Dragon Pays Slot Review

Depending on which side of the world you live on, dragons are seen from a completely different angle. In the west, we think of them as fearsome fire-breathing beasts that have a penchant for gold. But in the east, and particularly in China, dragons are seen as benevolent creatures, universally loved and worshipped for their power, strength and good luck.

On Dragon Pays, an online slot from Novomatic, they are depicted as the latter. This Chinese-themed slot embraces the good luck aspect of what these dragons can supposedly bring. And while there are two views on dragons, the free Dragon Pays video slot will also offer you two different paths to take: play the slot as an up to 20-payline slot, or take advantage of 243 ways to win instead.

This is certainly a unique twist, and one that will leave you debating with yourself on which reel format to use. Like us, you will probably try both out before deciding which one you prefer. It is nice to have a bit of choice, however. So let’s find out more about what Dragon Pays by Novomatic can offer.

Lair of the Dragon

When you first open up this free online slot, you will hardly be blown away by what’s in front of you. The game has obviously been designed with mobile players in mind. Like many other mobile slots, the graphics and animations have been somewhat toned down to provide a more efficient playing experience for those using low-end devices. Still, these elements are more than adequate, and surely the gameplay experience and winning are more important than looks anyway.

As for the symbols on the reels, the higher-paying ones among them are represented by other traditional Chinese symbols – the lotus flower, firecrackers, a frog and a fish. The payouts for these will depend on the reel format you chose and the amount you wager per spin. You can find more information about this in the Dragon Pays pay table. The same goes for the low-paying playing card symbols that make up the numbers on the reels.

Scatter symbols and wild symbols can also be found here, with the gold coin and the dragon symbols representing these respectively. The wild symbol does what you might expect, and can replicate any other symbol if so required to complete a winning combination on the reels – the only exception being the scatter symbol.

Fire-Hot Features

The bonus features of this slot will change, depending on whether you play the 20-payline version of Dragon Pays or the 243-ways-to-win version. A gold coin represents the scatter symbol on this free online slot, and while it pays out 4x, 10x or 50x the total spin bet on both versions, it will also activate a free spins round when utilising 243 ways to win.

You need at least three of these scatters to launch that free spins round, and when you do, you will be given a choice of three different permutations. You could go for 18 free spins, with the addition of random multipliers of up to 8x attached to any wins involving the wild symbol. Alternatively, you can try 13 free spins, with those random multipliers having the potential to be as high as 10x. The third option is 10 free spins, with the chance of multipliers as high as 30x being given for any wins created by wilds.

Another nice little feature of this free spins round is the “second chance” respins. These will occur whenever you land a wild symbol on the reels, but it won’t help you create any winning combinations. When this happens, any reels with a wild symbol will be locked in place while the remaining reels respin again. We should also mention that while you can unlock this free spins round, it can also activate on its own at random on occasion.

A Drifting Dragon

Dragon-themed slots are a dime a dozen at the casinos online, and it will not take too long to find another. If you like to rely on the Chinese ceremonials for luck, or just like the look of these mythical creatures, you could try out Dragon Reels. This online slot was developed by the skilful guys at EGT and is once again themed around Chinese culture. Containing a free spins round, a bonus round and a gamble feature, this 5-reel, 25-payline slot could be worth checking out.

Also, Double Dragons by Yggdrasil Gaming is definitely worth a look. This time, the nature of the dragons featured is more in line with western perceptions: fierce, scary and full of hot air. Again, you’ll be playing with 25 paylines; plus you can expect some fantastic graphics and a bunch of lucrative features to enjoy.

Gold or Old?

While the free Dragon Pays slot certainly does not have the sheer number of slot features of many other online slots at the online casinos, we’ve got to give kudos to Novomatic for at least making the free spins round a little different from the norm. The three different free spin variations add a little twist, while the added reel respins and multipliers up to 30x are an added bonus.

Dragon Pays is a fairly simple-looking slot, but one that does offer a good degree of fun. Being able to choose up to 20 paylines or 243 ways to win is also interesting, and we found the latter to offer more enjoyment due to the free spins round. All in all, Dragon Pays is a solid online slot which, while not outstanding, will certainly keep you entertained.