Ne Zha

Ne Zha (Croco Gaming) Review

Ne Zha is a protector deity of Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religion, and while not a branded release, Croco Gaming’s Ne Zha slot seems inspired by the 2019 animated movie by the same name. Ne Zha himself may look like a child, but he has special powers that match any adult in this mythological universe, and can also turn into one when the situation demands it. Hovering next to the 6x4 grid with his spear, Ne Zha is ready to take on his enemies on the reels, and not least, his arch-nemesis, Ao Guang, better known as the dragon king.

You start by choosing your preferred bet level between €0.20 and €100 per spin, catering to both penny punters and high rollers. You win by landing matching symbols anywhere on at least 3 adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel. The Dragon King character is the top-tier symbol, followed by a female and a male character, as well as 3 aquatic creatures that look like armed turtle, shark, and lobster guardians. These pay 0.9x to 2.5x your stake for 6 of a kind wins, while the royal symbols award 0.5x to 0.75x for the same.

Ne Zha Slot - Reels Screen

Wild and Spirit Wild symbols substitute for regular pay symbols to help complete wins, while the latter also expands to fill the entire reel. It also builds a wild multiplier equal to the number of symbols below where it landed, and spirit multipliers of up to x100 can be added to these expanding wilds when they appear below the same reel. Winning symbols are removed and replaced thanks to the cascading reels feature, and demon pearl symbols can expand reels by up to 2 extra rows. This grid expansion can generate between 4,096 and 46,656 ways to win.

The bonus round is where the epic battle against Ne Zha’s foes truly starts, as you get to take them out one by one by landing enough cascading wins. Each defeated enemy character turns into a wild symbol for the duration of the feature, and beating them all can trigger a showdown with a massive wild that expands to cover the two middle reels. Ne Zha slot boasts a max win of 10,000x your stake and a base game RTP of 97.29%. However, keep in mind that this is a highly volatile game, scoring 5 out of 5 on Croco’s scale.

Ne Zha Features

You can look forward to cascading wins with upgradable multiplier wilds that expand to cover full reels, grid-expanding symbols, two bonus round tiers, and more in Ne Zha Croco Gaming. So, without further ado, let’s dive in to see how all the features work!

Cascading Wins & Spirit Multipliers

Winning symbols are removed via the Cascading Reels mechanic, allowing new and existing symbols to drop down to fill the gaps. On any given spin or cascade, up to 4 Spirit Multipliers can appear below random reels. If a Spirit Pearl appears on a reel with a Spirit Multiplier below it, it collects the multiplier value and adds it to its own multiplier. Uncollected Spirit Multipliers are removed per spin and cascade, and the possible Spirit Multiplier values are x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x6, x7, x8, x9, x10, x20, x25, x50, and x100.

Spirit Pearl Multiplier Expanding Wilds

You can land the Spirit Pearl symbol on reels 2, 3, 4, and 5, and this Wild symbol expands to cover the full reel whenever it lands. It substitutes for any pay symbol to help complete or improve wins, and the wild multiplier increases by +1 for each symbol below it as it expands. Spirit Pearl Expanding Multiplier Wilds boost any winning combo they are part of, and the multipliers are added together if more than one is part of the same win.

Demon Pearl Symbols

The Demon Pearl symbol expands to reveal 2 or 3 matching symbols, which can extend reels up to 6 positions in height. Since these symbols can appear on all 6 reels, they can expand the grid with up to a maximum of 46,656 ways to win. Demon Pearl symbols cannot reveal Spirit Pearls or scatter symbols.

Dragon War Free Spins Round

You need at least 3 Tianyuan Ding scatter symbols on the same base game spin, or within the same cascading sequence, to trigger the Dragon War Bonus Round in Ne Zha slot. You get 10 free spins from 3 triggering scatters and 13 free spins from 4 triggering scatters, and you’re guaranteed at least 1 Demon Pearl symbol per free spin and cascade.

The Dragon War pits our hero, Ne Zha, against 5 of the premium symbol characters, which he takes on in chronological order, starting with the lowest-value character. Every 4th cascading win defeats the current boss he’s fighting, turning the corresponding symbol into a wild for the remainder of the bonus round. The top-tier premium symbol character cannot be turned wild, but instead, its multiplier increases for every win and cascade it’s part of.

