Remember all those inspiring stories about the Japanese warriors, samurai? The men who feared no death, who put honor first, whose discipline is still widely known and respected. Each samurai had a master, but if by evil fortune they were deprived of a master, they would become ronins. A master-less ronin was not a highly desirable title, but with time it became more and more acceptable.

If you’re an admirer of this disciplined culture, and want to get involved in a ronin story, you should pay attention to RTG’s progressive video slot under the same name: “Ronin.” On its five reels, you’ll have a chance to see some of the traditional samurai items: wonderfully decorated horses, helmets, flags, and ronins. Its typical Japanese background only adds to already authentic overall impression. And the sounds will take you to a meditation session which prepared ronins for a new battle.

To be able to spin the reels and see what ronins have prepared for you, you’ll have to think about money first. The sums you can pick to place can go from $0.01 to $5 per coin. So, if you play on the maximum number of 20 lines, you’ll have quite a varied selection of bet amounts, going up to $100 per spin. But regardless of the differences in the bet sums, any amount can win you a progressive jackpot, which is growing bigger and bigger every second. As it is awarded completely randomly, there’s a chance to win it whenever the reels stop.

Wild & Scatter Symbol:

This may be defined as the most confusing part of the game. While everything else is clear, the number of wild symbols remains unknown. Since ronin is defined as a scatter symbol, you’d think it doesn’t replace other symbols. But it does. It substitutes for all other symbols except koku, which is another side of this perplexing wild/scatter symbol combination. Namely, koku is officially the wild symbol, which replaces all other symbols except scattered ronin. The only difference is that koku can be seen only on reel 3, and prizes derived with its help are doubled.

Special Features:

In case you receive a koku and two ronins anywhere, you stand a great chance at boosting your balance, because there are three features that this combination may trigger. One of them is a re-spin feature, in which reel 3 is held, and the others respin 3 to 10 times. And if you get 2 or more ronins during this feature, you will be awarded with additional 3 to 10 spins. The second is free games feature 1, in which you receive 5 free spins, with prize multiplier increasing with each spin (1x for the first, 2x for the second, etc.). This feature can be retriggered only once. Last but by no means the least comes free games feature 2, which will reward you with 25 free spins and 3x multiplier during those. Luckily, this one can be retriggered, which gives you more chances to win big.

It’s not all about money, though. This slot may yet drive you to do a little research on Japanese culture and bravery, and perhaps adopt some of the samurai stamina and peacefulness. So, even if you don’t win anything, you will be able to keep your calm, and this may as well be the most important lesson you learn in “Ronin.”

- reviewed by Latest Casino Bonuses, last updated 2011-04-02