Imperial Riches is an Asian-garden-themed slot from NetEnt, released in September 2019. It runs on a 5-reel, 3-row grid with 15 paylines and a bet range of 0.15 to 30 per spin. The central mechanic is an Avalanche system where winning symbols explode and new ones fall in, chained into a Lucky Pond bonus that feeds into a five-tier jackpot game with three progressive prizes. With a 96.88% RTP, a 41% hit frequency, and a low volatility rating of just 2.5 out of 10, Imperial Riches is one of the gentlest slots in the NetEnt catalogue, designed around sustained play and jackpot accumulation rather than big base game wins.
The visual design presents a tranquil Japanese koi pond and garden scene. Symbols include jade ornaments, golden fish, lotus flowers, and traditional lanterns at the high end, with stylised card values at the low end. The colour palette is rich greens and golds against dark water. The Lucky Pond animation, where jewels physically drop into the water and koi fish swim up to collect them, is the visual centrepiece of the game and a good example of how NetEnt integrated the bonus mechanic into the aesthetic.
Avalanche Mechanic
Imperial Riches uses an Avalanche system instead of traditional spinning reels. Symbols fall into position from above on each spin. When a winning combination lands, the winning symbols explode and disappear. The remaining symbols drop down to fill the gaps, and new symbols fall in from the top. This process repeats for as long as new wins form, creating chains from a single bet.
With a 41% hit frequency, nearly half of all spins produce at least one win, and the Avalanche mechanic means many of those initial wins cascade into additional payouts. The chain effect adds value to the already high hit rate, making the base game feel consistently active. Even modest wins can extend into multi-step Avalanche sequences where the grid reshuffles several times from a single spin.
Wild Symbols
Wild symbols appear on reels 2, 3, and 4 only. They substitute for all symbols except the scatter. The restriction to the middle three reels means wilds function as connectors between the outer reels rather than appearing at the edges of paylines. During Avalanche chains, wilds that survive the initial explosion remain in position as new symbols fall in above them, potentially contributing to multiple wins within the same sequence.
Free Falls and the Lucky Pond
Three or more scatter symbols trigger the Free Falls feature. Three scatters award 10 free falls, with each additional scatter adding 5 more. The maximum of 9 scatters on the reels would award 40 free falls, though landing that many scatters simultaneously is extremely rare. During Free Falls, the Avalanche mechanic continues as normal, but a new tracking system activates.
Every winning symbol that explodes during Free Falls is counted as a jewel. These jewels accumulate throughout the feature. When Free Falls end, the Lucky Pond bonus begins. All collected jewels drop into the koi pond one by one. Two types of fish swim in the pond: Coin Fish and Bonus Fish. Each fish eats jewels as they fall. Coin Fish award instant coin prizes when they eat a jewel. Bonus Fish need to eat 3 jewels to trigger the Jackpot Game. The more jewels you collect during Free Falls, the more chances for fish to eat them and the higher the probability of triggering the Jackpot Game.
The Jackpot Game
When a Bonus Fish eats its third jewel during the Lucky Pond phase, the Jackpot Game triggers. This is a fixed-format bonus with exactly 50 jewels to distribute. Five jackpot fish swim in the pond, each representing one of the five jackpot tiers: Rapid (fixed), Mini (fixed), Midi (progressive), Mega (progressive), and Major (progressive). The three progressive jackpots grow with every bet placed across all players on the game.
The 50 jewels drop into the pond one at a time. Each jackpot fish eats jewels as they fall. The first fish to eat 3 jewels awards its corresponding jackpot, and the game ends. The outcome is random, but every Jackpot Game guarantees a prize since one of the five fish will always reach 3 jewels within the 50-jewel allocation. The fixed Rapid and Mini jackpots award smaller set amounts, while the progressive Midi, Mega, and Major jackpots can grow to substantially larger sums depending on how long they have been building.
Jackpot Structure
The five-tier jackpot system is the primary draw of Imperial Riches. The two fixed jackpots, Rapid and Mini, provide frequent smaller payouts in the Jackpot Game. The three progressive jackpots, Midi, Mega, and Major, pool contributions from all bets on the game across all players and casinos running the slot. Progressive jackpots reset to a seed value after being won and immediately begin building again.
The 200x maximum base game payout is deliberately low because the progressive jackpots sit on top of it. The game is structured so that regular play returns are modest and consistent, while the Jackpot Game provides the upside potential. This is a fundamentally different design philosophy from high-volatility slots where the base game itself can produce large wins.
RTP, Volatility and Session Character
The 96.88% RTP is above average, and a portion of this return comes through the progressive jackpot contributions. The 2.5 out of 10 volatility rating makes Imperial Riches one of the lowest-variance slots NetEnt has produced. The 41% hit frequency, the highest on this list, means wins land on nearly every other spin before Avalanche chains extend them further.
Sessions on Imperial Riches feel markedly different from most slots. The combination of constant base game activity, Avalanche chains extending wins, and the Lucky Pond accumulation mechanic creates a rhythm where the game always feels like it is building towards something. The Jackpot Game adds a layer of anticipation that standard slots lack, since every Free Falls round has a chance to trigger it through jewel collection. For players who prefer low-variance play with a progressive jackpot carrot, Imperial Riches delivers that specific combination in a polished package.
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