Floating Dragon New Year Festival Ultra Megaways Hold & Spin (Pragmatic Play) Slot Review

Floating Dragon New Year Festival Ultra Megaways Hold & Spin: Slot Overview

Floating Dragon New Year Festival Ultra Megaways Hold & Spin is a vibrant Chinese New Year-themed video slot developed by Reel Kingdom, released on December 11, 2023. This installment builds on the success of predecessors like Floating Dragon and Floating Dragon Dragon Boat Festival, transitioning from a fixed 10-payline structure to a dynamic Megaways system offering up to 147,456 ways to win. The game immerses players in a festive Chinese town atmosphere, featuring tumbling reels, expanding grid configurations, and high-stakes bonus rounds such as Free Spins and Hold & Spin. Both bonus features carry the potential for the game’s maximum payout. Designed for enthusiasts of Asian-themed slots, Megaways mechanics, and feature-rich gameplay, it appeals to high-roller players seeking substantial volatility and rewarding cash-collection mechanics on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

Design and Graphics

The visual design of Floating Dragon New Year Festival Ultra Megaways Hold & Spin captures the essence of a lively nighttime Chinese New Year celebration against a deep blue backdrop of a traditional townscape. Gentle animations of leaves blowing across the screen add a dynamic, atmospheric touch, enhancing immersion without overwhelming the senses. The game’s grid prominently “sticks out” as a focal point, utilizing six main reels with variable row heights ranging from 2 to 6 symbols each. Above reels 2, 3, 4, and 5 sit three additional horizontal extra rows, which activate randomly per spin—indicated by padlock icons (locked or unlocked) to the right of each row. The topmost extra row exclusively features blanks or Wild Symbols, while the others can display standard symbols, introducing unpredictability and expanded winning opportunities.

Symbol artwork blends Western card royals with Eastern motifs: low-paying symbols (10, J, Q, K, A) offer a clean, metallic sheen in gold tones, paying 1x to 1.5x the bet for six-of-a-kind combinations. Higher-paying icons include thematic elements like fish, red envelopes, lanterns, flowers, and the premium golden frog, which delivers the top payout of up to 50x the bet for six on a payline—the frog notably pays 10 times more than other premiums. The Wild Symbol, depicted as an ornate hand fan, substitutes seamlessly with fluid animations. Special symbols stand out: the red dragon Scatter tongue protrudes menacingly; the Lady Symbol glides elegantly during bonuses; Fish Money Symbols shimmer with embedded cash values; the red knotted rope Mystery Symbol unravels dramatically; and golden Coin Money Symbols gleam invitingly.

Animations are polished and responsive, particularly during the Tumble Feature, where winning symbols explode and cascade smoothly, refilling the grid from above with crisp particle effects. Extra row activations trigger satisfying mechanical clicks and expansions, while bonus transitions feature fireworks bursts and festive flares. Audio complements the theme with subtle chimes for wins, escalating gongs for tumbles, and celebratory music swells during features. Overall, the aesthetic is high-quality, cohesive, and optimized for all platforms, prioritizing clarity and excitement over flashiness.

Gameplay Mechanics

Floating Dragon New Year Festival Ultra Megaways Hold & Spin employs a 6-reel setup with dynamic rows: base configurations vary between 2 and 6 rows per reel, expandable to 6-9-9-9-9-6 via the three extra rows above reels 2 through 5. These extra rows refresh with new symbols each spin and activate randomly, with the top row limited to blanks or Wilds. Wins form via the Megaways mechanic—adjacent matching symbols (3+ from the leftmost reel)—yielding up to 147,456 ways to win. The Tumble Feature activates post-win: victors vanish, symbols drop to fill gaps, and new ones fall from above, chaining reactions until no further wins occur.

Regular pays derive from low symbols (10-A: 1x-1.5x for 6-o-kind) and premiums (fish to golden frog: 1.5x-50x). The hand fan Wild substitutes all paying symbols except Scatter (red dragon), Lady, or Coin Money. Fish Money Symbols pay 1.5x for six but carry random values (2x-5,000x bet), exploding in base-game tumbles if winning but persisting in Free Spins. The Mystery Symbol (red rope) lands randomly in base and Free Spins, revealing identical paying symbols—in Free Spins, it appears only on Lady Symbol spins without Fish present.

Base game flow emphasizes anticipation: spins initiate with potential extra row unlocks, tumbles chain payouts, and specials tease bonuses. Ante Bet (50% bet increase) boosts Scatter frequency without altering RTP or pays. The grid’s variability ensures diverse sessions, with mobile-optimized controls for seamless play.

Bonus Features

The slot’s bonuses elevate excitement, with two primary rounds capable of delivering the 20,000x max win. Free Spins triggers via 3-6 Scatter Symbols (red dragon), awarding 10, 15, 20, or 25 spins. Lady Symbols debut here, collecting all visible Fish Money Symbol values instantly. Every fourth Lady grants +10 spins and escalating multipliers: 2x (first), 3x (second), 10x (third), then +10x increments. Absent Fish prompt random firecracker additions of Fish Money. Mystery Symbols may spawn, transforming into payers (excluding Fish on Lady spins). Tumbles retain Fish; feature ends on spin exhaustion or max win.

Hold & Spin Feature activates with 3+ Coin Money Symbols (1x-2,000x values, no top row), locking triggers and clearing others for 3 respins. New Coins or blanks fill empties; any Coin resets to 3. Ends on no spins or max win, with a 20x minimum guarantee (+3 spins if below). Retains triggering grid rows for uniqueness.

Bonus Buy offers direct access: Free Spins for 100x bet, Hold & Spin for 120x. Ante Bet enhances Free Spins odds. All integrate seamlessly, with Free Spins frequency at 1 in 320 spins.

Betting Options and Payouts

Betting ranges from €0.20 to €240, extendable to €360 with Ante Bet. RTP defaults at an above-average 96.7%, with variants at 95.69% and 94.62%. Volatility is high (very high per source), suiting risk-tolerant players chasing big hits—max win of 20,000x bet, probability 1 in 1,496,522 spins; wins over 1,000x occur 1 in 51,169 spins. Payouts cascade via tumbles, amplified in bonuses where Fish/Coin values scale massively.

Conclusion

Floating Dragon New Year Festival Ultra Megaways Hold & Spin excels with its innovative grid expansions, generous 96.7% RTP, and dual high-potential bonuses delivering up to 20,000x max win through Lady collections and respin guarantees. Strengths include thematic cohesion, smooth tumbles, random extra rows boosting ways-to-win, and player-friendly options like Ante Bet and Bonus Buy. Weaknesses encompass high volatility leading to prolonged dry spells, Scatter-dependent triggers (1/320), and RTP variance across versions. Players can test the slot risk-free using the built-in demo available on this page. Overall, it offers a compelling upgrade for series fans, balancing festive charm with substantial payout pursuit.