Dancing Drums Explosion Slot

Light & Wonder, which, in a past life, went by the far less whimsical name Scientific Games Corporation (SG Gaming), has a thing for vintage slots with old-school mechanics. But peek at its portfolio, and you’ll see an even bigger obsession: Asian-themed slots. Their biggest success story is the almighty 88 Fortunes, which still haunts casino lobbies like an overplayed pop song. Now, years later, the studio has booked another ticket to Asia with Dancing Drums Explosion.

Don’t be fooled by the name, it’s not a rave, and no drums will literally explode (though that would be a show I'd pay to see). This is an unapologetically Asian slot, practically the twin sibling of 88 Fortunes in the looks department, but with gameplay that’s taken a different turn. I'm talking a medium volatility slot with 243 ways to win that can stretch to over 32,000 during the Free Spins. The RTP sits at a comfortable 96%, which means on paper, Dancing Drums Explosion has all the right numbers to make you think it’s “your time to win.”

Play it for real money in any SG-powered casino and see if you can bag a tidy payout, or at least enough to buy dinner. Or, if you’re commitment-shy, take it for a spin in free play mode (bonus cash optional) and see if it sings to you before you let it near your bankroll.

Dancing Drums Explosion is a 5x3 slot with 243 ways to win, and it’s about as subtle with its theme as a dragon parade through your living room. The visuals practically scream “ASIA!” at you, so expect reels so heavily ornamented they could double as antique furniture, all set against a classic red-and-orange backdrop dripping with golden coins and assorted lucky trinkets.

The Golden Drums pay the most, and they come in purple and gold variants. Both deliver wins of 44x your stake (on the $0.88 default bet) for five on a line. The Fu Bat plays the role of a Wild and appears in the base game and the Free Spins Round. Another golden version of the Fu Bat Wild can land on reels 2, 3, and 4 only in the base game.

To start spinning, you’ll need to place a bet. The options go from $0.18 to $88 per spin. Set what suits you best and click on the Spin button to start playing. Before you do that, it would be wise to take a look at the game guide. Dancing Drum Explosion uses regular and golden versions of its symbols that play different roles.

The base game is pretty straightforward. Wins are formed from left to right, with wins on multiple betways added together. Drums and Golden Drums can be mixed. Not surprisingly, the card royals pay significantly less than the golden symbols. As mentioned earlier, both the Fu Bat and Golden Fu Bat play the role of Wilds, substituting for other symbols in winning combos.

There aren’t any big surprises in the base game other than the random progressive jackpots. Every time the Fu Bat lands, it may trigger the Jackpot feature. This is completely random. There are three network jackpots that can be awarded on any spin, with the Golden Fu Bat awarding bigger jackpots than the regular.

The RTP of the Dancing Drums Explosion slot is 96.00%, solid for a medium variance slot game. The maximum payout in the base game and the Free Spins round is 2,840x your bet, not counting the progressive jackpots.

The Free Spins Bonus Round comes in two different versions, depending on the triggering Scatters. 

If you trigger it with 3 regular drums, you can select one out of five modes:

• 15 free spins with 3 rows at 243 ways;

• 10 spins with 4 rows at 1,024 ways;

• 5 spins with 5 rows at 3,125 ways;

• 3 spins with 6 rows at 7,776 ways;

• Mystery choice – picks an option randomly.

If triggered with Golden Drums, the options are upgraded like this: 

• 15 spins with 4 rows at 1,024 ways;

• 10 spins with 5 rows at 3,125 ways;

• Spins with 5 rows at 7,776 ways;

• 3 spins with 8 rows at 32,768 ways;

• Mystery choice.

The Free Spins Round plays like the base game, and it’s obviously more lucrative if triggered with Golden Drums. In terms of jackpots, they are random. The regular three jackpots can be awarded on any spin with a Fu Bat on the reels. A Golden Fu Bat upgrades the Grand jackpot to an Explosive one that pays 100,000 coins, up from the original Grand payout of 50,000 coins. Hitting the jackpot requires picking 3 matching symbols from a screen of 12.

Dancing Drums Explosion is yet another Asian-themed outing from Light & Wonder, because when you find a formula that works, why risk originality? To the provider's credit, the visuals are sharp, the features are polished, and it even dangled progressive jackpots in front of us. It’s fun, it’s rewarding, and if you’ve got a soft spot for Chinese culture (or just like slots that look like the inside of a lucky red envelope), this one will feel right at home on your “must-spin” list at our top-rated online slot sites.