First Dynasty Slot Review

Ancient China boasts one of the most fascinating histories in the world and now you can discover it for yourself in First Dynasty by Merkur Gaming. The 5-reel video slot features just 5 paylines, making it quite difficult for spinners to line up those all important winning combinations.

Nevertheless, spinners will get a bit of help to build up their betting balances thanks to a special expanding wild symbols and a scatter icon that triggers free spins with sticky symbols. Will you be able to uncover the wealth and riches of the First Dynasty of China. The average return to player rate of this slot machine is 96.00%.

The Beginning of History

In the West, we often think of ancient history by harking back to the days of Ancient Greece, Rome and the Egyptians. But there is much more the history of the human world than pyramids, Socrates and Roman armies, and if you want to discover more then you just have to look eastwards to China. In fact, it is often claimed that China is one of the world’s oldest nation states, with some historians claiming that the Asian country as we know it today was established in 221 BC.

However, the cultural history of China dates back well before that date, with various dynasties and kingdoms existing for hundreds of years prior. This slot machine is named First Dynasty after the Xia dynasty which is believed to be the first kingdom of traditional Chinese history. Even then, some historians contend that the Xia dynasty is more of a legend and a real historical empire.

This Merkur slot machine invites players to discover the mysteries of this semi-mythological realm by presenting some remarkably stunning artefacts upon the reels. There are stone carvings of war horses, chariots and thrones as well as some imperious carvings of long gone emperors. The visual quality of the game is certainly of the highest order, with good use of the colours red, black and gold to depict the luxury and splendour of Ancient Chinese palaces.

The Riches of Ancient China

With just 5 paylines present on the reels, it is very unlikely that spinners of this game will come across a winning combination with every other spin. In fact, this high volatility slot machine by Merkur requires a little bit of patience before the prizes start to come.

Just because the game has a high variance level, it doesn’t necessarily entail that the prizes will be bigger than usual. In fact, the top jackpot of this online video slot is somewhat disappointing, weighing in at just 1,500x the value of the bet per line when five throne symbols line up on a payline. The paytable in general is quite underwhelming for a game that doesn’t offer frequent wins, with some of the lower paying symbols – 10, J and Q – all awarding line bet multipliers of 100x when five align.

Likewise, the range of bets available in this online slot machine are far from mind-blowing. The minimum total bet that is permitted is a measly 0.05 credits while the biggest potential stake is capped at just 10.00 credits. As such, this Ancient Chinese slot is not ideal for high rollers.

Bonus Dynasty

So, this high variance video slot may not pay big when the wins eventually come along, but it is still worth a punt. Why? The reason is that the game features a couple of special bonus games, both of which provide every opportunity for players to rack up some big wins.

The first of these bonus gameplay elements involves two wild symbols – both of which are represented by the stone emperor and warrior. These two wilds will appear all over the reels with the power to replace standard game icons to create winning combinations on any of the 5 paylines. However, if three wilds appear on the reels, then they will all expand to reveal the characters in all of their glory. This also means that there is a very high chance for some prizes to the paid.

Players can also hope to win some free spins in this slot machine. All that they need to do is find two stone emperors on the first and fifth reel and 10 free games will be activated. And that’s not all, because the emperor icons will stick on the reels throughout the duration of the bonus feature, giving players every chance to line up some wins while not spending a wager.

The Final Verdict

First Dynasty opens up one of the most fascinating chapters of world history to fans of online slot machines. With just 5 paylines and a top jackpot of 1,500x, the game might not appeal to punters who want big prizes coming their way thick and fast. However, the online video slot does have a couple of exciting bonus features to keep punters happy.