Panda Planet

What do you get when you blend ancient Chinese culture and a whole lot of pandas? You get whatever this Arrow’s Edge release is supposed to be. Anthropomorphic animals tend to rub us the wrong way in general, but something about Panda Planet just amplifies that tenfold. It is a shame, because you can tell there’s a lot of care and effort being put into the graphics.

The slot offers has a really cool background image. You get to see a Chinese temple off in the distance, past several small hills. Tall grass and tree branches surround you, as you make your way over. A gentle mist seems to have also settled in, adding to the amazing atmosphere. If there was ever a place to find inner peace, this would undoubtedly be it!

But while first impression are great, closer inspection does show some flaws. The animations are quite fluid, but they often depict somewhat nonsensical things! For example, the yak just aggressively zooms for what we assume is supposed to be comedic effect.

It also seems, even in a world full of zen pandas, we cannot escape playing card royals infesting our playing fields.
The layout will be quite familiar to anyone who played other games by the same developer. We do like the fact they went out of their way to recolor the whole thing to make it fit in better.

It is a small detail, but one that we appreciate quite a lot. It shows the artists care about the whole experience, rather than meeting a quota. There are next to no differences between the mobile and desktop versions of this slot. Feel free to pick whichever one you like best!

We were unable to find any official information on Panda Planet’s volatility. Personal testing tells us that it sits somewhere between medium and high variance. In fact, the only reason we bring up high volatility is thanks to the two progressive jackpots. Winning them can be a bit tricky, but once you do, you are probably set for life!

Put in the Effort..,

The game is played on a 5×4 board with 1024 ways to win, doing away with traditional paylines. That means players cannot choose to turn some or all paylines on or off to lower their minimum bet.

There is also no official information on the RTP for this Arrow’s Edge release. Unlike variance, we take this a lot more seriously, as only the developers can give us this number. Without it, the house edge could be stacked against the gambler, and that makes the absence of this information even more suspect. As a result, we would recommend skipping this slot.

You can change your total bet by using the up and down arrow on each side of the total bet box. Players can set their wagers between $0.50 up to $300 per spin. Admittedly, $0.50 is a steep minimum bet. But when you consider you’re getting over 20x the value, it becomes a lot more easier to stomach. High rollers will be quite pleased with the huge maximum bet, too!

Autoplay is still Spartan in terms of features it offers. Gamblers can only set the number of auto spins to be played. Even basic things like win or loss limits are not present as options for you to utilize. We hope to see the developers improve this at some point, especially since their games trend towards a higher volatility.

Pays are awarded for collecting three or more identical symbols in consecutive positions, from left to right only. Since there are no paylines, players do not have to worry about following a specific pattern for their win to register.

The Wild is the most valuable symbol, followed by two pandas: a younger apprentice, and a chubby senpai. Then you have a red panda, some kind of gray cat, a strong yak and a set of bamboo sticks. Finally, you have playing card royals: A, K, Q, J and 10. J and 10 are the lowest paying icons, rewarding only 30 coins for a five-of-a-kind win.

…And Reap the Rewards!

When a Wild appears on any of the reels, it transforms into a 2×1, 1×2, or a 2×2 mega symbol. This bonus can only trigger during normal gameplay. Furthermore, it is used to activate both Power Panda and Colossal Wheel special features, making it doubly important!

If one of the four corners of the board are occupied by the Wild yin-yang icon, it becomes sticky for the next five spins. During this time period, any additional Wilds that land in the corner of the playing field activate the Colossal Wheel. If multiple Wilds appear on the corners of the screen at the same time, you skip straight to Colossal Wheel!

When Colossal Wheel is activated, the second, third and fourth reel combine to show one massive 3×3 symbol. You also get 3, 5 or 10 free spins, depending on how many yin-yang Wilds occupied the board corners. You cannot retrigger free spins, and all Wilds stop being sticky.

After extra turns end, you can take your current winnings, or try another round. If you choose to play another round of the Colossal Wheel free spins, you forfeit your previous wins. If they were better than your existing round, tough luck!

Panda Planet has two progressive jackpots that tick up with each spin played. One is called Cash Grab, and the other Super Slots. Both of these are completely random as to when they will activate. However, you cannot win a progressive jackpot during free spins.