If you manage to defeat all 5 character symbols, you’ll be awarded the Showdown feature. This final free spin plays out on a maxed-out 6x6 grid with 46,656 win ways, with Ne Zha leaping onto the reels as a special 2x2-sized wild at the bottom of reels 3 and 4. The showdown free spin lasts for 3 cascades, with the Ne Zha wild symbol expanding upwards by 2 positions per cascade until it fills reels 3 and 4. Keep in mind that the Showdown feature can only trigger if you initially triggered the Dragon War Bonus Round with 4 scatters.

Ne Zha Slot - Free Spins

Ne Zha Bonus Buy (not UK)

The Bonus Buy button is available in certain regions, enabling eligible players to purchase various feature spins and bonus round tiers. If you activate feature spins, they remain active until you click the bonus buy button again to disable the feature spin. Here is an overview of what you can purchase in the Ne Zha slot:

• Bonus Boost (RTP of 96.78%) - Pay 6x your stake to increase your chances of triggering the bonus round by 6 times.
• Spirit Spins (RTP of 97.44%) - awards a special spin that guarantees at least one Spirit Multiplier symbol and one Spirit Pearl symbol.
• Buy Bonus (RTP of 97.44%) - triggers the Dragon War Bonus with at least 3 scatters, awarding at least 10 free spins.
• Buy Bonus 2 (RTP of 97.99%) - triggers the Dragon War Bonus with 4 scatters, awarding 13 free spins.
• Destiny Draw (RTP of 97.72%) - triggers the Dragon War Bonus Game with a random number of free spins, either 10 or 13. Each option has a 50% chance of being awarded.

Theme & Graphics

Known as a great protector despite his small size and child-like appearance, Ne Zha is a legendary Chinese deity famous for defeating the East Sea Dragon King's son, Ao Bing. This put the young hero at odds with the Dragon King himself, a challenge he accepted without flinching. You get to join him in this epic battle, and the Ne Zha game boasts stunning visuals of a serene, mythical world where ethereal lotuses float on a pond in front of the temple framing the reels. Ne Zha himself hovers in the air with his sly smile and spear in hand, with his arch-enemies featuring as the main symbols. A misty valley of green hills with cascading waterfalls makes up the majestic backdrop, but the soundtrack doesn’t quite live up to the epicness of the scenery and theme of this game.

Pros and Cons of Ne Zha

Our Verdict

There is a lot to like about this Ne Zha slot, and I have to admit that I was blown away by the first impression I got from this game. It's admittedly the first slot I've tried from Croco Gaming, and I'll definitely be checking out more of their titles. The Chinese mythology element may not have the broadest appeal in the West, but I would still advise Western players to give this Ne Zha game a chance, even if you know nothing about the backstory of this legendary character.

You can always watch the animated Ne Zha movie from 2019 (directed by Yu Yang) if you want to familiarize yourself with the story and the characters before playing. It will probably enrich the experience, but the game info section also provides a brief context to immerse you in the epic tale that plays out. Once you’ve taken in the breathtaking scenery, the game unfolds with a high-octane spin speed with the turbo switched on, as symbols keep dropping with that oddly satisfying thud.

The Ne Zha character is a bit of an oddball, with his childlike appearance that transforms into a man during certain bonus round sequences. All the symbol characters are well-crafted with lively animations, and while the features may not be groundbreaking, they add up to a highly effective mix of potentially lucrative mechanics. The combination of cascading wins, reel-expanding symbols, and expanding wilds with upgradable multipliers is a powerful one, making Ne Zha a well-balanced release with explosive potential in all stages.

That said, the bonus round is definitely the game’s highlight, as this is where you get to duke it out with all the character bosses. Defeating them one by one is highly satisfying, but it’s a bit of an anti-climax when you defeat them all without being eligible to trigger the showdown feature. The showdown feature can bring in a massive triple win as the bonus round ends, increasing your chances of cracking that 10,000x win cap. Croco Games is definitely a provider to keep an eye on, and Ne Zha slot oozes high production value, swagger, and mythical charm.