Mystery of the Orient: Slot Overview

Software provider Pragmatic Play joined forces with partner studio Wild Streak Gaming to create Mystery of the Orient. The name itself hints at what you’re getting: “Orient” points to the Asian-inspired setting, while “Mystery” references the mystery symbols that play a key role in reaching Mystery of the Orient’s Grand prize. Beyond that, the game is fairly straightforward and probably won’t surprise anyone who’s already comfortable with this style of slot.

Visually, it’s very clear what lane the game is in. The reels sit in front of pixel-like rocky scenery, cherry blossom-style trees, and a sword-wielding female warrior in a flowing red robe. It has a bit of a Sakura Fortune vibe, along with that slightly land-based look Wild Streak Gaming titles can sometimes have. You’ll either like the aesthetic or you won’t—no great secret there.

Mystery of the Orient gives players 243 ways to win in the base game, with the potential for that total to rise during free spins when reels expand. Initially, the setup is 5 reels with 3 rows each. Wins are paid for left-to-right symbol combinations starting from the first reel. Rated 4.5 out of 5, Mystery of the Orient is a highly volatile slot, although during the review it triggered the bonus round more frequently than expected, and it offers a maximum RTP of 96%. This applies when betting 25 p/c to $/€125 per spin or when purchasing free spins, where available.

On the symbol front, Pragmatic Play/Wild Streak Gaming’s team has gone with flowing 9-A card royals for the low pays, while the premium icons include an instrument, sword, a box, tiger, and the warrior woman. A five-of-a-kind win pays 0.8 to 1.6 times the stake for low symbols or 2 to 4 times the stake for high symbols. In addition, wild coin symbols can land on reels 2, 3, and 4. Wilds substitute for all paying symbols.

Mystery of the Orient: Slot Features

One of the key “mystery” elements in Mystery of the Orient is tied to its most important icon: the Mystery symbol. It can appear in any position in both the base game and free spins. When a Mystery symbol lands in the base game, it randomly reveals one of these symbols:

• Scatter symbol – landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters pays 10x, 40x or the Grand 8,000x the bet prize, respectively.
• Wild symbol – wilds revealed by the Mystery symbol can give a random multiplier of x2, x3, x4, x5, x8, x10, x15, x20, or x25. Multipliers apply to all wins passing through them, and multiplier values are added together if more than one wild is part of the win.
• Free Spins symbol – if 3 or more Free Spins symbols are in view, players are awarded the free spins round.

Free Spins

Hitting 3, 4, or 5 Free Spins symbols grants 15, 20, or 25 free spins, respectively. In the free spins round, Mystery symbol reveals can also produce two extra symbol types. The first is Reel Size Increase, which adds one extra position to the reel it lands on, up to a maximum of 6 positions. The second is the Additional Free Spins symbol, which awards extra free spins whether it lands normally or is uncovered via Mystery symbols.

Buy Free Spins

Where permitted in your jurisdiction, players can purchase a qualifying spin that lands 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols to enter the bonus round for 100x the bet.

Mystery of the Orient: Slot Verdict

That’s the gist of it: much of the “puzzle” in Mystery of the Orient comes down to landing as many mystery symbols as you can, since they’re the gateway to the more exciting outcomes. In theory, if five mystery symbols were to reveal five scatters, you’d instantly land the game’s Grand prize (and the overall max win is 8,035x). Realistically, though, most players won’t see that scenario and will spend their time with the rest of what the game offers.

What you get in return is a fairly idealised take on Asian culture, similar to the tone of a Kung Fu film or the growing number of Asian-language series that have become popular in the west. It’s also better when those shows aren’t overdubbed and you can take them in with subtitles instead. Squid Game is one of the best-known examples, though there are loads of fantasy-driven series out there as well if that’s your thing. Thankfully, Mystery of the Orient isn’t as brutal as Squid Game, but it still delivers plenty of swings. One strange touch is that the bigger wins come with smiley face emoji-style pop-ups and messages like ‘You’re a Rockstar’, or ‘Oh My, That Win is so Big!’—quirky additions that can clash with the cultural atmosphere the rest of the game is trying to build. It might have been more fitting if the warrior sliced those pop-ups with her sword instead of just standing there, bobbing and winking.

Still, a certain level of awkwardness has become part of the package in some Pragmatic Play/Wild Streak Gaming collaborations. These releases often blend odd ingredients together while occasionally leaning into that land-based feel along the way. Mystery of the Orient won’t appeal to everyone, but this particular formula clearly has a way of bringing their fans back again.