Play Si Xiang for Free

In the tradition of the Taoist religion, there are said to be four symbols which represent the four seasons and the four main points on the compass, and they are known in Chinese as the Si Xiang.

First of all, there is Meng Zhang, a dragon who represents spring and the blue waters of Eastern China. Then there is Ling Guang, a bird who symbolises the warmth of summer and the red land of Southern China. Thirdly is Jian Bing, a tiger who represents autumn and the white sands of the deserts in the west. And finally, there is a turtle, Zhi Ming, who matched the black soil of the north as well as the winter season. All together, these four mythological beasts are central to the ancient religion of the Chinese people, and in they are also quite integral to the powerful beauty of this slot machine by Playtech.

In fact, each animal symbol which appears in this slot machine has been expertly captured with all of the prowess and grandeur that you might expect from a legendary beast. That is to say, they certainly don't look like tame creatures – even the turtle is kicking ass by fighting with a snake! Plus, the shot machine helps to captivate the player with an aesthetic that emulates Chinese design with orientally style calligraphy and reels that are set within an ornamental frame, fit for a Taoist temple.

The focus of Si Xiang is very much on the power and mystery of the slot machine's four central animal symbols, which is why there aren't any particularly interesting bonus features to mention. That means that there are no free spins to be had, no special side games, and certainly no over-complicated gameplay. Instead, the bonus balance of the slot machine is powered by a simple yin and yang wild icon which appears on the second, third and fourth reels and substitutes for all icons to complete line wins. Sounds simple enough, and it is. But this symbol has the power to boost wins by doubling payouts whenever it is involved in a winning sequence.

The slot machine also has a scatter icon – depicted by the Si Xiang logo – which will award wins when it appears on consecutive reels from left to right, regardless of whether they align on a payline or not. Two scatters offer a total bet multiplier of 1x, three will award 5x, four will give 10x and five will fetch a handsome 100x total bet multiplier prize.

Besides from that scatter, all other icons must fall into rows upon any of the game's 9 fixed paylines. However, unlike most slot machines, these paylines allow wins to be formed in both directions, going from right to left as well as from left to right. Therefore, there are effectively double the amount of ways to find a winner when you are spinning this game.

Those winning spins will award a line bet multiplier, the size of which depends on how many of which icon is formed into a matching sequence. The smallest of them all is worth 2x and that is given when one single dragon appears on the first or last reel. The biggest line bet prize, however, is a whopping 10,000x which is paid when five dragons appear on a payline. Punters can check out all of the winning combinations and their prizes in the following table.

If you are after an Oriental themed slot machine, then you will find loads out there on the internet to choose from. What makes this Playtech slot machine different? Si Xiang offers a powerful visual display which goes beyond the generic stereotypes of China, revealing an aspect of the country's ancient religion with its four mythological animal symbols. And if you couldn't care less about the allusion to Taoism, then there is a 10,000x line bet jackpot up for grabs – which is a good enough reason to spin any online slot machine!