Lion Dance

Red Tiger Gaming has delivered reliably well-made slots, usually with Asian themes, and usually not terribly original. Lion Dance falls squarely into these categories, though it is partially redeemed by the four gaming ‘Worlds’ provided by the design team. This makes the slot feel at times like four games in one.

Theme

A classical-themed celebration is underway in this game, where clouds, pagodas, and temples stand in the background. Gaming symbols include the dragon wild symbol, drums, cymbals, lanterns, and the playing cards valued ace through jack. A fireworks-laden scatter symbol triggers bonus features. Traditional Chinese-sounding music provides the soundtrack. A lion on the romp appears at random, taking the player from one ‘world’ to another. As is usual in Red Tiger Gaming’s titles, sound and visual design are both impeccable.

Betting Options and Functions

The 40 pay lines in this slot are fixed; betting is controlled simply by adjusting total stake: the minimum bet is 0.20, with 500.00 times the betting currency per spin the maximum. Autoplay is available, with options to stop for adjustable loss limits, single win limits, and jackpot and feature triggers. Separate menus allow players to adjust sound options, launch menus explaining game rules, and see the pay structure in detail. The theoretical return to player is a pedestrian 95%.

There are four gaming worlds in this slot, with slightly different bonus features available in each. Base play beings in Lion Dance world – the appearance of the dancing lion ushers in one of the bonus worlds. In Connected Tiles World, the dragon will occasionally move through the gaming symbols like Ms. Pacman, turning all the symbols it touches into a random pay symbol to trigger big wins. Mega Tiles World features one three-by-three super lantern symbol in which this allows for big lantern wins more likely. In Deep Stacks World, reels appear stacked with top-paying symbols only; Mystery Symbols World features mystery coin symbols, which will all flip over to reveal the same randomized paying symbol after the reels have stopped moving.

Features

While the four gaming worlds are accessible in base play, it’s in free spins that they are at their most lucrative. The appearance of three or more scatter symbols on the reels triggers up to 18 free spins, during which one of the four worlds’ features will be available at random. They do tend to take awhile to trigger, however.

Our Take

In a way, it’s comforting to see that Red Tiger Gaming has found its niche: this company can be counted on to produce solid-if-unremarkable slots, usually with East Asian-derived themes. Fans of this company will find plenty to like in Lion Dance; likewise, those who have not enjoyed previous titles from this designer are unlikely to be swayed.