Sword of Shoguns review
Thunderkick released Sword of Shoguns on 14 June 2023, with a launch party on 3 July. An ancient sword, a sign of bravery and honour, awaits the next great shogun. A temple gate and stairs stand against a pink mountain sunrise, crimson maples and paper lanterns. Reels show samurai equipment and carved Q, K, A, 10 and 9 tiles; the top symbol resembles a golden warrior.
Heights shuffle, ways stay constant
Six reels receive heights of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 in random order. Their product always gives 5,040 ways and their sum 27 cells. There are 720 arrangements, but random order alone does not confirm equal probabilities. Combinations run from reel 1 left to right; each way pays its longest combination.
The configuration does not label symbol names or the exact multiplier units, so rows use numbers. The top symbol pays from two and the others from three; the bottom three share their values. The fact that 5,040 × 5.0 matches the game maximum does not itself confirm payout units.
| Symbol | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol 1, top | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 5.0 |
| Symbol 2 | none | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.0 |
| Symbol 3 | none | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| Symbol 4 | none | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.2 |
| Symbol 5 | none | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| Symbol 6 | none | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Symbol 7 | none | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Symbol 8 | none | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Symbols 9, 10, 11 | none | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
The sword and expanding symbols
Sword is both Wild and Scatter. It substitutes in the base game and bonus but does not contribute to expanding-symbol payouts. Three swords randomly award 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 or 12 free spins; a retrigger adds 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7. Heights from the triggering spin remain throughout the bonus.
A random non-sword symbol is selected initially and shown below the reels. Up to four can be obtained during a round. They expand once per reel per spin, only if this creates a win; reels need not be adjacent. After all four activate, the sword leaves the strips. Retrigger conditions, symbol addition and their probabilities are not fully described.
The bonus uses the triggering stake, which cannot change during a round. Wins add together and are shown at the end. Malfunctions void affected bets and payouts. Reaching 25,200x ends the round with no further payouts, and normal animations may be skipped. The configuration figure 18,668,297 has no units and does not confirm cap odds.
The buy and win tiers
A 120x buy starts a spin with a guaranteed bonus and ordinary paytable payouts but may be unavailable in some markets. The demo lists 96.40% buy RTP and 96.15% regular RTP; volatility is very high. Hit and bonus frequencies and the weights of starting spin counts and symbol picks are undisclosed.
Win-tier names use the total stake: Mini 0–1x, Small 1x–5x, Medium 5x–20x, Big 20x–50x, Mega 50x–100x, Ultra 100x–250x and Thunder from 250x. Eager Beavers starts at heights of 2–5 and grows ways through cascades to a million, with 94.29% RTP and a 10,000x maximum. Book of Dead also selects a symbol before its bonus, but only one. Sakura Fortune also uses a Japanese theme.
Thunderkick is an independent Stockholm studio founded in 2012. Its August 2024 statement described over 80 staff working in-house; Thunderkick AB and Thunderkick Malta Ltd list British commission licences.
