Shadow of the Panther: Feature-Rich Game Could Pay Off

Do you remember the famous sci-fi TV series Space 1999, where the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha adopted an attractive shape-shifting alien called Mya who could transform herself into a wide variety of animals?

Well in the Shadow of the Panther slot, we are guided through our spins by the eponymous hero; a man who is part human and part panther. His handsome visage is punctured by three slash marks down his face. A legacy perhaps of a dust-up with another of the jungle’s most spectacular feline predators?

All in all, it is a strange premise for a slot, but does it work? Let’s take a closer look and find out.

Overview: Shadow of the Panther

One of the first things that you will notice about the Shadow of the Panther slot is that it is absolutely packed to the brim with features. The slot may initially look like a rather standard 30-payline 5×3 reel slot, but once you start the reels spinning, it is quickly evident that there is a lot more to the game than you find on a typical slot.

The 30 paylines are selectable. You can wager as little as $0.01 up to a maximum of $30 per spin, if you play the maximum coin size and the maximum number of lines. The top base game jackpot per payline is 1,000 coins, but you can trigger this across many different paylines, radically increasing the size of your potential total win.

Who will the Shadow of the Panther slot appeal to?

While I wouldn’t say this is a slot that has a supernatural feel in a way that something like Mythic Maiden or Lost Vegas. This is definitely a slot which is based in the fantasy genre. Fans of any slot games that involve werewolves, vampires, or similar (of which there are many), will certainly enjoy this slot. There’s also a strong environmental element too, so fans of more natural slots will also get something from this.

However, there’s no doubt that the biggest attraction of this slot is the fact that it is brim full of some fantastic features and bonus free spins that will certainly attract plenty of players to the slot. Although the jackpot size isn’t huge per payline, the fact that this can be triggered across many paylines at one (up to 30 if you are lucky enough) means that this can offer a significant cash prize, especially in the free spins round.

Gameplay: Shadow of the Panther

The first thing to do on the Shadow of the Panther slot is to select your number of paylines (maximum is always the best option). Then choose the size of your bet, which can range from $0.01 per payline up to $1 per payline. This means with all paylines in play, you can bet from $0.30 up to $30.00 per spin.

The symbols on the reels are a mixture of the usual lower value playing card symbols (Queen, King, and Ace). Then there are medium value symbols (which are the three precious stones, Ruby, Sapphire, and Amber). Finally, there are the higher value symbols. These include the two panther symbols (blue- and green-tinged), the black panther symbol (purple-tinged) and the Shadow of the Panther character symbol.

Additional symbols

There are two other symbols on the reels, the Scatter symbol and the Wild. The Wild symbol (the Shadow of the Panther logo) substitutes for all the low, medium, and higher value symbols to complete paylines. It also offers the chance at the maximum base game line prize of 1,000 coins if you can land five Wilds on a single payline.

During the base game, it won’t take you long to realize that there are a couple of big features in operation on every spin. The first of these is the Split Symbols feature.

What this means is that the higher value symbols can be either one symbol, or two symbols across in a single space on the reels. This means that if you land a two symbol on the first reel and the same one symbol on the second, then this counts as three symbols and you earn a payout. By landing more two symbols on the reels, you can increase the value of your wins.

The other feature that is immediately apparent is the Super Stacked Symbol feature. What happens here is that on every spin, one of the symbols in the game (apart from the Scatter symbol) is super stacked across the reels. The symbol that is super-stacked is randomly selected on every spin and this can include the Wild symbol.

This feature, when triggered across the reels, can result in some of the biggest total wins as it can trigger multiple paylines. When you land several of the same symbol right across the reels, the total win on a spin can be huge.

Bonus features

The other key feature of the slot is the Free Games Bonus. This is triggered when you land five or more the Scatter symbols (a golden panther idol) on the reels. However, Scatter symbols can be split symbols. So one scatter symbol can count as two. Land between five and eight of these symbols on a spin and you trigger between 5 and 15 free spins.

During Free Spins the number of symbols that are super stacked on the reels is reduced to the high paying symbols. This offers you a better chance of a bigger win. In addition, you need to land fewer of the split symbols than you do in the base game in order to win a larger amount of money. All of which means that the Free Spins round can be particularly lucrative.

Special features: Shadow of the Panther

Super Stacked symbols

During the base game any symbol can be super stacked on the reels to create the potential for big wins across numerous paylines. During free spins only the four higher value symbols can be super stacked to increase the potential value of these wins.

Free Spins

Land between five and eight of the golden panther idol scatter symbols on the reels (you can land two on one symbol space using split symbols) and you trigger between 5 and 15 free spins.

Split symbols

The higher value symbols and scatter symbol can operate as split symbols in the base game and free spins round.This offers you the chance to hit two symbols when you land a split symbol on the reel, rather than just a standard single symbol.

What works?

Super Stacked Symbols

Having one of the symbols super stacked on every reel can result in some of the best and most valuable base game wins. It’s the feature which can unlock some of the biggest possible wins in the free spins round too.

Split symbols

The Split Symbol works well, especially on the many lower value wins when hitting a symbol and a split symbol on the first two reels can result in an unexpected small payout.

Regular wins on multiple paylines

Shadow of the Panther is a slot that is definitely a more lower variance game. Wins are relatively common. There’s a good mix of lower to medium sizes wins, although you can hit runs of spins at times when the reels don’t quite turn out as you would like.

What doesn’t?

Free Spins hard to hit

There does seem to be an awful lot of “near miss” spins where you land three or four of the golden panther symbols across the reels, but miss out on hitting that fifth crucial one to trigger the bonus game. Landing six, seven or eight is even rarer.

Bigger wins generally rare

Although you can get a nice mix of lower value wins and up to medium value wins, bigger wins are generally much rarer. However, if you can hit one, then you can win a significant amount, especially if the Super Stacked Symbols are used across the reels.

Very small wins for single lines

During the base game some of the wins for lower and medium value symbols are very small. These only account for a fraction of your total bet. This means that even if you’re winning you end up losing money.

The scores

[wp-review id=”7693″]

Graphics & soundtrack 3/5

The graphics and soundtrack on the Shadow of the Panther slot are very nicely done. There’s some nice cut away scenes when you trigger some of the bigger wins using higher value symbols. However there’s nothing truly groundbreaking with either of the features, but they do the task well.

Originality & creativity 4/5

As a 5×3 reel, 30 payline slot goes, Shadow of the Panther has a number of excellent features that make it relatively original. These include the Super Stacked Symbols, split symbols and the stacked wild feature. Add to this a decent free spins round

Play value 4/5

The return-to-player rate on the Shadow of the Panther slot is very decent. This is a game that does reward players frequently with a nice mix of lower value and medium sized wins, though the bigger wins are far more difficult to hit.

Jackpot potential 3/5

Payline jackpot is only a maximum of 1,000 coins. But you could trigger that 30 times on a single spin, so the overall jackpot size is potentially much bigger. It’s the combination of wins that can lead to a much greater reward than is available on individual paylines.

Repeat play 4/5

With the sheer number of features on the slot and the fact that you can win decent amounts regularly frequently, the Shadow of the Panther slot is certainly one people will try and then come back to play time and time again.

Total score: 18/25

The Shadow of the Panther is a hugely enjoyable slot packed with features and a potentially lucrative, but variable, free spins round. This is a slot that will be enjoyed regularly thanks to this clever combination of features.