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Dragons have traditionally been seen as hoarders of gold coins and when you spin the reels of the Dragon Pays video slot from Novomatic, with a bit of good fortune, you could be sitting on a pile of cash as well, with lucky frogs, fish and money bowls returning some massive rewards. While the outward appearance of this game is quite straightforward, with 2-dimensional symbols and simple designs to each, there’s lots going on beneath the surface, with optional bet patterns, free spins with huge multipliers, mystery choice awards and second chance respins.
It’s a classic Chinese themed online slot machine that uses a red, gold and white colour scheme and comes in a 5-reel format where symbols are arranged in 3 rows. But there’s an unusual option to play with 243 Ways to Win, where you just need to see matching symbols in any positions on adjacent reels, or play up to 20 fixed paylines, where the symbols will need to be in set positions to get a win. Whichever you go for, like all Novomatic online casino games, it’s got a great return to player percentage, and it’s fully licensed for fair play, backed up with certification from independent testing companies.
Like many of the newest Novomatic slots, it’s also mobile optimised and works perfectly well across all platforms. The Asian theme is sure to attract a wide audience, with this genre probably being the most popular of all, but even if it’s not your style, the bonus features are so appealing that this game shouldn’t be missed out at Novomatic-powered online casinos.
Bright and bold high card symbols pay the smaller coin wins, but the amount claimed depends on which line format you have chosen. The 9 and 10 icons are worth the same, while the J and Q each return a little more and the top-paying card symbols are the K and A.
Traditional images such as a lotus flower, firecrackers, the lucky fish and frog will each be worth more and more, while the best wins come from the bowl, which returns 8,000 coins at the minimum stakes of 160 coins per spin.
The ceremonial dragon is a magnificent-looking beast and he acts as a wild symbol, which isn’t worth anything on its own, but will be able to substitute for all but the scatter symbol to complete winning lines for you. He only lands on the middle 3 reels though, and won’t be able to substitute for the scatter symbol.
A big gold coin pays winnings regardless of where it lands, as long as it’s seen on adjacent reels, with any 3, 4 or 5 paying 4x, 10x, or 50x the total stake. If you are playing 243 Ways to Win, this scatter symbol will also launch a free spins bonus round, where you get to choose from a selection of spins and multipliers. This round can also be awarded completely at random, which is a nice extra touch that helps punters to get a bonus at any time.
The choices are for the maximum number of 18 free spins, where any winning combinations created with the help of the wild symbol will be multiplied in value by a random 3x, 5x, or 8x, or you could go for 13 spins, but the potential multipliers increase to 5x, 8x, or 10x. There’s a further option of just 10 spins, but wild wins are multiplied by 8x, 10x, or 15x, while the fewest number of spins is just 8, but they come with the highest potential prize multipliers of 10x, 15x, or 30x.
You could let the game do the deciding for you by taking the Mystery Choice spins, but whichever you go for, the overall returns are the same, so it’s just a matter of personal preference. Another feature in play throughout all free spin options is a second chance respin, where any wild symbols that appear, but are not part of a winning combination, become locked wilds as the other positions spin once more for free. The bonus games can be retriggered by any 3 or more scatter coins appearing in a single spin, with the new ones beginning as soon as any left in the current round are finished.
Punters who like to take a bit more risk can choose to gamble wins, doubling the prize by correctly picking if a playing card is going to be from a red or black suit. The new prize can either be collected, or they can go again, over and over, doubling the win each time.
Of course, a wrong choice anywhere along the way will lose any gains from the round, along with the initial prize, so many players use it as a fun way to potentially boost a small prize, rather than risking bigger payouts.
The way that you can pick to play Dragon Pays as a 5-line, 10-line, 20-line, or 243 Ways to Win format game is highly unusual, but it’s a nice feature that we’d like to see in more slot machines. The minimum real cash stakes depend on the format, so you could start at just 0.05 per spin, or even practice with the free Dragon Pays video slots offered at Novomatic online casinos.
Asian themed online slot machines are widespread, it’s no surprise to see that many of them feature dragons, as these mythical creatures are supposed to bring good fortune. Dragons Temple is a game from IGT that looks quite similar to Dragon Pays, but comes with its own bonus rounds, such as an expanding wild dragon symbol and extra wilds in the bonus games.
Playtech has released one of the more visually stunning games of this type, with their Dragon Kingdom video slot offering you some richly designed heroic warriors, magical castles and a green dragon symbol that acts as a wild. There’s also a unique Dragon Split feature, which gives you twice as many symbols on the right-side reel, for some higher-paying combinations.
While Dragon Pays may look quite standard, the different bet options, varied bonus features and choice of free spins games makes it anything but ordinary. It’s worth remembering that you will need to be playing the 243 Ways to Win format to trigger the free games with their huge multipliers, but whatever your choice may be, it’s a reliable, high-paying game that’s filled with tried and tested symbols to please the widest possible audience.
We were certainly please to be at these dragon-filled reels, and have no doubt that many other spinners will want to try the Dragon Pays video slot online, and on their mobile devices.
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