Dragon Hopper

Dragon Hopper: Slot Overview

Push Gaming's Dragon Hopper takes players on a journey to the Orient, blending familiar mechanics with inventive features designed to add depth and unpredictability. Following in the footsteps of the 2021 release Fire Hopper and borrowing inspiration from titles like Crystal Catcher, Dragon Hopper looks to evolve the grid slot experience. While it doesn't shy away from using proven elements, it introduces new features, such as the Dragon feature and the Bubble feature, as well as the Mystic Flare feature.

Visually, Dragon Hopper captures a tranquil, almost dreamlike atmosphere, with the reels suspended high up in the clouds. Traditional Asian architecture and vibrant lanterns dot the background, while soft, glowing lights add a touch of mysticism to the setting. The audio complements the visuals with a laid-back, classic Asian-inspired soundtrack that leans into soothing melodies and subtle tones. It's a relaxing backdrop that avoids being overly dramatic, adding a sense of calm to the gameplay while maintaining the thematic consistency Push Gaming is known for.

Dragon Hopper operates on a 7x7 grid and employs a Cluster Link mechanic where wins occur by landing clusters of at least five matching symbols, connected either horizontally or vertically. Cascading symbols follow every win, clearing successful clusters and allowing new symbols to drop into the empty spaces for potential chain reactions. It's a highly volatile experience, backed by a configurable RTP of up to 96.33% at its optimal setting, with a minimum bet starting at €/$0.10 and climbing to a hefty $/€100 for high rollers.

On the paytable, the symbols are split into higher and lower-paying categories, all thematically styled as colorful lanterns befitting the festive vibe of the game. The top-tier symbols include red, gold, and pink lanterns, offering payouts up to 50x the bet for clusters of 17 or more. Meanwhile, the low-paying symbols, represented by hues of blue, green, and purple, cap out at a more modest 10x the bet for equivalent cluster sizes.  As a cluster slot, winning clusters are removed via the cascade mechanic, allowing new symbols to drop in and potentially create additional wins.

Dragon Hopper: Slot Features

The features in Dragon Hopper showcase a mix of familiar mechanics and fresh ideas. Push Gaming has included some of its signature elements, such as the Instant Prize symbols, while introducing new concepts like the Bubble feature and the Dragon feature. Here's a detailed breakdown.

Wild symbols and Dragon feature

The Dragon and Golden Dragon symbols serve as wilds, substituting for all symbols except the Fire Cloud and Bonus symbols. These wilds come with an initial multiplier ranging from x1 to x10, which increases by +1 whenever the Dragon moves during the Dragon feature. When a Dragon symbol is in view alongside a Fire Cloud symbol, the Dragon Feature is triggered. The Dragon symbol flies to the nearest Fire Cloud, leaving a Golden Dragon behind with its multiplier intact, creating new win opportunities.

Instant Prize Symbols

A Push Gaming hallmark, these symbols act as bet multipliers, with values ranging from x1 to x1,000. Clusters of 5 or more Instant Prize Symbols trigger payouts. These symbols can appear in both the base game and free spins.

Mystic Flare Feature

Triggered randomly on non-winning cascades, this feature introduces Mystic symbols onto the grid in sizes ranging from 2x2 to 4x4. These symbols then break down into 1x1 symbols, which can transform into regular symbols, Instant Prize symbols, or even bonus or Dragon symbols.

Free Spins Feature

When 3, 4 or 5 bonus symbols land on the reels, 6, 9 or 12 free spins are awarded, respectively. Once in, the Dragon, Golden Dragon, Fire Cloud and Instant Prize symbols from the base game will remain in the same position and carry over to the free spins feature with the respective values. During the round, each empty symbol position will spin through to land either Fire Cloud, Instant Prize, Extra Spin or Blank symbols. Each Instant Prize symbol that lands will remain in its position throughout the feature. All instant prize symbol clusters are evaluated at the end of the round.

Bubble Feature

During the free spins feature, Bubble symbols randomly appear on the grid before the first spin begins and remain in place until the next spin. These symbols are non-paying but come with assigned values of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, or 500. The Bubble symbol moves one grid space per spin, either vertically or diagonally. These symbols can appear individually or as stacks of up to five and interact with key game elements such as the Golden Dragon symbol, Fire Cloudsymbol, and Instant Prize symbol.

When a Bubble symbol lands on the Golden Dragon symbol, it activates and adds its value to the Golden Dragon symbol's multiplier. If a Fire Cloud symbol lands beneath a Bubble symbol, the Bubble activates and transfers its value to the Fire Cloud symbol. The Golden Dragon symbol then follows the Dragon feature, transferring the Bubble's value to its multiplier. When an Instant Prize symbol lands beneath a Bubble symbol, the Bubble activates, adding its value to the Instant Prize symbol. Similarly, if a Bubble lands on an Instant Prize symbol, it activates and transfers its value to the Instant Prize symbol.

Dragon Hopper: Slot Verdict

Push Gaming has a well-established reputation for delivering vibrant, feature-packed games, and Dragon Hopper feels like a continuation of this ethos - though with a sense of déjà vu that's hard to ignore. The game borrows heavily from Push's playbook, layering classic mechanics like cascading reels and Instant Prize symbols with fresh elements such as the Dragon and Bubble features. The result is a slot that delivers pretty much what you would expect of a new Push Gaming release. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Instant Prize symbol feature, a staple for Push Gaming since its debut around 2019, once again takes center stage. While it's undeniably effective at driving gameplay and engagement, its ubiquity across recent titles like Big Bamboo, Razor Returns, and Boss Bear has started to feel overly familiar. In Dragon Hopper, it's once again been integrated well, but just like the Dragon feature, with its hopping multipliers, it doesn't quite elevate the experience beyond what we've seen before.

Ultimately, Dragon Hopper is a polished addition to Push Gaming's library, but it doesn't quite have the bite or originality to stand out among their more innovative offerings. For fans of the studio's formula, it's a dependable choice, but for those looking for something groundbreaking, it might feel like hopping on well-trodden ground. Solid, fun, but not unforgettable.