8 Dragons Slot Review
Take a trip back in time to ancient China, the land of dragons, folklore, and tradition in our 8 Dragons online slot review. These magnificent fire-breathing creatures from the East appear on the 5-reel, 20-payline layout created by developers Pragmatic Play. For centuries dragons have been feared and vilified, but the 8 Dragons slot machine offers a fresh perspective on them. Usually, ones to hoard their treasure, in this slot the dragons may bestow a variety of excellent bonus features such as multipliers, doubled wins, and free spins. Learn our thoughts on this oriental adventure in our comprehensive 8 Dragons slot review below.
8 Dragons
8 Dragons RTP and Wagering
The 8 Dragons slot unfolds on a traditional 5×3 reel configuration with 20 fixed paylines. Wins are formed in the traditional way with three or more matching symbols required across an active payline and starting from reel 1 in order to receive prize payouts. The game is optimised for play on all devices and has a broad betting range between 20p (1p per payline), to £100 per spin (£5 per payline).
When it comes to its statistics, the 8 Dragons slot machine is able to stand out from the crowd with both its consistent and approachable medium volatility rating, and its generous RTP of 96.37%. This does come at the cost of its top payout, with the top win from this game being 500x a player's total wager; still an impressive amount, but nothing exceptional when compared to the many slot games which pay out 1000x or more.
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8 Dragons Symbols and Audio & Video Design
Because Chinese culture places a strong emphasis on luck and good fortune, it is usually a popular theme for online slots. This concept is brilliantly illustrated in 8 Dragons by Pragmatic Play, which features numerous symbols of good fortune that are associated with Chinese culture, including red envelopes and gold ingots. This slot machine has a simple design, with a red backdrop adorned with embroidery. Despite being simple in its reel construction and format the intricate design produces an engaging and on-theme visual experience.
There are 10 base game symbols used in the 8 Dragons slot, which begins with the classic playing card symbols 9-A which have been given an Oriental style to suit the overall theme. A golden vase, a koi fish, gold ingots, a turtle dragon, and the most valued regular in this game, a tiger, are the higher-paying symbols. The tiger is able to pay out for just two symbols on a payline; which is certainly a welcome touch. The eight-shaped Dragon Wild symbol has multiple uses and shows up in stacks on the reels. It can also be used in place of any other base game symbol besides the scatter. If you are able to land three or more of the red wallet scatter symbols anywhere on the grid, the free spins round will be activated; but more on this later.
The full paytable for the 8 Dragons slot is as follows:
Nine
0.5-4x total stake
Ten
0.5-4x total stake
Jack
0.5-5x total stake
Queen
0.5-5x total stake
King
1-5x total stake
Ace
1-5x total stake
Golden Baskets
1-7x total stake
Koi
1.5-10x total stake
Turtle Dragon
1.5-13x total stake
Tiger
0.2-50x total stake
8 Dragons Mobile Features
8 Dragons is completely mobile-friendly. Utilising HTML5 technology, Pragmatic Play makes sure that the slot game is playable on all platforms—including tablets and smartphones—without sacrificing gameplay elements or visual appeal.
8 Dragons Bonus Features
8 Dragons distinguishes itself with a variety of engaging in-game features. The game's distinctive features both enhance the overall gameplay experience and also boost the winning potential of the 8 Dragons slot.
Stacked Wilds
A characteristic of 8 Dragons that is evocative of the powerful dragons the slot is inspired by is the Stacked Wild feature. The Dragon Wild symbols have the ability to show up on the reels as double stacks, which greatly increases the possibility of creating winning combos and may also apply a 2x multiplier to any symbol wins.
Free Spins
In 8 Dragons, three Scatter symbols—which are represented by elaborate red envelopes—must land in order to activate the Free Spins bonus. Upon activation, players are presented with a selection of alternatives for free spins, each featuring a unique combination of wild multipliers and free spins to suit a wide variety of play styles.
- Red Dragon: Awards 5 bonus spins with wild multipliers of 8, 10, and 15 times.
- Purple Dragon: Awards 8 free spins with wild multipliers worth 6, 8, and 10 times.
- Green Dragon: Awards 15 bonus spins with wild multipliers of 3, 4, and 6 times.
- Blue Dragon: Awards 20 bonus spins with wild multipliers of 2, 3, and 4 times.
- Gold Dragon: Offers random wild multipliers and an unknown number of free spins.
It is also possible to retrigger the free spins bonus round by landing a further three scatters during the free spins bonus.
Mystery Stacked Symbol
8 Dragons has a Mystery Stacked symbol that can change into any other symbol—aside from the Wild—in order to increase the chances of a winning combination in both the basic game and the free spins feature.
8 Dragons Final Thoughts
When you take a closer look it is clear that 8 Dragons is a bit of an odd one. Many of its elements are in direct contrast with one another. For example, 8 Dragons features the simplicity of an old-school slot in terms of its reel configuration and design, and yet also boasts an extensive range of bonus features just like a modern video slot. 8 Dragons also has an incredibly generous RTP of 96.37%, but also includes a somewhat stingy top prize of just 500x a player's total stake.
One could argue that Pragmatic Play is giving players the best of both worlds, but others might feel as though the 8 Dragons slot is one stuck in those awkward teenage years, not quite a modern video slot, but definitely not a retro-themed title either. Because of this, 8 Dragons may struggle to develop a consistent player base; after all branding and product placement is key in such a saturated market.
When it comes to the bonus features on offer the 8 Dragons slot definitely shines. The free spins bonus round is particularly exciting, as few games outside of those created by Wazdan give players the opportunity to pick the overall volatility of the bonus round; receiving a number of free spins and bonus multipliers according to their preference. The fact that all other bonus features remain active during free spins and that by landing more scatters players can retrigger the feature is the cherry on top of the proverbial cake.
Overall, I rate 8 Dragons a 7/10. While there are plenty of things to love about this slot like the RTP and bonus features, its awkward hybrid status between retro slot and modern video slot is going to turn off a lot of players. While the theme is executed well, it is nothing unique, and the low top prize of 500x does not help to make the 8 Dragons game stand out.
Rating: 7.0
If you like 8 Dragons, then check out these other Asian Theme slot games
8 Dragons FAQ
Here are some of the most common questions we get asked about the 8 Dragons slot.
