Dancing Dragon Slot Machine
The Novomatic brand a lot of us will be familiar with is one heavily steeped in old school rules and looks, with many of their real money slots being of a retro nature. However, on occasion they create modern looking games that, while not totally contemporary in execution, give many users a much-needed respite from classic gaming. Dancing Dragon is a great example of this.
Based on Asian culture and traditions, it has a very rich and textual aesthetic, allowing gamers who have never travelled to China to soak up the atmosphere via the special features and paying symbols. When we played we had the sound muted, but with it on there’s a subtlety to its song, with the sounds only playing when the reels are spun or a win is made. We find it’s a more immersive experience because of it.
As expected with the brand, there isn’t high variance to be found here, with the staple one or two bonuses about the only means of spicing the gameplay up, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. For players looking for reasonable payouts, simple but pleasing graphics, and middling variety, you won’t find much better than this.
Excitement in the Air
We could break out into chorus about Puff the Magic Dragon, but there’s really no need, as the dancing dragon from this slot is just as impressive, even more so (hello, it has money). Its joyous dance can be observed in many ways, but we especially love the finishing touch of it gliding over the paytable when you catch up on those icon totals.
Speaking of the symbols, we need to clear something up for you: the red dragon isn’t the ticket to the free games, but is in fact the wild. It brings good luck in the form of money, but does little else bar that and substituting other icons; it’s the scatter symbol you want if you’re to experience the Dancing Dragon Feature.
While it’s good that Novomatic didn’t go for the obvious here, we feel that their bid for innovation didn’t pay off as well as it could have.
Magic Dragon
To start the feature round you’ll need three or more scatter icons, which will lead you into a mini level of 10 games. During this time, not only are you not having to pay for playing, but the likelihood of wilds increases tenfold - as many as 75 wilds can appear!
As good as that is, it’s what is referred to as the extending dragon that makes the round really explosive. We won’t spoil it for you, but the more stacked symbols, the better the outcome. You’ll see what we mean soon enough, we promise.
One in a Million
Those accustomed to Novomatic and their gameplay will be aware of how volatile they can be, it’s almost borderline cruel. It’s not as steep as some slots we’ve played, but there’s no escaping the painful and obvious truth that the brand make you work hard for the money. As a result, you’ll need a whole lot of patience and an equally plentiful supply of money to keep the Dancing Dragon boogying away.
Many of the wins we landed were of the lower end variety, tending to come from the card value tiles, meaning we never got more than 30 credits. We grant you it isn’t a bad return, but it’s hardly going to have us buying a mansion any time soon.
For those wannabe high rollers out there, the only way you’re going to get to the top is to bet your way there; basically, bet as much as you can. This is the general rule for all Novomatic titles, and so it should be ingrained into you by now if you’re a regular player.
Although the pay-in here works out higher, that’s only because of the number of winlines active, of which there’s 50. This means that, while tough, the Dancing Dragon is going to be a lot more giving than if he were discovered on 20 winlines or 10. Just a little something to think about before you go twiddling with the betting system, believing you’re helping yourself when in fact you’re not.
All Danced out
Dancing Dragon is a decent slot machine, with minimal impact but lots of money to give to the right gamer, aka the one who can tame the beast. It couldn’t be any simpler than that, and so we’ll leave you in peace to observe the majestic beauty of the dragon himself.
