4 Seasons

4 Seasons is themed around the Chinese Zodiac. It is a tried and tested theme, in the pokie industry. And with Chinese New Year having just brought us into the year of the monkey, this was a well-timed theme. There are 12 animals represented in the Zodiac.

They are not based on star constellations, like the Greek Zodiac that later became western astrology, but on the year of someone’s birth and an approximation of Jupiter’s orbit. People are not confined to their birth animal. They can choose day and month animals or the animal of their true self.

Developer

Betsoft Gaming developed 4 Seasons. They are one of the larger developers, due to their quality games and time in the industry. Since the company was founded in 1999, they have developed over 180 games and are probably most known for the iconic Pokie3 series. They make an exceptional game, with emphasis on graphics and animations.

Design

This is a well-designed pokie. It has crisp graphics, and an all-round pleasing appearance. The theme is included in the design. Once every 30 spins the background image will change, to represent the changing seasons. Each of these background images has unique attributes of the season, and they are brought to life with animations. Winter for example, has an exceptional snow animation.

All of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac are symbols on the reels. They are playful cartoony versions of the animals, which look good. In the left of the interface, there is a Seasonal Wheel. It records the passage of spins through each of the zodiacs and has some other features, which will be covered in the ‘special features’ section. 4 Seasons is a five reel pokie. It has a nice panel, which is easy enough to use and works well with the theme.

How to play

4 Seasons has more or less conventional gameplay. It is played by spinning the reels, with the Spin Button. While the reels spin, a pseudorandom number generator is used to calculate a configuration of random symbols. The player wins if, by chance, matching symbols land across adjacent reels, in accordance with one of the game’s paylines.

There are 30 paylines in the game, which just means that there are 30 different ways the symbols can land, which will win. The player’s bet is adjusted before the bet, to have it take effect when the reels are next spun. For more information about paylines, symbol values and betting, consult the Paytable, opened with the Info Button.

Special Features

The features in 4 Seasons are influenced by the theme. Every 30 spins the zodiac will change, moving the player through the four season. All 12 of the animals are represented on the Seasonal Wheel. If the player makes a payline, using the animal of the current zodiac, the win is subject to a 10x multiplier. The animals on either side are also multiplied by smaller factors.
There is a multiplier for landing symbols in groups. It is difficult to explain, and to understand properly these game mechanics the game need to be played. In essence landing stacked symbols will result in multipliers. It is called a block combo 4 seasons has a free spins game, which is unlocked by landing three or more, of the yin and yang scatter symbols anywhere on the reels. It has identical gameplay to the base game, and gives the player more free spins for more scatters. There is a wild symbol in the game, which will substitute every symbol except the scatter.

4 Season also has a double up feature. It is a common feature in pokies. The player selects either heads or tails, in a coin flipping game mode. If the player guessed correct, their winnings are double. If not then the winnings are forfeited. The player can play this game after any win, as many times as they like.

Maximum Payout

The highest value symbol, in the game, is the Golden Cat Wild symbol. If the player lands five of these in a row, they win 10,000x line bet. This is not the game maximum payout, but it is a good indication of the winnings available. Consider that there are multipliers for the zodiac and for box wins, and begin to grasp the winning potential in this pokie.

Summary

This is a great game from Betsoft Gaming. It is one of the better title, which they have come out with. They have integrated the theme into gameplay in a clever way. It is a great looking pokie, with massive winning potential and exceptional features, for player to enjoy.