Dragon Hopper Slot Overview

Dragon Hopper is a casino slot from Push Gaming, inviting players on a vibrant adventure through the Orient in the company of, well, dragons and lanterns, as tradition would have it. For those players who have been around the block a while, the setting may feel as recognizable as the back of their hand. However, as we came to expect from this UK-based provider, we can always count on a sleek presentation full of flashy colors and effects. The gameplay itself may also come across as familiar if you've tracked Push's portfolio for at least a few years. Titles like Fire Hopper and Crystal Catcher instantly jump to mind with their mechanics based on the chaotic movement of Wilds. However, this time, we also get treated to a bonus round reminiscent of the one from Retro Tapes. It's shaping up to be an intriguing combination, so let's see if it holds its own.

Base game view of a 7x7 grid with a mix of low, high-paying, and special symbols on the reels.
Base Game

Dragon Hopper is a video slot from Push Gaming with 7 reels, 7 rows, and a cluster-pays win evaluation system requiring at least 5 symbols connected vertically and/or horizontally. Players can choose their stake from a range of options, starting from a Min.bet of 0.1 up to a Max.bet of 100. The game offers a default RTP of 96.33%, although three lower variants of 94.39%, 88.26%, and 85.39% are also available for operators. Players will experience medium volatility, with a max win capped at 10,000x the bet.

Prepare for some serious hopping action with a solid arrangement of features that will help you jump toward the big wins. The features in Dragon Hopper are Cascading, Dragon Feature, Instant Prize Symbols, Mystic Flare Feature, and Free Spins. 

Dragon Hopper Slot Information

The main scene in Dragon Hopper welcomes us with a rather unusual view of Asian temples floating somewhere high in the sky. The buildings are adorned with characteristic dragon statues, warm lights, and plenty of green flora. They bob gently in the air, sitting on their individual little rock islands as if ripped from the ground and let go like a helium-filled balloon. A slow yet somewhat dramatic soundtrack conducts the mysterious, oriental atmosphere of this peculiar setting. In the middle, a checkered 7x7 area serves as the canvas for symbols landing softly in their assigned positions. Forming a successful cluster means aligning at least 5 matching icons next to each other, directly horizontally and/or vertically adjacent. The game comes with a contemporary mobile-friendly design, allowing it to be played on all common devices, from desktops to smartphones and tablets.

All regular symbols in the game come as Chinese lanterns in various shapes and colors. Among the low-value ones, we recognize the cooler shades: blue, turquoise, dark pink, and green, awarding between 2x and 10x the bet for clusters of 17 and more. The high-value ones appear in hues of light pink, orange, and red. Prizes for matching 17+ identical premium symbols in a set vary from 10x to 50x the bet. Alongside the lanterns, players will find a bunch of special icons responsible for triggering various features, like Wilds, Fire Clouds, Instant Prize, and Bonus symbol.

Dragon Hopper Slot Features

What is the max win in the slot Dragon Hopper?

You can win up to 10,000x the bet.

What features are available in the slot Dragon Hopper?

The features are Cascading, Dragon Feature, Instant Prize Symbols, Mystic Flare Feature, and Free Spins.

Free Spins bonus in progress with multiple Instant Prize symbols on the reels and several Wilds with multipliers.
Free Spins

Cascading

Every win initiates a cascading sequence where the evaluated symbols disappear from the grid, making room for new ones to drop in. This potentially can lead to further hits. Cascading continues until no new combinations can be created.

Dragon Feature

The Dragon Feature revolves around cooperation between two special symbols: Dragon Wild and Fire Cloud. Whenever at least one of each appears on the board, the feature is activated. The Dragon Wild, equipped with a win multiplier of x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, or x10, will jump onto each Fire Cloud, leaving a copy of itself in the form of a Golden Dragon with a respective multiplier. Each jump increases the multiplier value by +1. Once the movement is complete, all wins are evaluated, all Golden Dragons participating in winning clusters disappear, and a cascade happens. It's possible to land further Fire Cloud symbols and extend the duration of the feature with more potential wins. Any combinations involving more than one multiplier will have their values added together before being applied to the total reward.

Instant Prize Symbols

Bronze, silver, and gold coins can land anywhere on the grid. Each one carries an instant win value being a multiplication of the active bet: x1, x2, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, x250, x500, or x1,000. Whenever Instant Prize symbols form a cluster of 5 or more, their combined value is awarded.

Dragon Feature in progress with 4 positions converted into Wilds with multipliers.
Dragon Feature

Mystic Flare Feature

The feature can trigger on any non-winning spin or cascade. Either 1 or 2 colossal Mystic Symbols in size of 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4 will overlay random positions on the grid and then transform into 1 bunch of matching 1x1 regular paying symbols. Between them, also Instant Prize symbols, Bonus symbols, or Dragon symbols can appear.

Free Spins

Landing 3, 4, or 5 Scatters in a single round awards 6, 9, or 12 free spins, respectively. All Dragon, Golden Dragon, and Instant Prize visible in the base game will be transferred to the bonus round as well. If there wasn't a Dragon symbol present, one with an x2 multiplier will be added in a random position on the grid before the game begins. All vacant positions will spin on each round and reveal one of four outcomes.

Fire Cloud = triggers the Dragon Feature like in the base game.

Instant Prize = sticks to the grid until the end of the bonus.

Extra Spin = awards 1, 2, or 3 additional spins.

Blank = nothing.

Before the bonus round starts, a Bubble Symbol will be added to the grid either as a single instance or a stack of up to 5. Each bubble is an overlay that contains a value of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, or 500. It moves randomly around the board after each spin, and each time it ends up in the same position as one of the special symbols, it will behave in a different way.

Golden Dragon = adds the bubble's value to the current multiplier value.

Fire Cloud = adds the bubble's value to the Fire Cloud, which then transforms into the Golden Dragon once the Dragon Feature is complete.

Instant Prize = adds the bubble's value to the value of the symbol.

Each bubble disappears after being used but there's a chance more of them will be randomly added on any of the following free spins.

Dragon Hopper Slot Conclusion

Dragon Hopper may induce an impression of being a clone at first sight, but it's definitely not one. The core of the base game remains essentially the same as in two previous games that used the jumping Wild mechanism, but thanks to the addition of colossal Mystery Symbols and a bonus round from another production, the experience can be described as unique. Taking each of the elements separately, veterans of the online slot world will surely recognize them as hand-picked from a couple of the studio's earlier titles. However, as a concise mix, they create an engaging composition that has accumulated the best traits from previous games. And so, players can enjoy the bonus based on linking the Instant Prize symbols into clusters, enhancing them with multipliers from Wilds. There's also an exciting new addition in the form of Bubbles, which can further boost the two if they land in the same position. A subtle yet substantial approach.

From the audiovisual standpoint, Dragon Hopper is quite neutral, so to speak. Despite being a clearly Asian theme, it's not too in your face with oriental motifs and traditional Chinese decorations. Plus, the floating islands give off more of a fantasy or even sci-fi feel. Other than that, not a whole lot of thought has been given to the environment in general, and filling the reels with mostly paper lantern symbols is another testament to that. Naturally, the game offers the usual top-of-the-class animations and effects that we grew to love in Push Gaming's production, plus the overall artwork and polish are on a high level to match.

Dragon Hopper competently mixes multiple mechanics from the studio's earlier productions, delivering an exciting gaming experience in a soft Chinese setting.