Dragon Shrine

Dragon Shrine is a game with solid graphics and a fitting soundtrack, but what first stands out to players is the atypical format. We'll cover the details of that below, but know that it actually does play into the functionality of the game and isn't just for show or getting the attention of players. Gameplay in this title is based very much around bonus features, and it has some very balanced payouts as well. This is a game that does not have an overwhelming volatility, and it might even be too low for some players, particularly if they prefer to chase big jackpots.

Game Format

You'll notice this video slot has five reels whenever you see it. However, there are also five symbols on the middle three reels, but the first and last have a more typical three each. Players have 40 paylines to win on in this game, and that gives you plenty of ways to win in the main re-spin bonus feature. Bet sizes span from $0.20 to $80 per turn in this slot, which is very wide indeed, and all of your payouts are based on the size of your total bet instead of any line bet calculations. As such, we're going to assume players are using a wager o $1.20 when discussing the payouts below, and you can move them up and down according to your own bet size accordingly.

Wild Symbol

The golden rectangle is the wild symbol in this game, and it's marked clearly with the word "Wild" across the middle of it. Five of a kind pays 12x here (times your total bet), and four gets you 2.4x. You can pick up 1.2x for three or 0.18x for just two, assuming that you can't make a higher-paying three of a kind combination. This symbol is important for how it substitutes for anything but the bonus symbol, but it's also a critical part of the re-spin feature.

Dragon Re-spin Feature

The dragon symbol appears stacked on the reels, and it's the second-highest paying symbol in the slot. Five of a kind gives you a solid 3.6x win, and you an pick up 1.2x for four of a kind, 0.6x for three or 0.12x for just two of a kind. Whenever you get the first reel full of this symbol, you'll enter a re-spin bonus feature.

The way this feature works is that all dragon and wild symbols on the reels will hold in place for the duration of the feature. You'll then get three re-spins where all other symbols will spin, giving you a chance to pick up additional sticky wilds and dragons. Once those three re-spins are up, all of your wins will be calculated from the dragons and wilds left on the reels. Since the dragons are stacked, this makes it easy to hit lots of wins, and so it's no surprise that this feature is the source of some of the largest payouts in the game.

Free Spins Feature

Three of the scattered bonus symbol on the middle three reels gives you a set of 10 free spins. During these free spins, you'll get a special variation of the re-spin feature. If dragons fill the first or last reel, it's triggered in the free spins. Additionally, they will copy over to fill both the first and fifth reels if you get them on either, so you only have to worry about lining up dragons and wilds in the middle three reels during this feature inside of the free spins to get five of a kind wins.

Our Thoughts

Dragon Shrine has really good gameplay, and Quickspin has made sure that players are able to get in on the action with some aggressive re-spin and free spin features. While the payout table is a bit flat and balanced, you can still run up some serious overall winnings from the re-spin feature, particularly inside of the free spins. This helps to give all different types of players something to look forward to in this game, and that's something that's hard to pull off.