Hail the Emperor Slots
It’s believed there has been a total number of 559 emperors in the history of ancient China. Quite often, we feel like there have been just as many online slot machines released at online casinos based on the all-powerful “sons of heaven”. Hail the Emperor by August Gaming is yet another addition to that constantly growing list, although it’s unclear which of the many emperors it is actually based upon.
Regardless of Hail the Emperor taking a more generic approach than most casino slot machines based on Chinese emperors, it still has plenty to offer. The structure is typical of August Gaming, consisting of 5 reels with 3 rows of symbols on each. Set on top of vintage hand-painted Chinese folding screens, the rich reels have been encased by an antique gold frame. As the reels spin, you’ll be listening to a dramatic oriental soundscape that is befitting of an encounter with an emperor.
Instead of showcasing all the trappings associated with holding such a powerful position, most symbols in Hail the Emperor celebrate Chinese culture. What disappoints us most about this is that several of these symbols have simply been plucked from the pay table of other online slots that August Gaming has released. That’s rather lazy of the software provider’s creative team, and we’re sure it won’t go down too well with players if the trend continues. Despite this, Hail the Emperor includes a wild symbol, respin feature and free games to help you amass greater wealth – if the emperor is in a generous mood!
Kowtow to the Emperor
Before you are introduced to the emperor, you’d better learn how to kowtow correctly. This action of kneeling and bowing until your head touches the ground is considered the highest sign of respect in East Asian culture. However, you’ll have to pay to enter the emperor’s lavish palace first.
As with most free online slots developed by August Gaming, the number of paylines is fixed and cannot be adjusted. In total, there are 25 paylines to form winning combinations across, beginning on the leftmost reel.
Coin values range from a low limit of 0.01 credits up to a maximum of 1. As it’s possible to stake 1 to 100 coins on each payline, this means you can enter the emperor’s residence for as little as 0.25 credits. Meanwhile, those of you with deeper pockets can kowtow to the emperor by stumping up a lofty max bet of 2,500 credits each spin.
Not as Generous as You Might Expect
The emperor’s palace exhibits all the trappings of wealth you’d expect to surround someone of such power. This includes intricately designed folding room dividers and statues of dragons, all of which are made of pure gold. Such a lavish setting will probably have you feeling excited at the prospect of the emperor bestowing you with untold riches. So it’s understandable that you may feel a great sense of disappointment as soon as you cast your eyes on the pay table.
There are no prizes on offer for guessing the least valuable symbols in Hail the Emperor. Yep, you guessed it – playing card symbols. There are six in total, ranging from Ace through to 9. While we are used to seeing staggered payouts associated with playing cards, August Gaming offers a maximum of 50x your line bet for matching any of the six playing card symbols across these reels.
You can secure prizes worth up to 75x your line bet for matching any of the next four symbols that feature on the pay table. These include a red and gold-colored flag with a dragon silhouette printed on it, the emperor’s razor-sharp sword, a gold money toad, and the ferocious head-on view of a roaring tiger.
The highest-paying symbol in Hail the Emperor is represented by a dragon’s head, designed in the style of a costume you would see dancing through the streets during Chinese New Year celebrations. Line five of these dragon’s head symbols up to claim the top prize of 100x your line bet.
Long Live the Emperor
You might not be too thrilled about the payouts in this free Hail the Emperor slot, but the respin feature and free games will almost certainly hype you up. To trigger either of these bonus features, you’ll require a combination of special symbols on the reels. This is where the wild symbol and scatter symbol come into play.
Proudly appearing wearing his golden coronet crown, the emperor represents the wild symbol, which possesses the power to substitute for all regular symbols. He can appear on all but the first reel, but you’ll be hoping to see the emperor appear stacked on reel five. When this happens, the fifth reel locks in place as two respins occur. If the emperor graces you with his presence on the second, third or fourth reels during your first respin, he will lock in place for the second respin. These sticky wilds are key to banking big wins from this feature.
A dragon’s head on a black marble plinth represents the scatter symbol in Hail the Emperor. It’s key to triggering the free games feature, which is achieved by landing a scatter symbol on the first, third and fifth reels during the same spin. You’ll receive 12 free games, plus it’s possible to secure additional free games as the feature can be retriggered. That’s very generous, but it’s the addition of extra wild symbols to the reel set that makes this feature most appealing.
Who Was the Greatest Emperor in China?
That’s a loaded question that will always divide opinion. The one you consider to be the greatest could ultimately depend on who proves to be the most generous. And you’ll have ample opportunities to experience their open-handedness while playing at online casinos, with countless slots released being based on these powerful rulers.
If you’re a slots player who is deeply fascinated by the Ming dynasty, you’ve simply got to try Novomatic’s Dynasty of Ming slot machine. Despite its outdated appearance, it’s a 5-reeled slot that has plenty to offer fans of Chinese history. The Ming Emperor can deliver incredible wins worth up to 9,000x, plus he acts as a substituting wild symbol. If he takes a liking to you, he might even reward you with 15 free games and triple all of your wins.
As if an encounter with one Chinese emperor wasn’t exciting enough, just imagine meeting three of these magnanimous rulers at the same time. That’s exactly what happens when you spin the reels of 3 Emperors by Aristocrat. It’s part of a three-game series that has proven extremely popular at land-based casinos thanks to sensational graphics, a diverse range of bonus features, and striking symbols that boast big payouts. Emperors Shun, Yu and Yao are all on hand as they aim to outdo each other in the generosity department, so that you will consider them China’s greatest emperor.
Will This Emperor Prove Popular?
Emperors have long divided opinion, but we’ve got a feeling that every player will enjoy spinning the reels of Hail the Emperor. It might not be endowed with spectacular graphics or offer mind-blowing payouts, but you’ll be surprised at the frequency at which the respin feature triggers. Combine that with the additional wild symbols that are introduced during the free games, and it becomes clear why so many players are hailing this emperor as their all-time favorite.
