Journey to Paris

Journey to Paris: Slot Overview

Sure, no city is perfect; each has something they're trying to work through: crime, litter, poverty, unaffordable housing, homelessness and so on. But, it is hard to think of many major cities, if any, that possess the heart, soul, and romance of the famous French capital. Paris has been a magnet for artists, writers, and lovers for a while now, and it remains one of the most visited cities in the world. The attraction is obvious. Who wouldn't want to walk hand in hand with their partner along the Champs-élysées, see the city laid out from Sacré-C?ur, or simply stroll around, baguette under their arm, taking in the town, flaneur style?

For a taste of Paris, admittedly a somewhat stereotypical one, why not take a look at Play 'n GO's online slot Journey to Paris? Its base game turns on the Parisian charm, displaying a quaint cobblestone street where gamblers can pretend to relax, consume a croissant and down coffee while enjoying the views of the Eiffel Tower. The base game flips the view and the gaming mechanics to what looks like a book seller's stall, and if it all feels somewhat familiar, that could be because Journey to Paris is essentially a redo of Play'n GO's elder circus slot Golden Ticket 2.

Like previously mentioned slot, Journey to Paris is played on a 5x5 gaming grid, which has a Moon Princess-style pay mechanism in the base game and a scatter paying mechanic during free spins. The math model, meanwhile, is medium volatile, and of the six RTP configurations, 96.73% is the max value. Bet levels are limited in option, ranging from 20 c at the minimum to $/€40 at the most.

As well as the pay systems changing between base and bonus game, the set of pay symbols switches, as well. In the main game, we find an accordion, gloves, a ball, a hat, a bird coming out of a hat, an accordion player, a mime, and a magician. These symbols pay up 5 to 25 times the bet for a 5 OAK winning line. As well, combinations of hats and birds rising from hats or gloves and the ball symbol are worth up to 2.5 times the bet. Wild symbol-only winning combinations pay far more at 500x the bet for 5 OAK while also being able to substitute for all other symbols. Wilds only appear in the base game.

Journey to Paris: Slot Features

Winning combinations in Journey to Paris are formed when 3 or more matching symbols make a line, horizontally or vertically. The same symbols can be used in more than one win at a time. The winning symbols are removed from view, and the remaining symbols drop downwards. However, note that new symbols do not tumble in from above during this process.

Wilds & Multiplier

When a 3 OAK winning line is removed from the reels, a wild symbol is placed in the middle position before symbols tumble. Journey to Paris has a win multiplier that starts at x1 in the base game. Each tumble increases the win multiplier's value by +1, which resets back to 1 at the end of the base game spin.

Bonus Game

Displayed vertically on one or more random reels in the base game is the word BONUS. Fully uncovering the word BONUS awards the free spins. In addition, fully clearing the grid awards a cash prize of 1,000x the bet.

For free spins, a multiplier is set based on the number of fully cleared BONUS columns. The bonus round uses a completely different set of pay symbols, and wilds do not appear. The game also flips to scatter pays mode, meaning wins are achieved by getting 5 or more matching symbols anywhere on the reels. Ten symbols of Paris appear as the pay symbols in this phase, worth 1.25 to 5 times the bet for a 5-symbol scatter win, rising to 75-175x the bet for getting 10+ matching symbols. All wins are multiplied by the multiplier. When getting 5 or more bonus stamp scatter symbols, additional bonus spins are awarded up to a maximum of 20 bonus spins. One additional bonus spin is awarded per bonus stamp symbol in the winning combination.

Journey to Paris: Slot Verdict

Paris might be a city full of surprises, but are any as surprising as finding out Journey to Paris the slot is capable of producing wins up to 18,566.15x the bet? Flabbergasted was one way of describing the reaction. It didn't seem so potentially potent; at least, this was the initial reaction when browsing the game sheet. But, there you have it, and as the screenshots show, this thing can theoretically blow right on up. The key would appear to be revealing as many, preferably all 5, of the BONUS columns, thereby maxing out the absolutely crucial win multiplier. The next step, when the bonus is in action, is hoping like heck, chunky scatter wins pop up during the feature to be blasted by the multiplier. Having said that, the low frequency of max wins, or even just big wins, when speaking of Play'n GO slot is undoubtedly starting to rub many players the wrong way.

Then again, the big win number shouldn't come as too much of a shock since Journey To Paris is basically a reskin of Play'n GO's slot Golden Ticket, which packed a 20,000x+ top prize (which we're yet to see proof of in real life). What's interesting is, after looking back, how well Golden Ticket has stood the test of time having been released in 2014, perhaps more so than the Troll Hunters 2 clone sequel Golden Ticket 2. So much so that Journey to Paris felt, at times, almost superfluous, since everything bar the skin was more or less the same stuff. However, Journey to Paris' skin has been neatly designed, giving players a quick and easy way of experiencing The City of Light from their keyboards or handheld devices, even if what they get to experience leans on the stereotypical side.

Some may argue that's slots for you, a medium not exactly known for subtle nuance, more often delivering eye and ear-slapping audiovisuals. With that in mind, Journey to Paris is quite tastefully designed, capturing a flavour of the famous city for use as the vehicle for the Golden Ticket mechanics reuse. Though, this does reinforce the impression that, while Play'n GO are skilled at painting a pretty picture, the ability to come up with freaky new mechanics is less consistent.