Shogun of Time (Just For The Win): Review

Shogun of Time is a slot created by Microgaming partners and independent studio Just For The Win. It blends themes from ancient Japan with a sleek, high-tech cyberpunk vibe, following a female Samurai warlord and her alter ego, the cybergirl. Taking place in a futuristic Tokyo, the game feels fairly straightforward and doesn’t really aim to break new ground. Launching with just 4 reels and 81 paylines, Just For The Win seemingly decided that the missing 5th reel should be something you “unlock” by triggering features. On paper it might sound appealing. In practice, not so much.

Available on all devices with stakes ranging from 0.10 and 100 Eur a spin, it uses neon-styled A, K Q, J and 10 royals alongside coins, fans, chest-plates, face masks and Samurai helmets. Watch for the highest-paying game logo, as 5 across a full payline awards 12 times your bet. The Cyberpunk girl acts as the wild and matches the top symbol’s payout. Naturally, it also handles the usual substitution role.

Shogun of Time (Just For The Win): Features

Hitting a 4 of a kind win in the base game activates the Reel Split Re-spin. When it triggers, the reels lock in place and a 5th reel is inserted in the centre of the set, after which it re-spins in the hope of upgrading your win.

The main attraction is the free spins, though. To get in, land 3 or 4 scatter symbols to begin with 8 or 16 free spins. With all 5 reels active, you get a pay-both-ways setup and 243 win ways. On top of that, the middle reel turns into a fully stacked wild and stays locked for the entire feature.

Shogun of Time (Just For The Win): Conclusion

As you’ve likely gathered, Shogun of Time is a pretty plain, no-frills slot with a strange reel concept. Cutting out the 5th reel just to turn it into a feature feels unnecessary and reads as a particularly lazy, uncreative decision. On top of that, the 2700x max win potential is too small for us to get genuinely interested, and the fact that your odds of landing an epic win (90+ times your stake) are 1 in 1422 here is simply grim. Just For The Win, what were you thinking?