Introduction to 88 Lucky Coins
88 Lucky Coins is a casino slot from Iconic21. This Romanian developer started out as a live casino provider in 2024 and has now begun releasing its own slot games. However, we recently played Sugar Kingdom Bonanza and realized that it’s almost a copy of Pragmatic Play’s Sugar Rush 1000. At first glance, 88 Lucky Coins resembles Light & Wonder’s ten-year-old 88 Fortunes. The game revolves around traditional Chinese lucky numbers and the Fu character. Let’s see what this Chinese-inspired slot revolves around.
To get a better understanding of the game, you can play the free demo of 88 Lucky Coins at the top of this review.
Theme, Gameplay, and Payouts
88 Lucky Coins is a video slot from Iconic21 with 5 reels, 3 rows, and 243 ways to win. The Min.bet is 0.1, and the Max.bet is 25. The game’s default RTP is 96.01%, but you can also play a version of 94.03%. 88 Lucky Coins has mid-high volatility and a max win capped at 10,000x the bet. The hit frequency is 21.98%.
88 Lucky Coins takes us straight to a traditional Chinese setting. The shining floor has a red carpet, and to the sides are red Chinese buildings. In front of them are two golden lions on pedestals. The dark red reels in the middle of the screen have a golden frame,, and above them is a display of the four jackpots, each next to a smiling child's face. To make a win, you need to land 3 or more matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting on the first reel to the left. The game is available on mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers.
The lower-paying symbols in 88 Lucky Coins are 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A. They pay 1x the bet for a complete winline. The higher-paying symbols are coins, bowls, turtles, ships, birds, and gongs. These symbols will give you between 2x and 20x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind win. The Coins can also award cash prizes. The Wild Symbol substitutes all the mentioned symbols in making winning combinations.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot 88 Lucky Coins?
You can win up to 10,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot 88 Lucky Coins?
The features are Scatter Symbols, Wild Fu Bat Symbol, Coin Symbols, Regular Free Spins, Enhanced Free Spins, Pick Bonus Game, Ante Bet, and Feature Buy.
Scatter Symbols
There are two types of scatter symbols in the game: Gong Wheel Scatter and Gong Scatter. You trigger the Free Spins by landing 3 or more scatter symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, starting from the first reel. A combination of scatter symbols and the Wild Fu Bat symbol can also activate the feature.
The type of Free Spins awarded depends on the symbols that trigger the feature. If the combination contains only Gong Scatter symbols, or Gong Scatter symbols together with the Fu Bat symbol, Standard Free Spins are awarded.
If the triggering combination includes at least one Gong Wheel Scatter symbol, you’ll trigger the Enhanced Free Spins.
Wild Fu Bat Symbol
The Fu Bat symbol works as a Wild and can replace all regular symbols to help create winning combinations. It appears on reels 2, 3, and 4, and not only stands in for other symbols but can also randomly trigger the Pick Bonus Game.
Coin Symbols
Coin symbols can display different cash values. When a Coin symbol is part of a winning combination, you receive both the regular win and the combined cash values of the Coin Symbols.
Regular Free Spins
You trigger 10 regular Free Spins by landing 3 or more Gong Scatter symbols, or a combination of Gong Scatter symbols and the Fu Bat symbol. You play the feature on special reels with only higher-paying symbols, Gong Scatters, and Fu Bat Symbols.
If you land 3 or more Gong Scatter symbols, or a combination of Gong Scatter symbols and the Fu Bat symbol, you receive 10 additional free spins.
Enhanced Free Spins
The Enhanced Free Spins are triggered when 3 or more scatter symbols land on adjacent reels from left to right, starting from the first reel, with at least one of them being a Gong Wheel Scatter symbol. A combination of scatter symbols and the Fu Bat symbol can also help trigger this feature.
You start the feature with 10 spins, but before you get to play them, you’ll be taken to the Bonus Wheel Feature. The wheel can award extra free spins, instant cash prizes, or increase the values displayed on Coin symbols. There’s also a chance that all values on the wheel increase after it spins.
The feature has special reels with only higher-paying symbols, Gong Scatter symbols, and Fu Bat symbols. Landing 3 or more Gong Scatter symbols, or a combination of scatter symbols and the Fu Bat symbol, awards 10 extra free spins.
Pick Bonus Game
The Pick Bonus Game can be randomly triggered during the base game whenever the Fu Bat symbol appears. The feature presents you with 12 covered Coin symbols, and your job is to select them one at a time.
Collecting 3 matching jackpot symbols awards the corresponding jackpot prize. The available jackpots are Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand, which pay 10x, 25x, 250x, and 5,000x your bet. After a jackpot is awarded, there is a random chance that the feature will continue, allowing you to make more selections until another jackpot is won. If the feature does not continue, the bonus game ends.
Each jackpot can only be won once.
Ante Bet
The Ante Bet feature doubles your bet and gives you a 3x higher chance of triggering the bonus games. The paytable doesn’t change by activating this feature.
Feature Buy
You have three options in the Feature Buy. You can pay 30x the bet to play the Pick Game, 50x the bet to play the regular Free Spins, and 100x the bet to play the Enhanced Free Spins.
Final Thoughts on 88 Lucky Coins
After spending some time with 88 Lucky Coins, it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’ve seen this game before. In fact, many players will probably recognize more than a few similarities to older Chinese-themed slots, particularly Light & Wonder’s 88 Fortunes. While there’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from a classic, 88 Lucky Coins rarely does enough to establish its own identity.
The game offers a couple of interesting features with two Free Spin modes, a Pick Game, and Coins that can award cash prizes on top of awarding regular wins. The problem is that none of these mechanics feel particularly fresh or exciting. Most of them have been used countless times over the past decade, making the overall experience feel dated rather than nostalgic.
In fact, 88 Lucky Coins not only copies all the regular symbols from 88 Fortunes, but also the Fu Bat Symbol. One of the few differences is that this release comes with Enhanced Free Spins, and the max win of 10,000x the bet is higher than in Light&Wonder’s ten-year-old game.
88 Lucky Coins from Iconic21 is a functional slot that delivers exactly what you would expect and very little more. There are many stronger and more original Chinese-themed games to be found.
