Due to the pervasiveness of internet preconceptions, it may come as a surprise to some that not all Japanese people are obsessed with sushi, Kawaii, or the arts of Anime, Manga, or Cosplay. Even after playing Toshi Video Club, developed by Hacksaw Gaming, you probably won’t have these epiphanies. Not quite a cliche-filled romp, but it does offer a stylized take of Japan via Western eyes. Having nothing to worry about, let’s pack up our noodle bowls and video games and head to the Land of the Rising Sun since Toshi Video Club has been executed in a respectfully amusing style.
The masculine given name Toshi may signify anything from “outstanding person” to “divine grace,” among many other things. Hacksaw uses it here to refer to a mysterious group called the Video Club; we never learn more about them, but they seem like a very cool crowd. Toshi Video Club is a cool place to hang out. Hacksaw has created the game’s distinctively refined minimalistic aesthetic by restricting the usage of color. The 5×5 game grid and bonus buy button are both a trendy shade of orange, while the monochromatic image of the nameless street has a Manga look. The soundtrack is equally as stylish, including a soothingly groovy Asian-influenced score that plays in the background.
Toshi Video Club is part of Hacksaw’s Pocketz Series, however it may be played on any device with wagers ranging from 20 pence to £/€100. In keeping with its unpretentious exterior, the game’s features are also rather understated, yet they’re just as effective as in any other Hacksaw slot machine. There are two types of RTP, and the mathematical model is quite unstable. The first is the standard setting of 96.17%, while the second is a little increase to 96.24% upon feature purchase.
You may be excused for assuming that Toshi Video Club uses the cluster payments structure favored by Hacksaw. This time around, however, the studio has opted for paylines—15 of them, to be exact—that award coins whenever three or more matching symbols appear in order from the left side of the screen. The winning combination then sets off a chain reaction.
The game’s icons were designed just for it, and they all have a charmingly Japanese vibe. In the basement, we find grey noodle bowls, humans, felines, whales, and bears. Videotapes, TVs, antique joysticks, sushi, and frogs are among of the better paying symbols, which are distinguished by a splash of orange coloring and pay out 10-20 times the wager for a line of five. When gorilla wilds appear, they can take the place of any other symbol to create a winning combination. If five wilds appear on an active payline, you’ll win 40 times your wager.
Video Slots at Toshi’s Club: Bonus Rounds
In Toshi Video Club, multipliers are responsible for the majority of the game’s wins, both in the main game and in the free spins bonus round. A cascade mechanism that eliminates winning symbols from the game board is useful in both game stages. New symbols cascade down from above to replace the empty spaces, increasing the chance of a winning streak. The cascades will keep going off until there are no more potential winners.
There are four distinct sorts of Daruma symbols, each of which grants a multiplier. This amount is added to or multiplied by the current total shown above the reels. When a victory occurs, the amount is multiplied by the current multiplier. Between each paid spin, the global win multiplier will reset to 1. In the event that two Daruma symbols fall at the same moment, the sum is calculated by adding the values of the symbols from highest to lowest, column by column. These are the 4 Darumas:
Miniature Daruma: +1, +2, or +5 multiplier.
The medium Daruma boosts the factor by 10, 15, or 20.
Increases the multiplier by 25, 50, or 100 with the Big Daruma.
Green Daruma doubles, triples, or quadruples the existing sum.
If you’re lucky enough to land at least three scatter symbols, you’ll enter a bonus round where you’ll be given ten free spins. The biggest difference between this and the normal game is that the win multiplier does not reset between spins during this bonus.
If available in your region, spending 120x your stake will guarantee three scatter symbols for free spins in the next game round.
Casino Slots: The Toshi Video Club Review
Perhaps it was the airy presentation, but Toshi Video Club had an airy feel overall. Although it has several great features, they don’t quite measure up to the normal level of innovation seen in a Hacksaw release. Toshi Video Club is an example of putting your faith on the arrival of Darumas to increase the worth of common symbols. That’s all there is to it; just some clean, compact gaming that might fit inside a sushi box with space to spare.
Once in a while, Darumas will throw a curveball by increasing a respectable multiplier and unleashing a big payout. Since paylines are used rather than clusters in Toshi Video Club, a player will often be handed a minimal three-symbol line. Many a bonus round went by with a healthy multiplier in the bank but no winning combination. However, when things in Toshi Video Club go your way, it’s exciting to put that huge multiplier to good use. Toshi Video Club’s maximum payout of 10,000 times the player’s wager is comparable to that of Stack’ Em, another game with a similar mechanic.
Toshi Video Club is a slot machine that quietly joins the Pocketz family. Its less glitzy aesthetic might appeal to those who prefer a more low-key experience. Even though Toshi Video Club is usually rather calm, big win chasers should rest confident knowing that it is still capable of going bananas.