Sakura Masks is an Asian slot game by Red Tiger. It has 20 paylines with a highly volatile math model and jackpot mechanics sprinkled with all kinds of modifiers. You can hit decent wins with multipliers, respins, bonus spins, and stacked wilds, all of which can combine to deliver amazing winning combinations.

Red Tiger is one of the leading software providers in the slot market. It develops unique slots with great features, and Sakura Masks is proof of it. The game is set in Japan, and despite the design, which is a bit stale and familiar, the slot’s layout and design make it a breeze to play. The slot features a familiar jackpot mechanic where masks can turn reels fully wild and award cash prizes depending on the paytable. It’s not the first time we’ve seen such a mechanic in action, but it definitely makes the slot very entertaining to play.

Asian culture slots can be pretty generic, but this one aims to change that. It looks and feels great to play and is just as rewarding as the best Japanese slots. Read my Sakura Masks slot review below to see why it’s a slot game worth a spin or two at our recommended slot sites.

Sakura Masks’ layout and design are not groundbreaking in any way. It’s a 5x3 slot against a deep red-gold background with an oriental design. Right above the reels, you have the jackpot payouts, so you know how much the Sakura Wilds pay. Overall, the slot’s design is straightforward, so regardless if you’re playing it on your desktop or mobile phone, you shouldn’t have trouble finding your feet.

As for the symbols, they’re fully aligned with the theme. You have beautifully decorated green shoes, bracelets, hand fans, hair pins, and the Oni masks. They come in different colors and are essential to the gameplay, delivering the jackpots at any point, depending on how many you’ve landed.

The beautiful visuals are paired with an excellent soundtrack and sound effects.

To start playing, you should first adjust your bet. You can choose between 10c and $6 per spin, which is a bit of an unusual range if you ask me. When you’re ready, hit the spin button to start the game.

Sakura Masks features a straightforward math model where you need 3 or more matching symbols on the reels (left to right) to get paid. Wilds can help you complete or improve winning combinations. However, they also have some other super features. 

• For example, the Sakura wild can appear in sizes up to 1x3 on the middle reel. These count as 3 wild symbols per the paytable.
• A respin Sakura mask will trigger a single respin with all Sakura masks locked.
• There’s a multiplier Sakura mask, too, that can double or triple your wins.

The Sakura masks will also pay according to the scatter pay table. They land on any reel but pay independently. You need 3 or more in view to trigger the payouts. Three pay 1x, while the maximum of 10 pay 5,000x the bet.

The scatter symbols are key to triggering the bonus round, as always. Land 3 of them to receive 8 bonus spins. During the bonus round, a Sakura symbol is always locked on the 3^rd reel. That’s the only special feature you get, with the Sakura mask special paytable being active as well. Landing 2 or more scatters awards 5 bonus spins with no cap in sight. This means that, theoretically, you can prolong your bonus round endlessly.

The bonus buy menu lets you buy the free spins for 50x the bet, which is OK. You can also pay 3x for 3 Sakura symbols of any type on the next spin.

Sakura Masks is a fun – if unimpressive – slot by my standards. I love how straightforward it is to play, although I think that it would have benefited from a few more features. Nevertheless, thanks to the Sakura masks, you won’t be missing out on high-powered action. During my real money playthrough, I managed to land multiplier and respins masks several times. They paid decent money right from the start, although I was disappointed I didn’t land more than 4 masks for a bigger payout.

I bought the bonus round via the bonus buy menu. It was OK, but it didn’t cover my spending for it. Overall, it was a pretty decent experience with solid wins, even if it’s not spectacular.

The Sakura Masks RTP of 95.74% is in line with the studio’s portfolio of games. It’s OK for a highly volatile slot game with 20 lines. The maximum payout is set at 15,138x the bet.

Sakura Masks is not the most innovative slot in terms of visuals or gameplay features. However, the features you have on offer are still lucrative enough to make the slot worth a few spins. I’ve seen the scatter pays system on display many times before, and it does a good job complementing the regular symbol paytable. The Sakura masks have special winning potential and come with different modifiers, including respins, multiplier wilds, and more.

If you’re looking for a similar visual art style or theme, you should try Quickspin’s Sakura Fortune 1 and 2. They’re among the most popular Japanese slots of all time and come with great winning potential. If you’re into the scatter pays system, the closest slot that springs to mind is 9 Masks of Fire.