Year of the Dragon King Slot Review
Start the Year of the Dragon right by reading our Year of the Dragon King slot review. This slot game from Pragmatic Play focuses on the Chinese Lunar New Year, with rich colours of red and gold designed to bring you luck and prosperity. Comprising 5 reels and 3 rows the Year of the Dragon King slot keeps things exciting with features such as the Mini-slot machine bonus game and wilds with instant payouts. With a max win of 5000x your wager, 20 paylines, and an RTP of 96.08% let us bring in the Chinese New Year with our Year of the Dragon King Slot Review.
Year of the Dragon King
Year of the Dragon King Slot RTP and Wagering
The Year of the Dragon King slot game has a standard video slot layout with 5 reels and 3 rows. There are 20 fixed paylines included in this slot game, meaning that to get started playing, all players need to do is load the game and enter an accepted wager value. The Year of the Dragon slot will automatically divide your bet evenly over all 20 lines. The accepted wagering range for this game starts at 20p all the way up to the maximum wager of £250. The RTP for Year of the Dragon King sits at 96.08%, just slightly above the 96% average, but as the saying goes, every little helps. The slot has pretty generous hit rates, for example, the bonus round is triggered in 1 in 118 spins on average.
The maximum payout offered in the Year of the Dragon King slot is 5000x your wager, which can be achieved by maxing out the multipliers accrued by the mini slots. The jackpot has a hit rate of 1 in 8.9 million, which seems low, but compared to other high volatility games is pretty respectable.
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Year of the Dragon King Symbols and Audio & Video Design
The theme for the Year of the Dragon King is not out of place with other Asian-themed slots on the market, but it is incredibly well done.
The reels are set within an ancient Chinese gate, painted in a rich, deep red, with jade green and gold accents. Golden coins adorn the top of the gate, and the reels themselves have a rich purple-blue hue which adds to the opulent feel of the slot.
Behind the slot reels is a vista displaying a mountain pass in the sunset, helping the slot to feel warm and inviting while also reminding players about the fiery nature of the Year of the Dragon!
When it comes to the symbols themselves, the same thought and care for the background of the slot has been taken with these too.
The most valuable symbol is the Coins, followed by the Lanterns. After this Come the Ace, Queen, King, Jack, and 10 symbols as the low-paying ones. Players should also keep an eye out for the Wilds, which can not only make winning combinations with any other symbols but can also pay out up to 25x your wager.
For a full breakdown of the symbols and their respective payouts, take a look at the paytable below.
Ten
3 = 0.5x stake / 4 = 1x stake / 5 = 2x stake
Jack
3 = 0.5x stake / 4 = 1x stake / 5 = 2x stake
Queen
3 = 1x stake / 4 = 2x stake / 5 = 3x stake
King
3 = 1x stake / 4 = 2x stake / 5 = 3x stake
Ace
3 = 2x stake / 4 = 3x stake / 5 = 5x stake
Lantern
3 = 3x stake / 4 = 5x stake / 5 = 10x stake
Coins
3 = 5x stake / 4 = 10x stake / 5 = 25x stake
Wild
3 = Depends on other symbols, max 5x / 4 = Depends on other symbols, max 10x / 5 = Depends on other symbols, max 25x
Year of the Dragon King Mobile Features
Year of the Dragon King was programmed and developed using HTML5, meaning there is full browser and mobile functionality. There is no difference between mobile and desktop play, meaning you can play at home as well as on the go with no issues no matter if you have an Android or iOS device. For the best experience though, the larger screen of a computer or laptop offers the best way to play.
Year of the Dragon King Bonus Features
Although Year of the Dragon King does not have as many bonuses and special features as other slot games out there, they still add depth and excitement to the gameplay of this slot. Keep reading to find out more about them.
Wilds
The Wild Symbol can substitute for all other symbols, helping you create winning combinations that will pay out in accordance with the symbols that the Wild is matching with. However Landing 3, 4, or 5 Wild Symbols on consecutive reels also awards you with a direct payout of 5x, 10x, or 25x your wager, respectively.
Mini Slot Bonus Round
If the reels all turn red, blue, or green, then the mini-slot bonus round is triggered. This spawns between 1 and 5 mini-slots on the reels, with each mini-slot having 3 reels on it and 1 fixed payline. Each mini-slot has the potential to win if it displays 3 matching symbols that are not blank, and with each win, the game will move on to the next mini-slot. Spins on a mini-slot that does not result in a win will deactivate that mini-slot, and the bonus game continues until there are no more active mini-slots on the reels.
The mini slots even have their own symbols and paytable, which you will find below:
| Symbol Name | Payout |
| Blank | No win |
| Blue 8s | 2x wager |
| Yellow 8s | 5x wager |
| Red 8s | 20x wager |
To add to this, the colour that the reels turn when the mini-slot bonus is activated also sets the initial multiplier for the game. If the reels are all blue, the multiplier is 2x which will increase by 2 with each spin, if they are green, the multiplier is 1x increasing by 1 with each spin, and if they are red, the multiplier is x5, increasing by 5 with each spin!
Bonus Buy Feature (Non-UK Only)
Players from outside of the UK can also opt to buy into the mini-slot bonus game. To activate the green reels they can pay 60x their wager, for blue 140x their wager, or for the red reels and the highest multiplier 350x their wager.
It is worth remembering for UK players that you will not have access to this option, so do not be surprised if you do not see a button or option for it in your game UI.
Ante Bets (Non-UK Only)
Players from outside of the UK will also have the option to place ante bets, which are 50% more than their regular spin amount but double the chance of triggering the bonus game. This brings the chances of triggering the bonus round on an ante bet spin to 1 in 59, compared to 1 in 118 on a regular bet.
It is worth remembering for UK players that you will not have access to this option, so do not be surprised if you do not see a button or option for it in your game UI.
Year of the Dragon King Final Thoughts
The Asian-themed slot market is a pretty crowded one, and Year of the Dragon King from Playtech has some stiff competition out there already.
Although the theming on this slot is solid, it does not have as much to offer players, especially those in the UK compared to other slots due to the bonus buy-in and ante bets mechanics not being available. However, the mini-slot bonus feature is exciting and unique and will be very refreshing to seasoned slot players. The dawn of the Year of the Dragon also helps this slot gain some momentum in terms of its theming and appeal.
The high volatility, 96.08% RTP, and 5000x max win are nothing groundbreaking but statistically, the overall hit rate for the game seems to be higher than comparable high volatility games.
The Year of the Dragon King slot machine is an engaging Asian-themed game with consistent metrics and unique bonus elements. Given the approaching dawn of the Year of the Dragon, the Year of the Dragon King slot machine makes for a perfect game to embrace this most auspicious year in Chinese culture.
Rating: 7.0
If you like Year of the Dragon, then check out these other Asian Theme slot games
Year of the Dragon King FAQ
Here are some of the most common questions we get asked about the Year of the Dragon King.
