Love Never Sleeps with this Atmospheric Vampire Themed Online Slot
I’ll answer two questions in one with this review of NetEnt’s Dracula. First, how good a slot is it? Second, how does it compare with other vampire themed slots? Being more specific here, I’ll decide how it holds up against MicroGaming’s Immortal Romance.
Before this slot loads, you will see an excellent animated video sequence. This shows a lady running through cobbled streets. She is being chased by bats. It looks like she escapes down a side street… only when she trips and looks up…. I will not spoil it, you’ll have to watch for yourself!
Dracula sits to the left of the reels while you spin. This is not the old school ‘count’. The look is certainly more Twilight than it is Hammer House of Horror. He will react to your spins, tap his long fingers and (sometimes) turn into a cloud of bats or hiss at you menacingly.
In addition to the atmospheric design, there are a couple of interesting game-play features. These include wilds added to the reels at random, and special long symbols showing Dracula and his prey at full length.
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A 'Count' of the Reels and Win-Lines: How Net Entertainment’s Dracula Slot Works
A bigger 5x4 grid is in use this time, with 40 win-lines in play. You will bet the as if it were a 20-line slot. You can adjust your coin size, level (multiplier) and use the auto-play if you wish. Max bet is even more dangerous than a vampire. This will default your bet to level 10 (10x your coin size times 20 lines). The ‘I’ button on the far left will bring up the pay table, which explains the prizes and the features in more depth.
The Sinister Cast: Winning Combos on the Dracula Slot
Dracula himself has the biggest prize. There are two symbols. One shows the side of his face, complete with long hair. The other shows him at full length, showing muscular arms and a grey vest-top. If you line up 5, you’ll get 200 coins per line. This prize is shared by a lady, who also appears as a single symbol and full length.
With the setting as London, the next biggest prizes come from some odd-looking characters. There is a lady in a large fur coat, complete with a hat. A gentleman with a beard (though no moustache) and a happy guy who might just be trying to sell something. The smallest wins come from shields with gold trim which have the regular playing card symbols in them.
Wild symbols are in play. These do not make wins by themselves, as they only appear on the middle 3 reels. Wilds have a blood red ‘W’ design.
On Reel Extra Feature: Bats
Dracula will turn into a swarm of bats regularly! He appears to strain and disappears from the head down. Bats now swoop over the reel. The graphic effect is excellent. This will not be your focus though. Bats leave special symbols on the reels – quite a lot of them on occasion. These will then turn into a single symbol at random. This does include wilds.
You will not win every time with this feature. Sometimes the bats land on reels 2 and 3, with no matches on the first reel for example. It is possible that you’ll hit a sudden big win and see an amazing graphic of an animated Drac!
Map Animation and the Free Spins Bonus Round
To trigger the free spins games, you need the two special stacked symbols on reels 2 and 4. You then see an animation based on a map. Dracula makes his way from Transylvania to London, where he meets a beautiful lady.
When the free spins start, the count and the lady are together at the side of the reels, standing arm in arm. For each of 10 spins, the bat feature is in play – with many of the symbols wild before the reels stop spinning.
There is one more symbol. This is a stacked symbol on reel 3, showing the count and the lady together. This is a wild symbol and can work with any regular wilds in play.
When this free spins game is over, a familiar fate waits for the lady. This is a creepy sequence, which you’ll have to watch in order to fully appreciate.
Atmospheric Design with Edgy Moments
Game-play wise, Net Entertainment have produced a simple though enjoyable slot. What makes this game stand out is the edgy design. That mix of music, thunder and lightning sound effects and sudden movements from the main vamp really do keep you on edge a little. If you enjoy suspense-full movies, then this will be a familiar feeling.
I love the cool-Dracula character, with jeans and a vest, he really does come bang up to date. Somehow this does not take away from his sinister feel… The other characters are more amusing than dark. I never could work out what that smiling guy is trying to sell.
The bat sequence is excellent, at least the first few times. Completing the design is the ‘big win’ animation, which shows the count in a whole new light.
How Does the Dracula Slot Compare?
This is an amazing slot – especially in terms of graphics. If you have played Immortal Romance recently, then you’ll notice some big differences. Dracula is a solid slot by comparison, without the progressive elements and varied story line. This slot is also a lot darker (though no less cool).
For me, Dracula from NetEnt is the kind of slot to relax with, while MicroGaming’s immortal romance needs a little more focus on involvement to really enjoy. Both are excellent slots, and both have plenty of potential for big wins.
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