The Legend of Shangri-La Cluster Pays is the second mobile slot from NetEnt that features the Cluster Pays concept. For those of you who are wondering what this is, NetEnt has introduced a new concept of rewarding its players in the base game. Gone are the traditional paylines, which are instead replaced by the new and trendy cluster system.
At GoWin, we welcome changes with an open mind and heart and we feel that NetEnt trying to change one of the most traditional aspects of a slot will only drive the industry forward. Following this, more developers will be inclined to keep up with the innovation to not be left behind. The results? Better games for all of us and we can’t be more delighted.
Gameplay Screenshots
The Legend of Shangri-La Mobile Slot Game Mechanics
The Legend of Shangri-La Cluster Pays has a reel layout of 6×5 and obviously no set paylines. Instead, you win money by creating clusters. Winning clusters are formed when you get at least nine of the same symbols positioned horizontally or vertically to each other. It goes without saying, the bigger your winning cluster, the higher your wins.
Theoretically speaking, the biggest cluster that you can possible get will be the size of your reels and if you are lucky enough to get that, you will be rewarded a staggering 10,000x your spin wager! This is pretty much the Jackpot in this game if you did ask me.
This game accepts wagers starting from 10p all the way up to £200 per spin. You can set your wagers on the bottom of your reels by adjusting the values of the coins in play. Looking at the wagering range, it is suffice to say that it will be wide enough to accommodate all types of players, regardless of how much they can afford to spend at their favourite online casino.
One thing that caught my attention is the exceptionally high Return to Player (RTP) rate in this game. Set at 96.6%, you can be sure that you wouldn’t need to put in much effort to maintain your bank balance and if you are able to trigger the bonus features every now and then, you will be walking home with some extra cash in your pockets. Payouts are also quite frequent in this game, albeit with slightly smaller amounts.
Bonus Features
You will find four different bonus features in Shangri-La Cluster Pays including the substitution symbol. They come in the form of green orb symbols and almost function like Wilds as they may transform into an adjacent symbol to form a winning cluster. There are also stacked symbols in this game. Only the high paying tiger, elephant and monkey symbols come stacked and when they do, they stand two symbols high.
Next up is the Monk feature and in my opinion, it's the most entertaining feature in this game. The red panda on the side of your reels will randomly trigger this feature and once it is activated, it may give you any of the following boosts:
- Substitution symbols – You will be randomly rewarded any number of substitution symbols on your reels
- Sticky Re-spin – Any symbol can be chose to remain sticky on your reels, until you win
- Nudge Reels – If you are lacking one more scatter symbol to trigger the free spins, the Monk may nudge your reels to help you get you just that
Here comes a NetEnt classic – the Free Spins! To trigger this feature, you will need a minimum of three scatter symbols that come in the form of the Shangri La map symbols. In specific, three, four, five and six scatters will respectively give you five, six, seven and eight free spins. That’s not all!
Together with your free spins, NetEnt will throw in at least three substitution symbols on your screen that will help boost your wins significantly. It’s not all roses and sunshine though – after each spin, a dragon will pop out and destroy as many substitution symbols as it wants on your reels.
User Interface And Gaming Experience
From my experience playing this game, one of the aspects that pushed it to a whole new league from other slots is its crispness in animations. Especially in reels as big as these, the smallest flaw or lag may potentially ruin the whole gaming experience.
I loved how after every win, the winning cluster will light up in flames to indicate both the size of the cluster and your wins. Of course, being a NetEnt production, all the graphics and symbols in this game have been designed to perfection. I’d dare say that Shangri-La Cluster Pays is one of the best looking slots of 2017.
Optimizing this slot for mobile gameplay must have been a nightmare. The reels are bigger than usual and if left as is, the user experience would have been impacted quite severely. That would have been particularly the case on smaller screened mobile phones. Fortunately, this slot is fully mobile optimized and is compatible on all types of devices regardless of platforms.
So, Here's Our Take On This Game
To put shortly, I enjoyed every minute (and penny) spent playing this game. Through the new concept of Cluster Pays instead of paylines, the reels offered a healthy and frequent amount of wins. Add to the fact that every win celebration is glorious with the winning cluster going up in flames, the gaming experience of Shangri-La Cluster Pays is simply sublime. It’s the little thrills, you know. This slot is a solid performer in every way imaginable.