Zhanshi

Zhanshi: A Bonus Round That Converts Its Own Scatter Symbol

The Warrior free games in this ancient China slot do something unusual to the game's other feature symbol. During the round, every Temple symbol converts into either a Warrior or a Horse.

That is worth thinking through, because the Temple is the scatter driving the game's second bonus route. Converting it away means the Warrior round removes the mechanism that would ordinarily lead to the other feature, replacing scatters with symbols that contribute to line wins instead.

The trade is clear: you lose the Temple's independent scatter payments and its retrigger potential, and you gain more paying symbols on the board. With every prize tripled throughout the round, converting a non-paying scatter into a Warrior or Horse is a straightforward improvement to what the reels can produce.

Access to that round runs through a pick. Three or more Warrior symbols anywhere open a bonus where choosing a Warrior reveals fifteen, twenty or twenty-five free games. So the trigger opens a selection rather than awarding directly, and the range is narrow enough that the pick affects length without transforming the round.

The Temple route is more modest and works differently. Three or more scattered Temple symbols lead straight into ten free games with all prizes doubled, and this route can retrigger whenever three or more mixed Warrior and Temple symbols land during the round.

That mixed retrigger condition is notably generous, since it accepts either symbol type towards the count rather than requiring three of one. It is also the opposite arrangement to the Warrior round, which eliminates Temples entirely.

So the two routes treat the same symbols in contrary ways: one converts Temples away, the other counts them alongside Warriors. That is a coherent piece of design rather than an inconsistency, and it gives the two rounds genuinely different textures.

A Warrior symbol acts as the wild throughout base play, substituting for everything except the Temple scatter, which pays in any position and adds its reward on top of any line win across the twenty adjustable paylines.

No confirmed volatility rating is listed. A random progressive jackpot starting at $1,000 can land at the end of any spin. The listed top award is 30,000 times your bet per line, and the game is available on desktop, instant play or mobile.

Zhanshi suits players who will notice that entering the Warrior round removes the Temple mechanic for its duration, which is a real trade rather than a detail.