in order to determine your cash rewards. The more machines you bet one, the higher the Multiplier becomes.
Each column of the paytable corresponds to a bet placed on one, two or three machines respectively. You may bet up to three coins on each of the machines, and the coin value can be personalised from 0.10 to 10 credits. Therefore, a maximum bet on all three machines corresponds to 90 credits with a maximum potential pay-out of 100,000 credits!
A Potentially Rewarding Trip
Sakura Garden may be one of the most lucrative ways to virtually travel to Japan. The Neogames creations will certainly delight the real otakus, or fans of Japanese culture, and the rewards offered by the game can quickly increase to tremendous heights. These two elements alone should be enough to convince many players to give Sakura Garden a try.
However, one must keep in mind that despite all this, Sakura Garden is a rather conservative video slot game, especially in terms of gameplay. The combination-based paytable is definitely an old-school arcade game feature, and while it is still fun it certainly will take some getting used to if you have never played a similar game. Moreover, some will miss the absence of modern slot game features such as Wild and Scatter cards, undoubtedly, although these are available on more traditional Neogames titles like Auto Show.
