Imperial Dice

Amusnet Interactive (formerly EGT) maintains a robust portfolio of online slots, often characterized by straightforward gameplay augmented by signature features like progressive jackpots and a card gamble. Among their offerings, Imperial Dice presents a nautical-themed game where classic six-sided dice take center stage, surprisingly intertwined with elements hinting at eastern influences through its special symbols. This review scrutinizes Imperial Dice from the perspective of an experienced slot player, evaluating its mechanics, payout structure, unique elements, and overall appeal beyond its immediate visual presentation.

Nautical Setting Meets Dice Mechanics: Atmosphere and Visual Design

The backdrop for Imperial Dice is a standard pirate ship deck scene. Weathered wooden planks, coiled ropes, and aged barrels create an atmosphere reminiscent of a bygone era of sea voyages. The graphic style is functional and consistent, utilizing rendered 3D models for the primary game symbols.

The reels themselves are populated almost entirely by dice. These are not generic casino dice but textured, thematic elements: rough wooden dice, darker metal-studded dice, and standard white dice with red pips representing numbers 1 through 6. This focus on varied dice presentation serves as the core visual identity. While not pushing the boundaries of graphic fidelity, the rendering is clean and the symbols are easily distinguishable on the 5×3 grid. The marriage of a classic nautical theme with gambling dice, particularly those with distinct material textures, offers a visual blend that, while simple, is less common than purely abstract dice games or intensely detailed pirate adventures. The payline indicators flanking the reels are standard, clearly showing the 20 fixed paylines in play.

Core Slot Mechanics and Symbol Configuration

Imperial Dice utilizes a 5-reel, 3-row grid, a layout widely adopted across the industry for its balance of complexity and familiarity. Wins are awarded for landing matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, strictly along any of the 20 fixed paylines. The fixed nature of the paylines means players cannot adjust the number of active lines, which is a common design choice in many modern slots aimed at simplifying bet selection and ensuring all potential winning combinations are covered on every spin.

The symbol set is primarily composed of the aforementioned dice, representing lower-paying icons. Higher value symbols include specialized dice: a red dice featuring a white “7” and the game's distinctive Wild symbol. The Wild is depicted as a yellow-rimmed dice adorned with a bold red Kanji character, providing the primary visual link to the “Imperial” aspect of the title and hinting at influences beyond the Western nautical setting. According to the paytable, this Wild is a potent symbol in its own right, offering substantial payouts of 60 coins for a five-symbol combination on a payline, in addition to its substitution capability.

The Wild symbol functions by substituting for all regular paying symbols to help form or extend winning combinations. However, it is crucial to note that the Wild does not substitute for the Scatter symbol or an additional “Extra Spin” symbol mentioned in the game's information screens, indicating separate triggering mechanisms for different features.

Base Game Features and Payout Potential

The base game flow in Imperial Dice is centered around securing line wins through combinations of dice symbols and the powerful Wild. Given the 20 fixed paylines and a relatively concentrated symbol set, wins can occur with reasonable frequency, though the magnitude of these wins often depends on landing multiple symbols of the higher-paying type, particularly the Wild. The red “7” dice appears to be the highest regular paying symbol based on typical slot design hierarchies.

While the paytable values for standard dice spins might suggest a baseline of frequent, smaller wins, the overall payout structure, typical of Amusnet slots, is influenced by two key elements beyond the standard reel payouts: the integrated Gamble feature and the signature Jackpot Cards Mystery Bonus. The theoretical Return to Player (RTP) percentage for Amusnet games like Imperial Dice often includes a contribution towards the progressive jackpots, meaning a portion of each wager fuels the potential for a large, random win rather than exclusively contributing to line payouts or specific bonus feature payouts. This RTP structure can influence the base game's hit frequency and average win size, potentially resulting in lower individual line payouts compared to games without a progressive jackpot component.

Basic usability features are present, including a Turbo Spin option (activated by holding the spin button) for faster gameplay and an Autospin function with adjustable parameters for automated play sessions. These are standard conveniences expected by experienced players.

The Scatter-Triggered Bonus: An Extra Spin Mechanic

Imperial Dice incorporates a Scatter symbol, visually represented by a dice featuring a green Chinese character on a yellow-orange frame. This symbol introduces the game's primary, though somewhat limited, bonus trigger in the base game. According to the paytable information, the Scatter symbol holds a specific restriction: it appears exclusively on reels 1, 2, and 3.

