Dragons vs GigaBlox

Dragons Vs Gigablox: Slot Overview

Yggdrasil Gaming and ReelPlay partner Hot Rise Games keeps its 'Vs Gigablox' series rolling along with the release of an Asian-themed edition titled Dragons Vs Gigablox. This one is a bit different from past versions since the dragons in the game don't really square off against each other as combatants have done in previous Vs slots. Instead, gamblers are able to play the base game in two modes, where a different dragon is the main event in each, providing access to a different feature. Otherwise, Gigablox does its thing, and the bonus round is a streak respin-style event.

One of the first things to do when entering Dragons Vs Gigablox is pick which dragon and, by extension, which feature you would like to be active. The options are the Ruby Dragon or the Jade Dragon, the linked effects of each are covered in the features section. Once the choice has been made (and players can change their mind later by clicking the Dragon Select button, no problem), then it's into Dragons Vs Gigablox for real, and for Asian slot enthusiasts, a rather handsome game world is there to greet them. Curvy roofed buildings, a curved bridge, woody hills, and a dragon-framed matrix sit drenched in blazing sunlight, either at sunrise or sunset, in a pretty sweet setting for enthusiasts of this style.

As well as picking a dragon champion, bets must be picked as well, and the range of choices goes from 30 c to $/€15 per base game round. Three RTP configurations have been designed; the default is 96%, while the math model volatility is high for all of them. The versing takes place on a 6-reel, 6-row active area, and for calculating winning combinations, 50 paylines are provided.

Symbols now, and Dragons Vs Gigablox has ten of the regular paying variety. They include J-A royals, a fan, a lamp, a flower, and a bag, then the Jade Dragon and the Ruby Dragon. Lines of 6 matching royals are worth 0.83x the bet, while 6 of the mid-range objects pay 1.33-1.67x the bet (figures are rounded). Of the dragons, the Jade one pays 2.5x for 6 OAK, whereas the Ruby one slings 5x the bet for 6. Available on all reels, wild golden sycee symbols substitute for all regular pay symbols. Wild wins have the same value as Ruby Dragon wins. Important to note, any symbols except bonus or wild can land as a Gigablox symbol of 2x2 to 6x6 in size.

Dragons Vs Gigablox: Slot Features

Players can choose to have either the Ruby Dragon or the Jade Dragon active. When the Ruby Dragon is active, any Ruby Dragon Gigablox that lands fully in view randomly drops 2, 3, or 4 wilds on the reels. If a wild drops on a Gigablox symbol, including the triggering Ruby Dragon, the entire Gigablox turns wild. If 2 or more Ruby Dragon Gigabloxes land on the same spin, each one triggers 2 to 4 wilds. Wilds will not drop on existing wilds or scatters. When the Jade Dragon is Active, any Jade Dragon Gigablox that lands completely in view increases in size unless it was already a 6x6 symbol. Any scatters covered by a Jade Dragon still count for any bonus round trigger.

Bonus Respins

Landing at least 5 scatter symbols in the base game triggers the respins bonus round where 3 respins are initially awarded and where all triggering symbols fall to the bottom of the grid where they are held while all other non-held symbol positions respin. Any symbol landing in the round resets the spin count to 3. The bonus ends when no more respins remain or no space is left on the grid. Then, all bonus prizes are added and multiplied by the bet.

The symbols which can land on the bottom rows are bonus symbols and bonus special symbols. When either symbol lands in the bottom rows, they fall to the lowest available position and are held. Each bonus symbol on a reel shows a prize equal to the total number of symbols on the bottom positions of the reel. Bonus special symbols increase all other bonus special symbols on the screen by +1. Only one bonus special symbol may land on the bottom rows of each reel. When it does, it provides a 2x multiplier to all symbols on its reel.

Hitting a bonus multiplier symbol or bonus special symbol on the top row multiplies all prizes on the reel by x2 or x4, respectively. If 2 or more top-row symbols are on consecutive reels, the multipliers are added, then applied to all bonus or bonus special symbols in the bottom rows of their reels. Only bonus multiplier or bonus specials symbols may land on the top row and are held in position.

Bonus Buy

For 65x the bet, players can buy a game round that is guaranteed to land between 5 and 12 bonus symbols.

Dragons Vs Gigablox: Slot Verdict

For a bit of dragon-themed Gigablox activity with an Asian slant, why not Dragons Vs Gigablox ay? For those in its scope, choosing whether to play it or not might be less of a dilemma than choosing whether to activate the Ruby or the Jade dragon. What helps, or perhaps doesn't help, is that there is no mention of optimal gambling strategy or if either choice affects RTP. In this case, simply pick the one you like the look of best and give it a whirl. Players can always switch to the other dragon and back at any time in the base game anyway. The details on the growing dragon symbol feature are a little vague, and Jade symbol values are half of the Ruby dragon, so not so sure on that one. Still, there is no concrete mention of one symbol having better stats than the other.

Both are topped off by the same bonus round as well. A little unusual it is as well, which is positive news for hold 'n win players. Although, Dragon's Vs Gigablox's bonus respins round does share characteristics with Excalibur VS Gigablox's Highrise Respins feature. It's too bad the VERSUS feature did not return, so we don't get a full-on, one-on-one battle between dragons, but maybe next time. Interestingly, even without VERSUS, Dragons Vs Gigablox possesses the biggest max multiplier in the Vs range to date, with a figure of 13,770x the bet. The respins round didn't seem so potent during testing, though there is a lot of potential multiplying text in the rules. Dragons Vs Gigablox might not look or feel as massively confrontational as some of its Vs brethren, but the features are in keeping with those preceding it, and there is a considerable potential top prize for prospective users to keep their eyes on.