Koi Princess

The graphical style of an online slot has been something that companies like Net Entertainment have brought more attention to than virtually any other company out there. While some companies specialize in 3D slots, NetEnt has an approach that's more about fitting an appropriate visual style to the game's theme. The Koi Princess slot is a good example of this approach in action because its in-depth manga- and anime-inspired graphics perfectly fit the Asian princess theme.

Game Layout

The layout of this game is pretty straight-forward. You have 20 paylines across a grid of five reels with three rows. Net Entertainment is good about using common formats like this and creating gameplay that stands out instead of having to rely on atypical layouts to get attention from players. In terms of bet sizes, players can adjust the coin value from $0.01 upward, and this puts a minimum bet size of $0.20 per spin on the game. In addition to this, you can get up to 10 coins placed on each payline, and that gives you more precise control over the specific bet size used.

Symbol Set

There are a few different sets of symbols that drive the gameplay. You have a handful of dragons at the top end of the normal symbols that give you a range of payouts. These dragons are stylized perfectly to fit with the theme of the game, though it's clear that no individual symbol really stands out for being out of place in this slot.

On the low end of the scale, there are the A, K, Q, J and 10 symbols that round out the smallest payouts. A lot of casino software developers will use these symbols out of laziness because they don't want to come up with something new for the game. However, NetEnt has used them in this game in a way that really makes sense, and it would feel awkward without having them. They are appropriately stylized in different colors so that they don't really run together with each other, as is the case with games from some other developers.

The wild water symbol shows up on all five reels, and it gives you a lot of chances to hit multi-line wins that you wouldn't have captured otherwise. Sometimes it will appear stacked two at a time, but it isn't really a stacked wild in the traditional sense, and this isn't a feature that they've publicized as being important.

Bonus Features

Now here's where things get really interesting for the Koi Princess slot. Before random spins, you'll get a choice between three different fish that can give you different features for the very next spin. For example, you can get what's known as a "hit" feature based on a number of matching symbols that are pushed across a given payline.

In the case of a 5-hit for the sake of example, a payline is chosen, and then the set of symbols are spun on a wheel. Whichever symbol comes up is placed all across those spots on the payline, in this case all five spots, and the rest of the symbols are chosen normally. This gives a guaranteed payout, obviously, but it also makes it easier to hit other wins along other paylines with this symbol.

A special dragon bonus symbol can show up on the reels, and three or more will take you to a special screen where a bonus feature is chosen. One type of feature you can get are guaranteed win free spins where you'll win a payout of at least 20x if your free spin doesn't come up with a winning combination. This is a cool way to give players extra value they wouldn't get otherwise.

Overview

The Koi Princess slot might be the most feature-packed game that we've ever seen. It's one of the NetEnt slots that stands out the most just because of the sheer number of features that are available in it, but its graphical style and attention to detail in how these graphics have been presented is also impressive. Overall and without exaggeration, this game will probably stand as one of Net Entertainment's most influential titles of the decade.