Dragon Match Megaways: Overview

iSoftBet leave the African plains of Majestic Megaways behind and return to well-trodden territory with their third Megaways title, Dragon Match Megaways. If one motif keeps cropping up across the iSoftBet catalogue, it’s the exotic Far East. As the name suggests, Dragon Match is an Asian flavoured slot, a style iSoftBet clearly has a fondness for. Dragon Match Megaways can look a little traditional on the surface, yet it puts an unexpectedly modern spin on familiar ideas by using a tweaked take on Big Time Gaming’s famous engine.

Visually, Dragon Match leans fully into its Asian theme. The setting is a dreamy vista where jagged rock formations rise into the sky through drifting mist. In the mid-ground sits an ornate red bridge—one of those decorative features in a pristine Chinese garden that seems to lead nowhere, but is perfect for couple photos. The reels sit inside a pagoda-style frame, with golden dragons coiled around the supports. It’s an easy mark for anyone who dislikes Asian-themed slots, but iSoftBet has put in genuinely solid work, rounded off by a relaxed Chinese soundtrack. For fans of the theme, it’s a real feast for the senses.

Shifting attention from the scenery to the layout, you’ll notice iSoftBet has chopped 2 reels off the usual Megaways configuration. As a result, Dragon Match Megaways runs with just 4 reels in the base game. Above them is the extra horizontal reel, which has also been reduced to 2 symbols, half the typical amount for that position. The 4 main reels can show between 2 and 7 symbols each, creating up to 3,136 winning ways overall—considerably fewer than normal.

Wins are made with 3 or 4 matching symbols landing on consecutive reels from left to right, on any row. While the grid size is different, the cascade mechanic still activates whenever a winning combo hits. Winning symbols are removed and new ones fall into place, allowing several wins to chain together from a single spin if the cascades keep coming.

With fewer reels there are fewer symbols on screen, but the paytable still contains 10 symbols. Standard icons are the 10-A royals, each dressed up with tidy little Asian-style embellishments. After that come the premiums: a drum, a blue ornament, a flower, some gold, and a dragon as the top-paying symbol. Only three- and four-of-a-kind combinations are possible, and the jump in payouts is pretty steep. For instance, the dragon returns 20 times the stake for four of a kind, but only 2 times the stake for three. The dragon also acts as the wild, substituting for any paying symbol except the Dragon Match scatter, which we’ll cover next.

Dragon Match Megaways: Features

Dragons Match Megaways doesn’t come loaded with add-ons, with only two core features to note. The first is the Dragon Match feature, which can trigger at random when the same two symbols appear on the horizontal bonus reel. When it does, those symbols turn wild, and every instance of the triggering symbol on the two hot spot reels beneath also becomes wild.

The other main feature is Free Spins, activated when 2 Dragon Match scatter symbols land on the bonus reel. Once triggered, you can pick the bonus rules and volatility, very much in the style of Blueprint Gaming. There are 4 choices, and if you’ve played Buffalo Rising Megaways, they’ll feel instantly familiar. The options are:

• 12 free spins with the multiplier starting at x1.
• 8 free spins with the multiplier starting at x3.
• 5 free spins with the multiplier starting at x5.
• Mystery choice randomly generated combination.

The fourth option is essentially a gamble for those who like unpredictability, awarding a random 5-12 spins and a starting multiplier anywhere from x1-x5. It can be great, or it can be frustrating when it lands you 5 spins with the x1 multiplier.

During the bonus, gameplay is much like most other Megaways slots: every winning cascade boosts the win multiplier by +1. On top of that, seeing 2 Dragon Match scatter symbols on the horizontal reel awards 5 extra free spins.

Dragon Match Megaways: Verdict

iSoftBet have made plenty of trips to the Far East, yet they still manage to give their newest Megaways slot a bit of variety. The free spins round isn’t groundbreaking, but having several free spin setups to choose from keeps it entertaining. The Dragon Match feature is a nice addition too, even if it doesn’t always deliver big results. Along the same lines, premium symbols can feel a little scarce. Even so, Dragon Match Megaways brings something slightly unusual to the table. You don’t often see 4 reel slots that aren’t overloaded with fruit, so a Megaways twist on the format could appeal to certain players.

Where Majestic Megaways was a clear-cut example of a classic Megaways build, Dragon Match Megaways alters the template and earns some credit for trying something different. Ultimately, one of the biggest beneficiaries is Megaways itself. By removing a couple of reels and adjusting combo lengths and values, Dragon Match Megaways highlights just how flexible the well-known engine can be.

That said, Megaways purists may feel iSoftBet hasn’t fully exploited what the system can do, while players who aren’t keen on the engine in general likely won’t be swayed. Still, having potential in the region of 10,000x+ strengthens its argument with the wider slots audience. Overall, Dragon Match Megaways is a decent release, and it’s hard not to be at least somewhat impressed by iSoftBet’s recent shift in approach.