There are plenty or online video slots devoted to mythical realms and fiery dragons, but most tend to take their sword and sorcery themes quite seriously. NextGen Gaming’s Dragon Drop slot game is much more tongue-in-cheek. Judging by the field of tulips in the foreground and the windmill in the background, it is obviously set in the Netherlands, with a higgledy-piggledy castle in the distance indicating that we’re in cartoon-style medieval times. Butterflies flit around the green meadow, and it all looks very summery, helped by a jazzy piano-driven soundtrack that gets frenetic in bonus rounds.
The dragons in the Dragon Drop slot are also played for comedy. Instead of sleek, scaly, fire-breathing knight-killers, these dragons are cute, plump and puppy-like, their tiny wings barely able to keep them aloft. This cartoonish feel to the design is carried through to all the symbols and the animations with which various characters, especially the dragons, celebrate wins. There are five reels and 25 paylines. Players can bet on any number from 1 to 25, and the bet per line can be varied in several intervals between 1 and 200 coins.
Wilds Justify Dragon Drop Slot’s Name
The Dragon Drop slot reels are housed in a house: literally. A sturdy stone frame and a tiled roof surround the plain white reels in their thin gold frames, with the game controls attached to a fence post in front. Above Reels 2, 3 and 4 the three dropping dragons sit on the roof, anxiously egging the player on.
At random moments during the Dragon Drop slot’s reel spins, a dragon will drop off the roof and come to rest in one of the windows of Reels 2, 3 or 4. This is the title’s Wild symbol, so whenever a dragon drops into play, it can make extra combinations by substituting for other symbols, barring the Scatter. All winning payline combos that include a Wild have their prizes doubled.
Standard Bonus Feature with a Twist
Most digital slots games have a free spins round like free bets at the best online sports betting sites, and the Dragon Drop slot is no exception. A clutch of roughly scaled dragon’s eggs is the Dragon Drop slot’s Scatter, and Scatters in any three or more reel windows activate a bonus round of 8 free spins, during which all prizes are doubled.
The front egg hatches and a cute baby dragon peers out as the bonus is triggered, but the most attractive part of the Dragon Drop slot’s free spins round is the Sticky Dragons feature. Any dragons that drop from the roof to become Wilds during the bonus round stick in that position for the rest of the free spins, boosting the prize-winning potential of the feature.
Two or more Scatters also win an instant prize consisting of a multiplier applied to the entire spin bet: up to 100X, for five of a kind.
Four Themed Icons Continue the Fun
The Dragon Drop slot’s six low card-value symbols, 9 to A, are pretty standard, paying up to 200 credits for five of a kind. The four themed icons are much more in keeping with the title’s quirky theme: a nervous sheep watching the skies, a farmer dressed in home-made armour with a pitchfork, the twisty-turreted castle, and a chest of riches on a pile of gold coins. The last-mentioned is the top-paying payline symbol, winning 5,000 credits for five of a kind.