Magic Journey is inspired by the classic 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West, which has since been adapted into countless anime series and the like. This game will certainly surprise you a bit when you first encounter it, as most people expect the 3×3 grid to spin when you press the spin button. Instead, something else happens.
The truth is that there is only one reel spinning here, and this is the 1×5 row that you see under the 3×3 grid. You can place bets between 20 pence and €100 per spin on all platforms and devices. The 3×3 grid is called the “scorecard”. You need to mark the 9 different character symbols on different paylines on the scorecard to win.
Anyway, Magic Journey slot offers an RPT of 96.54%, which is slightly above the industry average, and you can look forward to some pretty volatile action when you play this game. The maximum win is 400 times your bet. This is the only negative thing about a very unusual and innovative slot from Pragmatic Play.
What are the symbols?
The scorecard above the reel contains 9 different characters from the epic “Journey to the West”. These are the only symbols in this game. The characters are a mix of humans and animal/human hybrids, and the Magic Journey slot does not contain a fixed payout value per symbol. Instead, the game pays out based on how many lines you can highlight on the scorecard, from 1 to 8 lines (not including 7 lines):
- 1 payline equals a 2x d win
- 2 paylines equal a 5x bet win
- 3 paylines equal a 10x bet win
- 4 paylines equal 15 times the bet win
- 5 paylines equal a 30x bet win
- 6 paylines equal a 100x bet win
- 8 paylines equal 400x winnings
What are the bonus features?
This is a very unusual game in many ways, and there are no regular bonus features. There are no wild symbols here, no scatters and no bonus round or bonus game. The gameplay itself is so unusual that we might consider it a bonus feature, especially if you take into account the respins feature (which you really need to do). So let’s explain how this game works in detail.
The 1×5 reel under the scorecard is the only reel that spins here. On this reel, you will land either blank symbols and / or other characters from the selection of 9 that you see at the top of the scorecard. So you can land up to 5 characters on each spin, but you can also land only blank symbols that do nothing.
Each character symbol you land will be highlighted on the scorecard above, and you must form a line with highlighted characters to win. If you do not form any winning lines, there is no win. However, if you form at least one winning line with highlighted character symbols, you will win a corresponding payout. The winning symbols become sticky and the remaining symbols react. This continues until you fill the grid with winning symbols or no more wins.
The middle symbol on the scorecard is the monkey warrior. When this symbol is highlighted, you will always get a response. The symbols that are already highlighted remain highlighted (as sticky symbols, you might say), and the rest of the symbols spin again. This way, with a little luck, you can highlight all the symbols and win big.
Free Spins in Magic Journey
This game doesn’t have a free spins feature, but due to the aforementioned respin feature, you will get a lot of extra spins. You will trigger this respins feature quite often, so the free spins feature is not really missed. Still, we understand that free spins are a must for some players, but we urge you to give this game a chance anyway.
What is the jackpot (maximum win)?
There is no jackpot to be won on Magic Journey slot, and the maximum win potential of 400x is admittedly not very solid for a game with high volatility. You need to mark all 9 character symbols on the scorecard to win this. If you play with the highest possible bet of €100, you can pocket up to €40,000 on a single spin here.
Pros
Innovative and unusual scoreboard
Reply function
Epic theme and beautiful animations
Cons
Maximum win of 400x is a bit weak for a very volatile game
