5 Lions Dance is Asian themed slot that is hosting an amazing celebration to honor the tradition. Superbly designed slot in terms of graphics, artwork and sound effects. It is high volatility slot with 96.5% RTP.
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Dancing Drums has become so popular that many Asian-themed games you’ll find in both online and live casinos are now ‘inspired’ by it. You can’t miss the red design, with the smiling faces of Fu babies in traditional costume looking down from the top of the cabinet.
There are a lot of smaller details which go with the Asian theme. Bets end in the number 8, and the symbols show money trees, golden coins and koi carp. This game uses a ‘reel ways’ (all-ways) setup. A pot on top of the reels will fill with coins, sometimes closing to start a jackpot game. If you trigger the free spins bonus, you get to choose how big the reels will be – with more or less free spins depending on how big you go.
You can play Dancing Drums in live casinos or online. There is more information on where to find Dancing Drums after the game play and available casino bonuses below.
Basics: How Dancing Drums Slots Work
Reel ways means that you need to line up Asian themed symbols on consecutive reels (starting on the left). This is an alternative to traditional win-lines which makes spotting winning combinations easier.
Dancing Drums has a 5-reel, 3-row setup – with 15 symbols in total. Those symbols are a mix of Asian classics, with bold playing card symbols stopping the screen becoming too crowded.
Here are the symbols with the biggest prizes, listed in order
- Golden Lions
- Traditional Sailing Ship
- Money Tree
- Golden Ingot
- Gold Coins
Symbols showing a red and gold design are wild. They will often connect wins (sometimes more than one type). They will also fill the money pot above the reels.
The final symbol shows drums. These pay 44x your total bet for the maximum 5. They also trigger the free spins bonus, which starts with a picks screen.
Dancing Drums: Close the Pot to Start the Jackpot Picks Game
As you hit wild symbols, the pot above the reels will appear more and more full with gold coins. This can close at any time during either the base game or the free spins bonus. When it closes, the regular reels disappear. They are replaced with a grid of gold coins (Asian style ones, naturally).
Your task is to pick them by tapping on them. They reveal a colored traditional Fu baby character, each one relating to one of the 4 progressive jackpots. You get the first jackpot which you pick 3 times. This game is designed to up the anticipation levels by often revealing 2 of several types before you get your prize.
Free Spins Bonus: Your Pick of Screen Size
No matter how many drum symbols you trigger it with, you start the free spins bonus in the same way. A row of 5 choices of spins / reel sizes appears. These are 15 spins with a 5×3 setup, 10 spins with a 5×4 setup, 5 spins with 5×5 reels or 3 spins with 6×5 reels.
The final choice is a ‘mystery pick’, which randomly gives you one of the setups and number of spins.
With bigger reel sets, the all-ways system gives you a lot more potential winning combinations. This needs to be balanced with the smaller number of spins.
Where Can You Play Dancing Drums Slots?
Almost every live casino in the country will have this game (and several ‘versions’ of it from other slot studios).
You can also find this game at online casinos in regulated states. A lot of the iconic titles from Scientific Games have made it online. These work on mobile devices, as well as desktops. States with regulated online casinos include:
It is hoped that this list will expand as we go through the year.
Red and Gold with Fu Babies: Dancing Drums Slot Design
Scientific Games went all-in on the Asian theme for this game. The red and gold design sees an ornate pot with detailed inscriptions sitting above the reels. Above this you’ll see the jackpots, each with a Fu baby alongside.
The reels are crowded, with each unique symbol drawn in a lot of detail. The lion / dragon symbols look stunning, as if carved out of solid gold. When you hit a wild symbol (whether you win with it or not), a special effect sees this move to fill up the pot.
Slot Machines With Dancers Dance
There are plenty of Asian inspired sound effects. These include a tune for the free spins bonus, giggling Fu babies for the jackpot game and those drums signaling that you hit the free spins bonus.
Wrapping Up: How Does Dancing Drums Compare?
This Asian themed slot is a classic. It has seen multiple ‘clones’ as other slot studios try to emulate the success that Scientific Games had with this game.
Slot Machines With Dancers Dancing
When you strip away the excellent design, Dancing Drums is a relatively simple game. You get a single free spins bonus (with choice of reel size), and a jackpot picks game. What makes it work is the solid game play, reel-ways wins and the ever-present opportunity (Fu babies permitting) to hit a huge progressive.