88 Fortunes Review

88 Fortunes Theme and Design

Casino slots featuring an Asian theme are nothing new, particularly those exploring China’s rich culture. But this familiarity is part of the reason why such games always prove so successful. Aside from the visually pleasing design, players usually understand what’s required of them right away.

Design

As you’d expect from a Chinese-themed game, you’ll see plenty of gold on a predominantly red backdrop. These colours are hugely significant in many Asian cultures. Red is associated with good luck and happiness, while gold implies wealth and success. So naturally, both are perfect for a slot machine.

To the left of the 5×3 reel grid is a credit meter and bet size selector, with the four available jackpots on the top right. Just below these is the button to start spinning, with a handy autoplay feature underneath. You’ll also find an information button, which reveals the paytable and game rules, plus a settings option to toggle demo play and sounds.

Symbols

The most important of all 88 Fortunes icons is the Fu Bat. It features a vibrant Chinese letter surrounded by four red bats, and it serves as the game’s Wild symbol. Landing 3 of these triggers the Fu Bat Feature, offering a chance to win a jackpot. We’ll discuss this further later on.

The game’s lowest-paying symbols are the standard playing card icons from 9 through A. Then there are five different gold symbols, all of which are much more valuable. Whether or not these are available on the reels is determined by you. As previously explained, increasing your credit spend unlocks more gold symbols.

Finally, the highest-paying symbol of all is the Gong. This predominantly green icon features a gold-coloured gong surrounded by a red frame. If you can find at least 3 Gong symbols, you’ll unlock the bonus spins feature and some potentially big wins.

Sound and Music

The in-game sounds are fairly basic, with generic clacking sounds indicating that you’ve successfully pressed various buttons. You’ll hear a similar noise when the reels come to rest after each spin. However, the Chinese-style soundtrack, complete with crashing gongs, is very catchy and really adds to the fun.

Tips and Tricks to Winning at 88 Fortunes

There are no guaranteed tricks to beat 88 Fortunes since the game is completely random. But here are two valuable tips that might increase your chances of winning:

Bet The Maximum

Naturally, there are bankroll considerations here. Don’t risk cash you cannot afford to lose. However, playing with all five gold symbols active not only unlocks the biggest of the four jackpots. But it also increases the likelihood of the Fu Bat symbol appearing. Thus, it is the best strategy for winning at 88 Fortunes.

Practice Makes Perfect

Play the 88 Fortunes demo mode before risking real money. Our recommended casinos permit this, and it allows you to learn the rules, minimizing potential losses from mistakes.

Variations of 88 Fortunes

This review focuses on the classic version of 88 Fortunes, although others have been released since; 88 Fortunes Classic, 88 Fortunes Megaways, and 88 Fortunes Emperor’s Coins.

88 Fortunes Classic

The original slot game was released in 2016 by Shuffle Master, a division of Bally Technologies. Bally was acquired by Scientific Games in 2014. And in 2022, Scientific Games rebranded as Light & Wonder. This is why you’ll often see reviews of the 88 Fortunes slots series listing one or more of these software developers.

88 Fortunes Megaways

Launched in October 2019, this remake of the classic version comes packed with new features. For example, there’s a cascading reels mechanism where winning symbols are removed from the grid. This creates space for new ones to appear and rack up additional combinations and payouts.

Additionally, 88 Fortunes Megaways features greatly enhanced sounds and graphics, befitting a more modern casino slot game. There’s also a greater choice of betting options, broadening the game’s appeal for players with a larger bankroll.

However, the most notable improvement is undoubtedly the thrilling Megaways mechanic. This supplies the potential for up to 117,649 ways to win, a significant increase from the 243 found in the original title.

88 Fortunes Emperor’s Coins

This particular version is one of several land-based slot machines produced by this developer and was released in June 2017.

It offers Minor and Major fixed jackpots, along with a progressive free games meter. But most exciting of all, there’s the Grand Jackpot, which triggers with a combination of three Fu Bat wilds. This particular prize is a progressive jackpot, a feature not seen in other versions of 88 Fortunes.