Dragonz

Dragonz: Overview

Dragons in popular culture generally come in two forms - deadly beasts that lay waste to whole cities, or cutie pie monsters that would rather hug you than set you on fire. Developer Microgaming has chosen the latter option and filled their slot Dragonz with four friendly characters. The gang isn’t just for show either; each dragon livens up the reels and brings a different set of free spins with them. The uncomplicated, fast-paced gameplay of Dragonz makes the perfect accompaniment to the features which can fly free when triggered.

A sweet animation opens up the game and introduces players to the four starring dragons. Microgaming has set the slot in the great outdoors on a deep green meadow against a clear blue sky. In the distance, floating rock structures add a subtle yet mystical dimension to the proceedings and the location shifts to reflect the various free spin rounds. The soundtrack is a good one too, with a fantasy rich vibe, spreading on an extra thick layer of atmosphere.

To get the adventure going, players can choose a stake from 40 p/c up to $/€30 per spin. Other stats include an above-average RTP of 96.46% and a math model set to a medium/high level which provides a range of payouts from the small and frequent to the large and rarer.

As mentioned, the game is pretty straight forward and consists of a classic Microgaming set up of 5 reels, 3 rows, and 243 win ways. Without paylines, winning combinations are formed when at least three matching symbols land consecutively from left to right on any row.

The game includes 10 regular pay symbols with which to do so, divided into 6 low and 4 high pays. The low pays are standard 9-A royals, with little distinguishing characteristics to speak of. High pays are far more interesting and include the four dragons that are named Gobble, Frost, Switch, and Flint and offer payouts from 6.25x to 12.5x the stake for five of a kind. The base game avoids getting overly repetitive thanks to a beneficial wild symbol, not to mention the fine selection of bonus games.

Dragonz: Features

Keep an eye out for the wild symbol during the base game, because should it land on the third reel on a non-winning spin, it adds additional wilds to the other reels for a guaranteed win. This feature has been named the Wild Deal and players will be glad to know that it pops up quite often to help soften the blow of landing non-winning spins. Wilds also payout when they appear in combinations of 3 or more, up to 15 times the stake for 5 of a kind.

Clearly the wild, and the Wild Deal, is a boon, but the symbol you really want is the sparkling purple gem scatter. Should at least 3 appear in view, then one of the Free Spins features is triggered. Initially, one will be selected at random, but once free spins have been triggered 12 times, players can choose the one they would like to play from then on. Each of the four options comes with 10 free spins and the following modifiers:

• Gobble Free Spins with Winning Wilds. During this bonus game, Gobble spits wilds onto the reels at random which stay stuck in place as long as they are part of winning combination. This can lead to a substantial portion of free spins with the help of those sticky wilds in place.
• Frost Free Spins with Frosty Wilds. Frost flows across the reels and freezes any non-winning wilds in place until they contribute to a win. Free spins will continue until no frozen wilds are remaining on the grid, so there can be more than 10 spins in total.
• Switch Free Spins with Stashed Wilds. Switch collects any wilds that appear but do not contribute to a winning combination. When 3 or more have been collected, they are distributed on the reels at random to create a guaranteed win. Like Frost Free Spins, free spins with Switch will continue until all wild symbols are distributed.
• Flint Free Spins with Flaming Wilds. Flint likes fire, and each time he blows flames, he shoots wilds onto the reels at random. The number of wilds increases the more he does so with up to ten Flaming Wilds possible.

On top of triggering bonus games, 2, 3, 4, or 5 scatters in view also award juicy payouts of 1x, 2x, 10x, or 100x the total bet staked respectively.

Dragonz: Verdict

Despite the subject matter, Dragonz isn’t a frightening monster of a slot. It fact, it’s one of those games that is just straight-up fun to play. Microgaming has struck a sweet balance by combining a pleasing look with charming characters and infectious gameplay via its features.

This might be a world populated with dragons, but it is also the realm of the wild symbol. These useful symbols pop up all over the place and contribute to a nicely flowing base game with potential for massive payouts and bonus games that can transform into wild fests in a moment. Wins of 3,000 times the stake and more are possible from single spins, so Dragonz is also a slot that doesn’t come up short in the rewards department either.

Dragonz might not be a game you fire up to be dazzled by cutting edge features or a brutal math model. Instead, it provides solid, entertaining gaming by covering the basics, adding in some great free spins options and piling on the appeal via its adorable characters. For something a little more light-hearted, and utterly charming, it doesn't get much better than Dragonz.