12 Animals Slots

Chinese folklore is a well-known source of inspiration for slot game developers, from the New Year celebrations and their loud fireworks to the more traditional wooden buildings and calligraphy works. In 12 Animals, the Nucleus Gaming team is focusing on the Chinese zodiac and delivers a stunning graphic environment that evolves right in front of your eyes as you spin the reels.

With high volatility and a 750,000-credit jackpot, 12 Animals is the perfect choice for ambitious players who want to take some risks on the reels in order to unlock the most interesting rewards possible. Add some free spins and other surprises on top and there you have the recipe for a successful slot game. Let’s see how 12 Animals behaves with our full review of the game.

Your Typical Chinese Village

12 Animals is taking players to a cute Chinese village somewhere in the mountains. The wooden buildings and their pointed roofs are decorated with red paper lanterns in a beautiful 3D environment, but the most impressive element here is the seasons. As you spin the reels, the background will change and adapt, from snow to blossoming flowers and so on, to imitate the cycle of the seasons.

This simple idea, coupled with impressive graphics, turns 12 Animals into one of the most beautiful slot game on the current market. We were really impressed by the graphic and audio quality of the game, and as you know first impressions can be crucial here.

Follow the Four Seasons

12 Animals is based on the same ground rules as any modern slot game. Use the buttons in the command bar to select your next wager to place on the 30 fixed paylines of the game, which are supported by 5 reels in total. You can go all-in with a click on the bet max button, or activate the autoplay mode to stick to the same wager for a moment and let the reels spin on their own, freely.

As mentioned earlier, 12 Animals clearly has a higher volatility than your average slot game, which can make it a little tougher to score cash prizes at times. Don’t give up and try to line up as many identical zodiac animals as you can. You have the sheep, roosters, rabbits and so on to choose from, and all of them can be worth up to 250 times your line bet.

Extra Ways to Win Big

The first bonus features in 12 Animals are rather classic, such as a wild card that takes the shape of a cute cat symbol. Wild combinations have the rare power to yield an impressive bonus prize of 50,000 credits as well. As for the Yin Yang symbols, they serve as scatters and can unlock a maximum of 20 free spins anywhere they land during the game. Blocks of identical animals appearing on the reels also release extra multipliers, up to x10.

As you keep the reels spinning, the seasonal wheel in the corner of the screen will start moving as well. It indicates when the seasons change, and which of the animals is the current golden symbol. A golden symbol is worth 10 times more than usual, with silver symbols adjacent worth 5 times more, and the bronze symbols worth twice as much. Keep an eye on the wheel to know which of the symbols are more valuable now, and you might get a chance to score the 750,000 credit jackpot of 12 Animals.

Not Easy to Find an Equivalent

Chinese slot games are not exactly rare on the market, but the one that is probably closest to 12 Animals is Chinese Zodiac by Agile Slots, for obvious reasons.

Moon Festival from Aristocrat also bears some similarities in terms of gameplay, and the same high-volatility environment, but nothing that comes close to this unique seasonal wheel feature.

A Slot Game You Have to Try out

12 Animals is clearly standing out on the slot game market, and for all the good reasons: good graphics, brilliant animations, original gameplay ideas and some big cash prizes to win.

Even though this Nucleus Gaming creation can prove quite challenging at times, its many redeeming quality will certainly turn it into a hit in no time at all.