The paytable clearly states that landing either two or three Scatter symbols on reels 1, 2, or 3 will trigger a bonus feature. Unlike many online slots where Scatters landing anywhere trigger free spins, the fixed reel positions for the Scatter in Imperial Dice, combined with the trigger requiring only 2 or 3 symbols and the Wild's exclusion of an “Extra Spin” symbol, strongly suggests a different type of bonus. This is most likely a respin mechanic often termed “Extra Spin” in Amusnet's terminology.

In this probable scenario, landing 2 or 3 Scatters on reels 1, 2, or 3 would likely trigger a respin of the reels not containing the Scatters. The goal during these respins could be to land additional Scatters or potentially the distinct “Extra Spin” symbols mentioned in the Wild's substitution exclusion. Achieving a certain number of Scatters or landing the “Extra Spin” symbols might then lead to a specific number of free spins or another defined bonus payout, though the primary “trigger” visible from the screenshots with 2 or 3 Scatters on specific reels points towards this focused respin-to-bonus structure rather than a general free spins award from scatters anywhere on the grid. This targeted trigger mechanism adds a layer of anticipation specific to the first three reels during base gameplay.

Amusnet Signature Features: Gamble and Jackpot Cards

Adding significant dimensions to the Imperial Dice experience are two staple features common to virtually all Amusnet slots, features keenly understood and often sought after by players familiar with the provider's portfolio.

Firstly, the classic Gamble feature is available after any base game win below a certain threshold. Players are presented with a face-down playing card and must predict whether its color will be Red or Black. A correct guess doubles the win, while an incorrect guess results in the forfeiture of the entire amount gambled. This provides an optional high-risk, high-reward opportunity to amplify smaller payouts, appealing directly to players with a penchant for pushing their luck. The gamble typically allows for multiple successive correct guesses, subject to a maximum win amount or a limit on the number of successful gambles (often 5).

Secondly, and perhaps the most significant draw for experienced Amusnet players, is the multi-level Jackpot Cards Mystery Bonus. This is a randomly triggered progressive jackpot system completely independent of the symbols landed on the reels. It can activate after any spin during the base game. When the feature triggers, the player enters a bonus round where they are presented with 12 face-down playing cards. The player selects cards one by one until they reveal three cards of the same suit. Each suit corresponds to one of the four progressive jackpot levels:

Clubs (♣): Level 1 (Smallest)

Diamonds (♦): Level 2

Hearts (♥): Level 3

Spades (♠): Level 4 (Largest)

Upon matching three cards of the same suit, the player wins the corresponding jackpot amount displayed at the top of the screen. The values of these jackpots are constantly increasing as players wager on any Amusnet game connected to the Jackpot Cards network. This mystery bonus provides a constant, unpredictable thrill and represents the potential for winning a substantial sum that dwarfs typical line payouts, fundamentally altering the slot's long-term appeal and theoretical volatility profile.

Expert Verdict: Is Imperial Dice Worth a Spin?

Imperial Dice is quintessentially an Amusnet slot wrapped in a dice-on-a-pirate-ship theme. For experienced players, the core question isn't about groundbreaking innovation in the base game mechanics or visual presentation – these are solid but standard. The value proposition lies in the predictable reliability of the Amusnet platform and the inclusion of its signature bonus features.

The blend of dice and nautical elements is visually distinct, if simple. The 5×3, 20-line structure with fixed paylines is as straightforward as it gets. The Scatter trigger, limited to the first three reels and potentially initiating an “Extra Spin” mechanic, adds a specific micro-goal during base play, though it might not offer the same explosive payout potential as traditional free spins rounds in other games, unless the subsequent “Extra Spin” feature itself is highly lucrative. The Wild symbol's value as a high-paying icon provides a good target for line hits.

However, the main draw, the pulsating heart of the Imperial Dice experience for those familiar with Amusnet, resides in the Gamble option for risk-takers and, more significantly, the omnipresent potential of the Jackpot Cards Mystery Bonus. The knowledge that any spin, regardless of the outcome on the reels, could randomly trigger a four-figure or even five-figure jackpot game provides a persistent undercurrent of excitement absent in slots without such a feature.

Recommendation: Imperial Dice is recommended for experienced players who appreciate the reliable, no-frills base gameplay of Amusnet slots and, most importantly, prioritize the chance to win a randomly triggered progressive jackpot via the Jackpot Cards system. It's a suitable choice for those who enjoy the specific risk-reward of the Gamble feature or are simply looking for a game within the Amusnet network with a visually distinct, albeit simple, theme. It is less recommended for players seeking complex multi-stage bonus rounds, highly innovative core mechanics, or cutting-edge cinematic graphics. Consider Imperial Dice if you are an Amusnet enthusiast or if the allure of a potential random jackpot trumps the desire for intricate base game features.