Shaolin Master Slot: Kung Fu Multipliers & 10,000x Potential

Fans of Hand of Anubis and other edgy Hacksaw Gaming releases, rejoice: Shaolin Master arrives to bring a martial-arts flair to the same cluster-based gameplay. Whereas Hand of Anubis was dark and brooding, Shaolin Master’s world is less menacing but still intense, swapping Egyptian crypts for a kung fu monastery. Expect big multipliers, cluster wins, and bonus rounds that revolve around student and master energies. Ready to refine your kung fu skills on the reels? Let’s dive in.

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Overview: A Kung Fu Reskin with Familiar Depth

• Developer: Hacksaw Gaming
• Grid Setup: 5 reels × 6 rows (cluster pays)
• Volatility: Medium (lower than Hand of Anubis)
• RTP: 96.31% at best
• Min/Max Bet: $0.10 – $100 per spin
• Max Win: 10,000× your stake

Shaolin Master’s main twist is visually trading dusty crypts for a serene mountain temple, complete with master and student stances. Behind the reskinned setting, you’ll still find a robust feature set: Chi Orbs, The Student free spins, The Master bonus, and various bonus buy options.

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Theme & Atmosphere: Kung Fu in the Mountains

1. Setting: A tranquil mountain range dotted with old temples, brimming with the spirit of kung fu tradition.
2. Characters: On one side stands the sensei-like “Master”; on the other, his “Student” replicates iconic crane-kick or defensive poses.
3. Visual Cues: Bold green auras highlight Chi transformations, while the reels are draped in stylized Asian designs.

If you enjoyed the energy of Kung Fu flicks, Shaolin Master’s environment offers a calmer but still dramatic stage for combative reel action.

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Base Game Mechanics: Cluster Pays & Cascading Reels

Cluster Pays Setup

Rather than using paylines or ways to win, Shaolin Master uses cluster mechanics:

• Form a win by connecting 5 or more identical symbols vertically or horizontally.
• Payout scales with the size of each cluster, up to 15+ symbols for top-tier returns.

Cascades

Upon a winning cluster:

• The contributing icons vanish, letting fresh symbols cascade downward.
• Any new winning clusters formed repeat the process.
• This can chain indefinitely until no more new clusters appear.

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Symbols & Paytable

Shaolin Master includes ten regular paying icons:

• Low Pays: 10, J, Q, K, A in carved stone forms. Five-of-a-kind yields up to 1x your bet, while 15+ matched in a single cluster might pay significantly more.
• High Pays: Fist, purple gear, golden relic, the student, the master. Five-of-a-kind yields up to 1x for lower highs, and 15+ yields up to 60x for the Master symbol.
• Wilds: Substitute for any regular symbol, awarding 60x your bet if 15+ appear in a cluster (the same as the top pay icon).

Though cluster pays typically require big symbol groupings to generate decent returns, multipliers can drastically shift even moderate combos into bigger rewards.

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Chi Orb Mechanic: Blue & Red Multipliers

Chi Orbs are wild multiplier symbols that appear randomly and can drastically increase cluster payouts:

1. Blue Chi Orb:

   • Starts at x1.
   • Each time it’s involved in a cluster win, the multiplier increases by +1 overall.
   • Not removed by cascades—sticks around until the end of the base spin or bonus sequence.

2. Red Chi Orb:

   • Also starts at x1.
   • Each cluster win it’s part of adds +1 for every symbol in that cluster. So, a cluster of 10 symbols + the orb effectively adds +10 to the orb’s multiplier.
   • Also persists for the entire spin or bonus round, unless it’s used in The Student or The Master features differently.

3. Balance Chi Orb:

   • Only appears during cascades.
   • Its value equals the product of all Blue and Red Chi Orb multipliers in view.
   • If it forms part of a win, it applies that combined multiplier, then disappears.

This synergy can spiral if you land multiple orbs at once, building insanely high multipliers across successive cascades.

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The Student: Free Spins Round (3-4 Scatters)

Landing 3 or 4 scatters in the base game triggers The Student free spins:

• 10 free spins for 3 scatters, 12 free spins for 4.
• Reel-Based Multipliers: Each reel has a multiplier that accumulates a +1 increment per winning symbol (or +1 x symbol in the cluster) that appears on that reel.
• Green Gem Mechanic: A special gem might appear to multiply reel multipliers by x2 to x10.
• Activating Multipliers (Green Chi Orb): If a Green Chi Orb lands, the reel’s multiplier is “activated,” combining with other reels’ multipliers for that cluster. You also earn +3 free spins.
• Max Multiplier: 9,999x per reel.

Because multiple reels can accumulate monstrous multipliers, a single good cascade can produce jaw-dropping returns.

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The Master: The Ultimate Bonus (5 Scatters)

Land 5 scatters to enter The Master feature:

• 3 Refill Spins start on a new board filled with Stone blocks.
• Reel Multipliers Up Top: Each reel has a multiplier track.
• Modifier Blocks (Adding or Multiplying):
  • Blue Gem: Adds +2 to +10 to that reel’s multiplier.
  • Epic Blue Gem: Adds to all reel multipliers simultaneously.
  • Green Gem: Multiplies a reel’s multiplier by x2 to x10.
  • Epic Green Gem: Multiplies all reel multipliers by x2 to x10.
• Ice Blocks & Crusher Blocks:
  • Ice blocks break, letting a new multiplier block drop to the bottom.
  • Crusher blocks destroy all the multiplier blocks beneath them, sum up their values, then transform into a single block with that total.

Each time you place or modify blocks, your spin count resets to 3. The Master can build monstrous total multipliers on each reel, eventually dropping Multiplier Blocks that store the reel multiplier’s value. Summing them across multiple reels can deliver the slot’s top potential of 10,000x your stake.

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Bonus Buys for Instant Action

In jurisdictions that allow it, Shaolin Master includes:

1. BonusHunt FeatureSpins (3× bet): 5× chance of bonus triggers.
2. Enlightened FeatureSpins (50× bet): Guarantees a Red Chi Orb plus a winning cluster.
3. The Student (100× bet): Directly triggers the The Student free spins.
4. The Master (200× bet): Immediately enters the Master block-building bonus.

Hacksaw warns of very high volatility for these buys, so weigh your bankroll carefully.

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RTP, Volatility & Max Potential

• RTP: 96.31% (peak). Some operators might pick lower versions.
• Volatility: Medium, not as punishing as high-vol slots, but still capable of big swings.
• Max Win: 10,000x your stake across all game modes.

While not quite as lethal as Hand of Anubis, you’ll still want a cautious approach if you’re on a smaller bankroll. The random multiplier potential can result in gigantic leaps in single spins if orbs align.

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Closing Thoughts: A Worthy Reskin with Softer Punch

Hacksaw Gaming is no stranger to reworking brilliant mechanics into fresh aesthetics, and Shaolin Master is the latest example. It inherits the cluster-based multiplier concept from Hand of Anubis, but wraps it in a lighter kung fu theme and scales the volatility down from “high” to “medium-high.” The result:

• Smooth Visuals & Audio: Satisfying martial arts vibe in a mountainous Chinese backdrop.
• Solid Feature Set: Chi Orbs, The Student, and The Master modes keep you chasing big combos.
• 10,000x Potential: Achievable across various free spins or block-building features.

While it doesn’t carry the same haunting vibe as its predecessor, the gameplay itself remains strong. If you want a calmer but still intense cluster slot with a less oppressive theme—and you enjoy the synergy of progressive reel multipliers—Shaolin Master might deliver exactly what your kung fu reels have been craving.