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Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom Review
Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom slot is a captivating return to the enchanting world that first captured players' hearts. Part of the original Sakura Fortune's success lay in the ability to make an often niche Asian theme universally appealing. This new release follows in those footsteps, focusing on the beauty of cherry blossoms and offering a familiar yet enhanced gameplay experience.
While the first game featured a static backdrop, Epic Bloom delights with a dynamic scene where cherry blossom petals drift serenely behind the 5x4 grid, offering glimpses of a majestic mountain landscape. The reels are adorned with familiar symbols, now visually enhanced, including the 3 iconic characters and the lion and dragon statues, serving as the premiums. Coins of varying colors, each with a distinctive square hole at its center, represent the lower-paying symbols.
With a betting range from €0.1 to €100 per spin, the game caters to all types of gamblers. Wins are achieved by landing 3 to 5 matching symbols across any of the 40 paylines. While 5-of-a-kind wins pay between 1x and 10x your stake, landing 5 Princess Wilds awards a generous 20x your stake. The Princess Wild, substituting for any pay symbol, takes center stage with her ability to nudge fully in view to fill entire reels. Now landing on all 5 reels, just one fully visible Princess Wild triggers the respin feature.
Boasting a 96 % RTP, slightly above the industry average, this high volatility slot offers Extra Bet and Bonus Buy features for eligible players. The Princess Wilds always nudge fully in place during the bonus round, but the game's true highlight is the brand new Epic Bloom super bonus. Here, each Princess Wild can be enhanced by a multiplier of up to x100. While the 10,000x max win is in a different league than the original, it remains well below Sakura Fortune 2's potential. That being said, Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom game gracefully succeeds in its purpose of revamping the beloved theme and mechanics for a new generation of players.
Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom Features
Fans of the original game will recognize the features in Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom slot, but there is plenty of new stuff and enhancements to cover. Let’s dive in!
Extra Bet (not UK)
Eligible players can turn on the Extra Bet feature between base game spins. Keeping it on means you pay twice your regular stake, with the benefit of increasing your chances of landing the Princess Wilds. This also increases your bonus round chances, but how much is unfortunately not specified.
Princess Wild Nudge Feature
The Princess Wild symbol can appear on any reel, and this 1x4-sized symbol may land fully or partially in view. If it lands partially in view, it may nudge fully in place to cover the whole reel. This triggers the Sakura Respin feature, and it may also help trigger either of the bonus rounds.
Sakura Fortune Respins
Whenever at least one Princess Wild appears fully in view, it becomes sticky as the remaining reels respin. Scatters and Super Scatters are also sticky for the respin, and landing a new Princess Wild fully in view on a respin awards another respin with both wilds sticky. This respin feature can potentially fill the screen with wilds.
Sakura Fortune Free Spins
Princess Wilds fully in view substitute for bonus scatters, and 3, 4, or 5 of either, or a combo of both, triggers the regular Bonus Round with 8, 12, or 16 free spins, respectively. Princess Wilds always nudges fully in place during the bonus round, and this awards a respin. All Princess Wilds remain sticky for the duration of the free spins feature, and you also win +1 extra free spin per Princess Wild that lands.
Epic Bloom Free Spins
If one of the triggering bonus scatters is a Super Bonus Scatter, you get the Epic Bloom Bonus Round instead of the regular feature. You still get 8, 12, or 16 free spins, and the Super Scatter can land on reel 5 only. The big difference from the regular free spins round is that Princess Wilds triggers a multiplier wheel spin, boosting any win on the current spin and the respin by either x2, x3, x5, or x100. If you land a new Princess Wild on the respin, you’re guaranteed to get a multiplier of the same value or higher.
Pre-Bonus Gamble Feature (not UK)
If you don’t win the maximum of 16 free spins organically from the triggering spin, eligible players can gamble to get up to that amount of free spins. You then risk losing the bonus round, so this is something to the cautious with.
Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom Bonus Buy (not UK)
The Bonus Buy menu is available on the left-hand side, right below the Extra Bet feature. Eligible players can pay 80x the stake to get at least 3 triggering scatters, or 160x the stake to get the Super Bonus with at least 2 triggering scatters and 1 super scatter.
Pros and Cons of Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Enhanced visuals compared to the original game | Beware of adjustable RTP settings |
| Extra Bet and Bonus Buy features added (not UK) | |
| Princess Wild Nudge and Respin at random times | |
| FS w/ sticky full-reel Wilds + respin + extra free spin | |
| Super FS w/ up to x100 multiplier boost per Wild | |
| Win up to 10,000x your stake |
Our Verdict
Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom casino slot is a triumphant return to the origins of the beloved Sakura Fortune series. While Sakura Fortune 2 ventured into new territory, Epic Bloom acts as an enhanced remake of the original, finally delivering a math model worthy of the game’s popularity and iconic status. The decision to opt for a lower max win than in Sakura Fortune 2 is a wise one, keeping the sequel as a viable option despite not quite reaching the popularity of the first game.
Visually, Epic Bloom is a stunning spectacle, though in my humble opinion, it does not surpass Sakura Fortune 2 in sheer aesthetic appeal. The game definitely lives up to its name though, with a profusion of cherry blossoms that almost overwhelm the tranquil mountain backdrop. This became particularly noticeable during the bonus round, where the whole grid moves through a forest of cherry trees. It can slightly detract from the gameplay until you get used to it, but it's a minor quibble in an otherwise beautifully crafted game.
The gameplay in Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom surpasses the original in every way, thanks to the enhanced features. Triggering the respin feature now only requires one Princess Wild fully in view, and the wild can land on all 5 reels. These seemingly minor tweaks have a major impact, opening the door to full-screen wild wins and significantly increasing the game's excitement. Additionally, the bonus round is upgraded with both a respin and +1 extra free spin awarded per Princess Wild. The added Epic Bloom bonus round, with its possible multiplier boosts of up to x100, further amplifies the thrill of this release.
Overall, Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom is a worthy successor to the original, carrying its legacy forward while allowing Sakura Fortune 2 to stand on its own merits. With its enhanced features, engaging gameplay, amped-up math model, and solid 10,000x max win, Epic Bloom breathes new life into the series. Being fans of the original, despite its max win shortcomings, we are highly satisfied with this enhanced version, and we’re confident most fans of the original cult classic will feel the same way.
