ABOUT THIS SLOT
Wild Panda is an attractive real money online slot from Aristocrat themed around one of the world’s most endangered animals, the giant panda. This cuddly (yet by all accounts potentially ferocious) creature is joined on the reels by traditional Asian symbols, including a pagoda, lotus flower, parasols and koi fish. The atmosphere is serene and players are immediately plunged into the forests of bamboo, which are mysteriously bathed in a red glow, perhaps because red is considered a lucky colour in Asia.
RTP, VARIANCE AND PAYOUTS
You’ll find 5 reels and 100 paylines, while the RTP is slightly below average at 94.36%. This is a medium volatility game, which means there are a reasonable number of payouts in relation to bets. Your bank roll should tick along at a steady rate with regular, medium-sized top ups, though nothing spectacular. The 10p minimum bet gives a comfortable play for most pockets with Free Spins and Wilds waiting to increase your winnings in the wild.
SYMBOLS AND PAYTABLE
The symbols in Wild Panda include a mandolin, lotus flower, pagoda with mountain background, golden koi fish, pink parasol, gold coins and a bamboo plant in a bowl. There are also high card symbols, which each have a letter painted over the top of them in black – the letters are P, A, N, D or A to spell out the word PANDA. These letters play an important role, as they help to trigger the bonus Free Spins game and release Wilds into the fray.
The pagoda is the best symbol in the paytable and hitting 5 of these symbols will reward you with 200x stake. This symbol can also appear stacked for even bigger wins. The gold coin is the Scatter symbol, which can award another 200x stake for landing 5 anywhere on the reels. Though the gold coin doesn’t activate a feature of its own, it has the potential to make a big difference to your payouts thanks to its ability to pay anywhere it lands.
GAMEPLAY AND FEATURES
Stacked Symbols
The pagoda is a special feature in this game because it’s the only symbol that regularly appears as a Stacked Symbol. This is also the joint highest-paying icon in the game, awarding 200x your bet if you manage to find 5 anywhere on the reels.
Free Spins with Panda Wilds
You can trigger the Free Spins round by landing 5 of the high card symbols in such a way that the letters PANDA line up in the correct order from left to right to spell the name of everyone’s favourite monochrome bear. This will award 5 Free Spins and turn the low-paying symbols into Panda Wilds.
These Panda Wild symbols do what only Wilds can – substitute for all the other symbols in the game to create more potential winning combinations. The Free Spins round can’t be re-triggered though, which is a shame, as this feature can be highly rewarding thanks to the Wilds popping up all over the reels.
OUR VERDICT
Panda Wild is an attractive game with an adorable theme but it might be a tad simple for sophisticated slots fans. The lack of Wilds in the base game means you’re relying on the stacked pagodas and the gold coins to provide the best winning chances. Unfortunately, the below average RTP doesn’t help matters. However, the pagodas do appear regularly, stacking to award some decent wins. It’s the Free Spins round where the action really heats up though. You’ll notice the addition of the Wild Pandas straight away and although you only get 5 Free Spins in this round, you can boost your bankroll nicely when these black and white characters show up in numbers. Although Wild Panda is a tame offering in terms of jackpot and gameplay, the evocative atmosphere carries the action along and let’s be honest – a game themed around a giant panda is always going to be a winner.