3 Emperors Slot
Ancient China produced many enduring stories of mythological heroes and deities, many of which remain important parts of Chinese culture to this day. Among these early rulers were the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, whose achievements and teachings were said to have laid the foundations for an entire civilization.
Three of these early leaders of the Chinese have become the basis for a series of new slot machines. 3 Emperors by Aristocrat is a series of three games that are all fairly similar in terms of features and format. But each one stars a different legendary figure from China’s past, and there are some subtle – and not so subtle – differences that might make you choose one over the others.
Cultural Heroes Bring Luck
The 3 Emperors slot series all share a similar format on which the games are based. Each features five reels and up to 100 lines, though we have also seen 50 payline versions commonly offered. In either case, the screen features a slightly expanded 4x5 layout. These games are offered up for real money online, as they appear in brick-and-mortar casinos, and have yet to make an appearance as online slots. That means that a play for free option isn’t available at this time. However, low limit players should still be relatively happy, as this can be played as a penny slot, meaning you can spend $1 or less per spin if you like.
The three versions of the game are based on three distinct figures: Yu, Yao, and Shun. Each offers a slightly different color scheme, but offers many of the same features and symbols for you to match. One nice addition is the use of some “generic” symbols for the low-value prizes that aren’t just the same old card suits or ranks: instead, there are a series of gems that can earn you small prizes. Larger wins are attached to carp, tigers, and eagles. The emperors themselves offer the biggest prizes on their own machines, and each appears as a double-sized icon that can cover two spots on the layout.
Unleashing the Dragons
As with most slot machines, 3 Emperors features wild symbols in the form of dragons. These can not only help make winning combinations with other icons, but they can also form their own paylines, where they offer the largest payouts possible in the standard game. There’s also a scatter symbol that only appears on the middle three reels: hit three anywhere, and you’ll not only win a small award, but you’ll find yourself in the free spins round.
This special feature is one of the few places in which the various titles do a good job of differentiating themselves, at least in one case. In the Yao and Shun games, you’ll be awarded 15 free spins, and while players get the benefit of some more wilds on the reels, the game is otherwise exactly the same as in normal play.
Things are a bit different with Yu. In this case, players can choose between one of the four highest-value symbols and have that take the place of the other three on the reels. You can have Yu for 11 spins, the card for 15 spins, 18 games with the tiger, or 20 with the hawk. There’s also a random option that randomizes both the symbol and the number of spins – meaning you could either do very well or very poorly, depending on how lucky you are.
There are a number of other special features contained throughout these games as well. Winning combinations trigger free reel-respins where the paying symbols appeared, increasing the potential for huge payouts. There’s also a Revealed Rewards feature that can instantly give away coins – as many a 100 times the total amount of your bet on that spin. Sometimes, this becomes a Revealed Jackpots feature, in which you can take down one of the three progressive jackpots found on this series of games: minor, major, or grand, depending on how large your winning combination was that triggered the bonus.
A Legendary Trio
Housed in the spectacular Helix cabinet, the 3 Emperors slot by Aristocrat is a unique and exciting addition to any casino floor. While this is generally a low volatility slot machine that offers more consistent small payouts rather than massive jackpots, there are opportunities to change that, either through the revealed rewards or, in the case of the Yu version of the game, by choosing a bonus version with more variance.
For the most part, though, the choice of which machine to play will come down to the preferences of each gambler. If you’re in the mood for a Chinese-themed slot machine with a lot of historical flavor, then anything in the 3 Emperors line will definitely satisfy your needs.
