Dragon Spin Slots
It seems Bally technologies are well aware that players the world over love a good Asian themed slot, I mean, they have enough of them, with titles such as 88 Fortunes famous around the globe! They also aren't immune to feeding us dragon-themed free slot games either, with both Double Dragon and Jewel of the Dragon in their slot catalogue for both cash and fun play.
Dragon spin does sit apart from their other slots though despite the similarities, this is a new level of visuals for Bally and it performs well against competing casino games from manufacturers known for their video slot work like IGT or WMS.
Fortunately, the game isn't all show and no go, with 3 different features, an array of wilds and no less than 5 progressive jackpots available, it would seem these dragons are capable of breathing real fire into your land casino experience.
Theme
Dragon spins base theme is pretty simple, but effectively delivered, three CGI style dragon characters each representing their own bonus round also serve as the high pay symbols on the game. Low pay icons are represented by playing card symbols and they are a little weak visually, given how well dressed the rest of the game is this is a fairly minor gripe.
A pearl scatter represents the trigger for the progressive pick round whilst a simple gold wild icon is what you will be hunting most of the time to get any form of return in the base game. What you are really seeking to gain from the dragon's treasure hoard is the emerald scatter, which triggers the random bonus pick where the free spins are available.
The music and sound effects are solid, especially during the bonus rounds, video cut scenes, and big win displays where the dragons have a variety of moves to show off. The backdrop is stunning too with a mythical Asian temple atop a lonely mountain, hidden away in a mystical valley, the dragons will take to the air in some sequences and it is a visual treat. Not as immersive as some official slot tie-ups perhaps, but not so far off either.
Features
At its heart this is a simple 5x3 game with 30 fixed lines, the game needs to be visually engaging as wins in the base game, though frequent, are far from exciting in size. The variance is very low, and on such games, the play needs to be enjoyable to compensate, though you do get plenty of game time for your cash in this format.
Lining up three pearls on the reels will grant you a pick of symbols for one of the five progressives, mini, minor, major, maxi and mega. It goes without saying on a low volatility game that the majority of the time it will be the mini or minor which is revealed, the pick is also predetermined, a telltale sign of this being that unpicked symbols aren't revealed at the end of the round.
What you really want is the emerald scatter, find three or more of these in the reels to activate the rotating wheel bonus at the top of the cabinet, this will reward you with one of three features: Raining Wilds, Locked Wilds or Reel Blast.
Reel Blast is the grandest of the bonuses but often the most frustrating too, the reel sets are multiplied to give you four complete reel sets on the giant curved screen, with the centre 3 reels of each being one giant stacked symbol. You only get a small number of free spins so to sum up a big win in this round really relies on a wild symbol landing as a stacked icon in the middle, without it, the wins will be small.
Raining wilds are fun, there is no doubt, a dragon sits atop the reels in a stormy sky, literally raining down wilds onto the reels below for the duration of your free spins. Whilst this is generally more lucrative than the Reel Blast bonus, it still isn't huge, and the spins, as with the other rounds, cannot be retriggered.
The last of the bonuses is the one you will really want to hit, the dragon on the Locked Wilds spins slams his hands down each time the reels revolve, battering down wilds to the screen much as in the Raining Wilds bonus. The difference in this round is that the wilds are sticky and remain in place, accumulating with each spin. It isn't uncommon to land a full screen by the end.
Summary
Dragon spin is a fun game to play and watch, the user experience is excellent. There is enough in the way of visual effects and game features to keep most slot players entertained. What it doesn't offer due to its low volatility is much potential for big wins. They can happen, the progressive jackpots will drop after all, it just isn't going to be an every day occurrence.
